Christmas rush continues, but still behind 2005, says Synovate Retail Performance
22 December 2006
UNITED KINGDOM — Latest figures from retail analyst Synovate Retail Performance released today show that shopper numbers are continuing to rise in the week before the final Christmas-week rush - for the week of 10th December to 16th December inclusive, shopper numbers were up 6.4% on the previous week – but are still showing a drop of 5.3% on the equivalent week last year (w/c 11th December 2005).
Dr. Tim Denison, Director of Knowledge Management at Synovate Retail Performance and leading retail psychologist comments; "The Retail Traffic Index™ figures represent by far the most comprehensive and robust sample of people actually entering stores and constitute one ever-reliable rock of fact in the shifting sands of contradictory Christmas data.
"This latest dataset shows that retailers generally are still doing significantly better than many had predicted, although shopping behaviour this year has been affected by several factors including greater use of the internet for both browsing and buying, rising interest rates and utility bills, and a widening gap between those still feeling well-off and confident and those reining in their spending. This may well explain the fact that there are still fewer people entering stores this year than last and, in the third week of Christmas shopping (10th - 16th), we see the year-on-year gap once again fairly close to that of the recent figures. Nevertheless those who are shopping may well be spending more, individually, than last year.
"Our prediction is that shopper numbers will be closer to last year's in this, the final week of Christmas shopping, with a significant rush expected over the final weekend. In all, we expect retailers' eventual Christmas trading figures to show that most, but not all, enjoyed a decent Christmas."
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.
Contact(s) for this press release
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Tim Denison
Synovate Retail Performance |
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34 Walker Avenue |
Tel. +44 (0) 1908 682 700 |
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Theo Chalmers
Managing Director, Verve Public Relations |
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Park House, 8 Grove Ash |
Tel. +44 1908 275 271 |
Synovate Retail Performance provides footfall monitoring solutions, shopper tracking systems and in-store behavioural research to retailers worldwide. Its core products - Shopper Count, Shopper Interact and Shopper Engage - scientifically measure all aspects of a shopper experience from store entry to exit. It supplies national and international retailers with essential business metrics to drive accountability and performance improvement.
Synovate Retail Performance is home to the Retail Traffic Index series, which for over 10 years has been the industry's leading tracker of national, regional and sector retail footfall trends. It is also co-founder of the KPMG / Synovate Retail Think Tank, offering thought leadership on the state of retail health and the future of retailing.
General information for Synovate Retail Performance, email info.rp@synovate.com
Synovate Retail Performance Limited is registered in England and Wales under number 3552625 with its registered address at Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9AY, UK. Synovate Retail Performance is a wholly owned subsidiary of Synovate.
About The Retail Traffic Index (RTI)
The RTI from Synovate Retail Performance is regarded as the national benchmark of retail shopper traffic flow. It is constructed using a nationally representative sample of over 520 million visits to over 3,100 retail premises per annum across the UK, excluding the grocery, convenience and minor retail service sectors.
For further details and a full explanation see here.
About Synovate
Synovate generates insights to help clients drive competitive brand, product and customer experience strategies. Now part of Ipsos, with offices in over 80 countries, our approach combines best in class global research capabilities with personalised service, local knowledge and the flexibility to create teams and processes that meet clients' specific requirements. At Synovate, our clients sit at the top of our organisational chart, driving us to continually develop more innovative research solutions that predict actual business outcomes.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.