Super Saturday Traffic Well Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

Shopper traffic was down 26.3% from 2019 levels, according to data from Sensormatic Solutions. Super Saturday––the last Saturday before Christmas––is expected to be the second-busiest shopping day of the year, behind Black Friday. While that figure might scare some retailers, shopper traffic was actually up 19.4% from 2020.

The findings are also in line with Black Friday traffic data––traffic declined 28.3% this year on Black Friday compared to 2019, but increased 47.5% compared to 2020.

“For the last five years, Super Saturday is the second-busiest shopping day in the U.S., falling only behind Black Friday,” said Peter McCall, senior manager of retail consulting, Sensormatic Solutions. “There were only three Saturdays in December leading up to Christmas Day this year. As we expected, Super Saturday remains a big part of consumers’ holiday shopping plans to grab last-minute items with supply chain issues delaying the arrival of online orders in time for holiday celebrations.”

The findings come as the National Retail Federation remains bullish on strong retail sales through the end of 2021. The association upped its sales guidance earlier this year to a projection of $4.44 trillion to $4.56 trillion in retail sales for the year.