Christmas Shopping Over the Weekend Overtakes Last Year Says SPSL
Provisional data from SPSL’s Retail Traffic Index ™ (RTI™) show that shopper numbers over the weekend were up on the equivalent weekend last year and up on last week too. Across the weekend as a whole, shopper numbers were up by 0.7% year-on-year and by 4.2% week-on-week. On Saturday 9th December shopper numbers were up by 1.1% on the same Saturday last year (10th Dec) and up by 3.8% on the previous Saturday (2nd December). On Sunday numbers were down by 0.1% on the same Sunday last year (11th Dec), but up by 5.0% on the previous Sunday (3rd).
Dr. Tim Denison, Director of Knowledge Management at SPSL and leading retail psychologist comments; “Our preliminary analysis indicates that the weekend was a better one for retailers. For the first time in the run-up to Christmas this year we have seen more shoppers over a weekend going into stores than did last year. Granted, the rise of 0.7% is small, but it implies that the situation may be significantly better than some had projected. Until all of last week’s data are collated and validated we have to be cautious about the conclusions that we can draw, but the weekend’s news will certainly strike a note of optimism for retailers.
“Fine weather on Saturday will have helped bring shoppers out in force, but we shouldn’t underestimate the role of numerous town authorities and trade associations up and down the country this weekend injecting a festive atmosphere through their Christmas parades and fairs.
“Christmas shopping is now in full swing. People were out and about in their droves over the weekend, searching for gifts and bargains. The news of Nintendo’s Wii consoles having already sold out adds credence to our comments last week that shoppers should snap up the items they want when they can, rather than hang out for better deals.
SPSL’s analysis of the retail traffic data for the full trading week commencing 3rd December will be released on Wednesday.
Important Note to Editors: Due to ongoing reporting errors, SPSL would like to make it clear that the RTI is the only UK index that exclusively measures the number of shoppers actually entering stores as opposed to persons entering retail centres, where there may be stores as well as other non-retail premises and which may be accessed for a host of reasons other than in order to enter a store.
Note
All enquiries for follow up or interviews with Dr Tim Denison should be directed to Theo Chalmers at Verve PR on 01908 275271 (weekdays) or 07932 004632.
ENDS
ABOUT SPSL
Established in 1989, retail research group SPSL is the largest European provider of proprietary tools for high accuracy customer traffic and behavioural analysis deployed by retailers. The company monitors more than 420 million visits to over 2,150 retail premises per annum in the UK alone. Its customers include many of the retail industry’s most successful companies across all retail sectors except grocery, convenience and minor retail service sectors. SPSL is trusted by retailers to provide mission-critical Key Performance Indicators to measure customer volume, sales opportunities, conversion rates, staff stretch, promotional activity and in-store lay-outs. Its data features regularly in serious trade and consumer media and it exclusively provides the UK Retail Traffic Weather Map as seen in Retail Week and on the Retail Bulletin website. Director of SPSL, retail psychologist Dr. Tim Denison is a frequent and popular commentator on issues relating to shopping for national and regional broadcast, print and online media.
Using SPSL systems, retailers are able to reliably measure customer traffic flow on an ongoing hour-by-hour basis as well as determine in-store ‘weather’, assess the impact of marketing initiatives, and tailor staff levels according to customer demand rather than service supply. The company owes its unrivalled reputation and success on the accuracy, dependability and specialist nature of both its data and its support services. It runs its UK and European operations from its head office in Milton Keynes, England and invests heavily in developing advanced behavioural analysis and tracking tools to create ever more beneficial trading results for its customers and ever more enriched shopping experiences for theirs.
STOP PRESS: SPSL wins GLA tender. From 24th July 2006, SPSL has been appointed as sole official supplier of footfall data to the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Transport for London (TfL). The GLA has entrusted SPSL with this critical task in order to have a truly accurate measure of the impact of the existing Congestion Zone and the proposed Congestion Zone western extension on shopper numbers in central London. SPSL is proud to enter into this relationship with the GLA and to have demonstrated once again the superior accuracy, robustness and reliability of its data.
ABOUT THE RETAIL TRAFFIC INDEX (RTI)
The RTI from SPSL is regarded as the national benchmark of retail shopper traffic flow. It is constructed using a nationally representative sample of over 420 million visits to over 2,150 retail premises per annum across the UK, excluding the grocery, convenience and minor retail service sectors. For further details and a full explanation see www.customercounting.com.
For PRODUCT information please contact:
Dominic McGuinness or Dr Tim Denison
SPSL
34 Walker Avenue
Wolverton Mill
MILTON KEYNES
MK12 5TW
Tel: +44( 0)1908 682700
Fax: +44( 0)1908 682739
website: www.customercounting.com
MEDIA enquiries to:
Theo Chalmers
Verve Public Relations
Park House, 8 Grove Ash
Mount Farm
MILTON KEYNES MK1 1BZ
Tel: +44( 0)1908 275271
Fax: +44( 0)1908 275272
e-mail: t.chalmers@vervepr.co.uk