Shoppers’ visits to physical stores were 39.1 percent fewer on the Saturday before Christmas this season compared to the same day in 2019. For the entire pre-Christmas weekend, foot traffic in stores plummeted 40 percent year on year, according to data from Sensormatic Solutions, a tech firm tracking store visits.
The firm had predicted traffic to fall 22 to 25 percent earlier but revised its estimate to a decline of 34 to 36 percent as the holiday drew nearer.
In contrast, online sales in almost every retail category, from electronics to sporting goods to department stores, showed gains ranging from 95 to more than 300 percent, data from several analytical sources show.
Clothing purchases were 19.1 percent lower from 1 October through 24 December in 2020 than during the same period last year.
Online sales, in general, soared 47.2 percent over 2019’s holiday shopping season, Mastercard SpendingPulse reported, with Amazon, Target, Walmart, and other retailers with well-oiled digital operations faring best.
Overall, holiday sales from 1 November through 24 December gained just 2.4 percent against 2019’s shopping season.
The National Retail Federation had projected a 3.6- to 5.2-percent jump.
