• Footfall on Boxing Day dipped +1.7% YOY, prompted by retailers offering early, discounts ahead of 26 Dec to drive up pre-Christmas demand
• High Streets saw the biggest decline in visitor numbers, down -5.8% YOY
• Outlets were the only retail destination to see footfall improve compared to 2023, up 3.2% YOY, as shoppers sought discounts on top of discounts
• As well as early discounts, some retailers remained closed yesterday to give staff an extra day-off to spend with families
• While shopper counts were down on Boxing Day compared to 2023, the sales event still delivered a +71.1% rise compared to the December daily average
• Total spending between Christmas Day and New Year is expected to top £13.8 billion, as bargain-hungry shoppers continue to snap up deals

27 December 2024—Solihull, UK— The traditional Boxing Day retail boost was dealt a blow this year, with store footfall dipping as retailers offering early discounts drove pre-Christmas spending, the latest data from Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls, reveals.

According to Sensormatic’s ShopperTrak Analytics insights platform, which captures 40 billion store visits globally each year, footfall on Boxing Day (26 Dec 2024) faltered. Despite delivering a 71.1% increase in shopper counts compared to the December daily average, store visits fell +1.7% year-on-year yesterday, after retailers launched sales, which traditionally would have been held until 26 Dec, early in order to drive up pre-Christmas demand.

High Streets saw the biggest decline, down -5.8% versus 2023, and while Shopping Centres and Retail Parks also saw lower footfall compared to last year, Outlets were the only retail destination to see store traffic improve, rising +3.2% year-on-year, as shoppers sought discounts on top of discounts.

“After a sluggish start in December delivered a -5.4% year-on-year festive footfall deficit, retailers have been playing catch-up ever since as they’ve chased critical Christmas trade,” Andy Sumpter, Sensormatic Solutions’ EMEA Retail Consultant, commented. “And this tail chasing prompted many to launch Boxing Day sales much earlier than usual in a bid to drive pre-Christmas revenues, with some retailers even offering discounts that would traditionally have been held for Boxing Day as early in mid-December.”

New Look, The Range and Debenhams were among the UK retailers launching early Boxing Day discounts pre-Christmas, while Next also announced it would offer pre-Christmas access to its VIP Sale, which usually begins on 27 Dec, to its most loyal customers.

In addition to heavy pre-Christmas discounting bringing consumers’ sales spending forward, some retailers, including M&S and Next, also opted to remain closed yesterday to give staff an extra day off to spend with families, potentially contributing to a more muted performance on the high street as consumers held off shopping trips.

“There is, however, all still to play for, with the period between Christmas and New Year representing a critical £13.8 billion retail sales opportunity,” Sumpter continued. “Retailers will be hoping the Boxing Day lull wanes as the lure of ongoing discounts continue to drive bargain-hungry shoppers in-store as they close out peak trading.”

To learn more about how Sensormatic Solutions can help retailers make the most of the Christmas shopping season, visit www.sensormatic.com. For more Sensormatic Solutions Christmas insights, use #SensormaticHolidays to follow along on LinkedIn and X.

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Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls, powers safe, secure and seamless retail experiences. For more than 50 years, the brand has been at the forefront of the industry’s fast-moving technology adoption, redefining retail operations on a global scale and turning insights into actions. Sensormatic Solutions delivers an interconnected ecosystem of loss prevention, inventory intelligence and traffic insight solutions, along with our services and partners to enable retailers worldwide to innovate and elevate with precision, connecting data-driven outcomes that shape retail’s future. Please visit Sensormatic Solutions or follow us on LinkedIn, X, and our YouTube channel.

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