What to Expect from 2022's Busiest Holiday Shopping Days
Your inventory's ordered, your seasonal hiring's (hopefully) done, and you're almost ready for the busiest shopping period of the year. Or are you? Do you know when to staff your stores for all-hands-on-deck shifts? Do you know which shifts you might be able to save some labor spend on? Are you ready for a rush of shoppers that might appear on days that are normally a little slower for your stores?
To help address these questions, Sensormatic Solutions has compiled our annual report on the busiest days of the holiday season. In it, you'll get consumer trends, insights on inventory management, labor optimization, loss prevention and more!
Download your copy of North America’s Busiest Holiday Shopping Days of 2022 now, or keep reading for more insights you can use to succeed this holiday season.
How we do it
Our annual predictions aren't based on guesswork. Our team of data scientists and experienced retail leaders use a variety of factors to pinpoint when shoppers are most likely to head to stores to get their shopping done. Some of those factors include:
- historical shopping patterns
- how and when shoppers respond to sales and promotions
- days of the week major holidays fall on
- weather predictions — including how similar weather impacted shoppers' choices in the past
- evolving behaviors and preferences
All told, these points — and more — give us a robust data set from which to draw conclusions. And if history is an accurate judge, we hit the mark far more often than we miss.
What it means for you
Our annual Busiest Days reports can arm you with the information you need to ensure your stores are set up to succeed during retail's most important revenue-generating period of the year — and this year, being adequately prepared may mean more than ever.
According to our U.S. Holiday Consumer Sentiment Survey, 42% of U.S. shoppers said they plan to spend at least somewhat less this holiday season compared to last season. Meanwhile, 47% of Canadian shoppers said the same, according to a recent Ipsos Reid poll. This news isn't ideal for retailers, of course, but as always, there are two sides to the story.
On one hand, those numbers show that more than half of U.S. and Canadian shoppers plan to spend the same or more this holiday season than they did last year. To keep these shoppers happy and inspire them to return, retailers will need to minimize out-of-stocks, distribute best-selling items to stores that need them most, ensure the busiest shifts are staffed with associates trained on value-added selling, and use item-level inventory accuracy to ensure omnichannel purchases are waiting for shoppers when they arrive to pick them up.
On the other, with many shoppers tightening their belts amid economic uncertainty and fears of a looming recession, retailers will have fewer opportunities to deliver great holiday shopping experiences this year. These shoppers will likely make fewer, more intentional trips to stores and have key items in mind ahead of time. They may even use BOPIS/BOPAC options to ensure the items they want are in-stock when they arrive. To delight these shoppers, retailers will need more engaged and better trained staff, item-level inventory accuracy, and BOPIS/BOPAC offerings that offer maximum convenience, minimum out-of-stocks, and efficient, effective fulfillment.
In both instances, however, retailers will need to strengthen their loss prevention efforts to minimize shrinkage and unexpected out-of-stocks, and a source tagging partner to free up associates to engage with customers and keep inventory levels optimal.
North America's Busiest Shopping Days
So what will North America's busiest shopping days be, exactly?
It's no surprise that, yet again, Black Friday takes the top spot in both U.S. and Canada. But interestingly, in the U.S. at least, the day after Christmas, also known as "Boxing Day" or "Returns Day," makes a return to the top three busiest days after dropping to fifth for the first time last year. It's also remarkable because it falls on a Monday. Canada's top busiest days, however, remain unchanged from 2021.
United States
- Black Friday — Friday, November 25
- Friday before Christmas — Friday, December 23
- Day after Christmas, aka “Boxing Day” — Monday, December 26
Canada
- Black Friday — Friday, November 25
- Boxing Day — Monday, December 26
- Saturday after Black Friday — Saturday, November 26
However, don't let these last minute shopping days fool you. Our third annual U.S. Holiday Consumer Sentiment Survey found that 52% of consumers either started or planned to start shopping for holiday gifts before November.
“We predict consumers will be more proactive during this year’s shopping season, and retailers must prepare in advance," said Brian Field, global leader of retail consulting and analytics for Sensormatic Solutions. "With this year’s holiday shopping schedule spreading out over several months, data-driven insights will be crucial to store success. Retailers who take steps to implement technology early in the year are likely to find themselves at an advantage come November and December.”
Get the full report
Want to see the full list of 2022's busiest holiday shopping days, plus insights on how to prepare effectively in advance? Download your copy of North America’s Busiest Holiday Shopping Days of 2022 today. It's your best resource for preparing your staff and stores for the holiday rush that's getting closer by the day.
