U.S. Retail Traffic Was In-Line With Year-to-Date Trends on Black Friday, According to Sensormatic Solutions ShopperTrak Analytics

Core Insights - U.S. retail traffic on Black Friday 2025 was slightly down by 2.1% compared to 2024, but aligned with the year-to-date trend of -2.2% [1][6] - Shopper traffic on Black Friday (Nov. 28) saw a significant increase of 248.9% compared to the previous Friday (Nov. 21) [1][6] - The peak shopping times for Black Friday were identified as early afternoon, particularly between 2 and 4 p.m., with 3 p.m. being the busiest hour [2] Retail Trends - Retail traffic has been steadily increasing throughout the second half of 2025, starting from the back-to-school season, indicating a positive trend for the holiday season [2] - Black Friday is anticipated to remain the busiest shopping day of the year, as consumers take advantage of peak discount days for big-ticket items [2] - Predictions suggest that the busiest days of the holiday season will occur in the final days leading up to Christmas, with a sustained high-traffic period expected due to the holiday falling on a Thursday [3] Future Outlook - The successful Black Friday weekend is seen as a kickoff for a prosperous holiday season and a strong start for 2026 [4] - Historical data indicates that 77% of retailers who performed well in shopper traffic during the holiday season continued to outperform in the first half of the following year [4]