Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

November 15, 2019

Local retailers’ holiday shopping trump card: ticking clock

PHOTO | New Haven Biz
By Michael C. Bingham

Bricks-and-mortar retailers in New Haven and the region still enjoy one indisputable advantage over e-commerce competition this holiday season: last-minute shopping. 

According to the small-business retail website Womply, the No. 1 week of the year for consumer spending is the last full week before Christmas, while Valentine’s Day, the Friday and Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend, and the Friday and Saturday before Christmas comprise the top five days of the year for consumer spending, suggesting local retailers remain the destination of last resort for last-minute shoppers.

Other holiday-season findings for New Haven-area retailers, according to Womply:

  • From Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, this year Nov. 29) to Christmas Eve, the average retailer in New Haven generates $1,346 in daily revenue (36.2 percent over the U.S. average) from 16 transactions (up 14.3 percent) with an average purchase price of $85.86 (18.3 percent above the national average). 

  • New Haven ranks No. 3 in the state for consumer spending between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Local retailers’ daily average holiday revenue ($1,346) is surpassed among Connecticut retail markets only by Bridgeport-Stamford ($1,445 daily average), which includes the bulk of Fairfield County.

  • The period from Black Friday to Christmas Eve accounts for 11.8 percent of total annual consumer spending at local retailers. 

    •  Holiday-season findings on a state level:

    • Similar to their big-box counterparts, Black Friday is huge for small shops, too. Even though 20 percent of local retailers were closed, according to Womply, it was still the No. 7 sales day of the year thanks to a 79-percent increase in consumer spending over the average.

  • Two of the top five days of the year for consumer spending fall between Thanksgiving and Christmas: No. 1 is the Saturday before Christmas, while No. 5 is the Friday before Christmas 

  • “Small Business Saturday” (Nov. 30 in 2019) still hasn’t achieved traction as a top day of the year for local retailers (No. 23 annually for consumer spending).

    • Overall, Connecticut is the 24th-ranked state for average retail revenue in the United States, pulling in close to the national average in daily revenue on a given (non-holiday season) day.

    On a given day, retail shops in Connecticut generate $932 in revenue — No. 24 in the nation, according to Womply. The average retail business also processed about 12 transactions daily while seeing customers spend an average of $74.99 per ticket (No. 25 nationally).

    Sign up for Enews

    Most Recent

    Most Recent

    0 Comments

    Order a PDF