Today xAd, the global leader in location intelligence that drives sales, releases its foot traffic analysis of the UK’s leading high streets over the Black Friday weekend and reveals what will drive shoppers to purchases over the Christmas season.
The high streets that saw the largest increase in footfall over the Black Friday weekend compared to the preceding weekend were:
- Princes Street, Edinburgh
- Buchanan Street, Glasgow
- Northumberland Street, Newcastle
- Church Street, Liverpool
- Market Street, Manchester
It’s clear that Scottish shoppers are in the market for a Black Friday bargain and are likely to be receptive to deals on the high street throughout the Christmas season. Consumers in northern cities also visited the high street specifically for Black Friday discounts.
Over 3 days, xAd captured a 14% increase in footfall to UK high streets and a 23% increase to department stores over the Black Friday weekend compared to the previous weekend.
While there was only a slight increase in traffic to retail hotspots on Black Friday itself, Saturday was a much higher shopping day, with 24% more foot fall than the previous week to high streets and 35% more to department stores, showing that the sales still drew shoppers into physical stores.
House of Fraser and Selfridges top the foot traffic chart.
Compared to the two previous weeks, the department stores that saw the largest increase in foot traffic over the Black Friday weekend were:
- House of Fraser
- Selfridges
- John Lewis
- Debenhams
- Marks & Spencer
High streets and shopping malls play critical role this Christmas
The majority of shoppers will go to the high street or visit a shopping centre for their Christmas purchases (67%). A third of shoppers will use their PC or laptop (32%) and a fifth (21%) will use their mobile phone.
Most sales take place on the high street because people believe that they can get all of the gifts they need at once (37%). This convenience is even more important to female shoppers, with the figure rising to 41%.
In addition, 21% of people visit physical stores because they don’t have to wait for the delivery of products as they do with online shopping and nearly 10% go there because there are other places to visit besides retail outlets, such as coffee shops, cinemas and restaurants.
Rewards and nearby discounts
20% of shoppers would be encouraged to go into a high street store if they were offered a tailored discount for a nearby shop. This figure rises to over a quarter (26%) amongst the 18-25 age bracket. In addition, 13% of Brits would be more likely to enter a nearby store if there was a reward, such as loyalty points, for doing so.
Commenting on the results, Theo Theodorou, GM of EMEA at xAd said: “With so many brands offering deals this Christmas, it’s crucial that retailers are able to stand out, not just on price and product but in their customer experience too. They must capture consumers’ attention at the right moment and most importantly in the right place.
“With location intelligence, brands can understand audiences’ intent and then provide the experience needed to convert them to a sale. By lifting the lid on real world behaviour, location is enabling brands to uncover huge sales opportunities at Christmas time.”