• While footfall on Black Friday (Fri 28 Nov 2025) dipped -3% compared to 2024, shopper traffic in the build-up to Black Friday rose +1.1% year-on-year
• Shopper traffic on Black Friday also increased +54.9% week-on-week and was +78.5% higher on average compared to the previous two Fridays
• Footfall is expected to pick up into the BFCM weekend with 70% of UK consumers planning on visiting stores during the Black Friday period

SOLIHULL, UK, 29 November 2025 – Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls, today shared its initial analysis of Black Friday in-store traffic for the 2025 Peak Trading season. According to its ShopperTrak Analytics insights, which captures 40 billion store visits globally each year, retail visits on Black Friday decreased -3% year-on-year, as consumer caution and constrained purchasing power curbed demand.

However, in the week leading up to Black Friday shopper traffic improved +1.1% year-on-year (22 – 28 Nov 2025 vs 23 – 29 Nov 2024), with High Street store counts rising +2.8% compared to 2024 across the same period. Footfall also improved +54.9% week-on-week and jumped +78.5% compared to the average across the previous two Fridays.

Retail Parks saw the greatest uptick in store visits, rising +0.2% year-on-year yesterday (28 Nov 2025), while week-on-week, Shopping Centres were the top performing retail destinations, with footfall rising +63.8% compared to the week prior.

“Consumer caution is disrupting demand patterns, shifting buying behaviours and creating spend hesitancy. This is due in part to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Autumn Budget, which landed just two days before Black Friday,” said Andy Sumpter, Sensormatic Solutions EMEA Retail Consultant. “However, despite the mixed start, retailers have cause for cautious optimism, with polling suggesting it’s a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’ consumers will buy. Retailers will be counting on shoppers hitting the High Street as we head into the rest of the Black Friday weekend, hoping to capitalise on sales.”

Considered Demand for Discounts

While Sensormatic Solutions 2025 report showed 70% of UK shoppers surveyed planned to visit a store during the Black Friday period, they will be more cautious in their buying decisions. That is because nearly three quarters (73%) of survey respondents reported they will take more time searching out discounts – up +4 percentage points year-on-year.

“Even though many retailers started their BFCM promotions early as is now tradition, many shoppers are still holding out for the best deal. Retailers will need to react dynamically to drive up demand whilst balancing out the margin implications of deep discounting,” Sumpter added.

The Season Ahead

Black Friday performance is expected to improve across the rest of the weekend. Today (Sat, 29 Nov 2025), is expected to be the second busiest in-store shopping day of the entire Peak Trading period, according to Sensormatic Solutions predictions.

Additionally, the rest of the season’s predicted busiest days are still on the horizon, with the footfall peak expected to take place in the final few days leading up to Christmas. Super Saturday (20 Dec 2025) is expected to be the top busiest day for stores, while the last full shopping day before Christmas (Tue, 23 Dec 2025) is tipped to be the third busiest day for footfall.

With Christmas falling on a Thursday for the first time in over a decade, retailers may also see more sustained store traffic in the week preceding 25 Dec 2025.

To get more holiday insights from Sensormatic Solutions, visit www.sensormatic.com. To make sure you’re up-to-date on all things holiday retail, use #SensormaticHolidays to follow along on LinkedIn and X.

Survey Methodology: Original research of over 1,000 UK shoppers, polled by Clariti on behalf of Sensormatic in August 2025. Polling was conducted online amongst a nationally representative sample of UK adults.

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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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