Retailers Must Convert Browsers to Buyers for Holiday Season

Back-to-school sales and traffic have historically served as a key indicator for the winter holiday shopping season for retailers. This year, retailers can expect bitter and sweet news: Retail industry experts project that back-to-school shoppers will spend more than last year, but make fewer trips to the store.

According to ShopperTrak—the world's largest counter and analyzer of retail foot traffic—national retail sales, when compared to the same period last year, will rise 3.8 percent, while foot traffic will decrease 2.9 percent. ShopperTrak measures foot traffic in more than 25,000 stores in the United States. Rising gas prices are likely to cause the drop in foot traffic, according to ShopperTrak.

“With back-to-school shoppers planning fewer trips to the store—and continued economic uncertainty—retailers must maximize the limited number of opportunities to convert browsers to buyers,” said ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin. Tracking daily foot traffic and understanding store traffic patterns will equip mall owners with meaningful business intelligence to ensure the best possible in-store experience for the customer and the maximum shopper conversion rate for the store, said Martin.