Persistent inflation and a trend toward seeking early discounts this festive season will overpower any post-Christmas boost for retail sales, according to data provided by commerce protection provider Signifyd.
Signifyd is predicting that Boxing Day online sales will fall 3% below last year, in line with the 4% drop on Black Friday, according to Signifyd data. The figures make for a pair of dreary bookends to the most important shopping period of the year.
The prediction — and December’s performance so far — mark a sombre turn for a shopping season that started out strong, but faded fast, as attractive discounts pulled consumers’ spending forward into November.
“Overall online sales in November were up 6% in the UK,” said Signifyd Data Analyst Phelim Killough. “But December to date is down 5%, a fairly reliable sign that early demand in November has displaced some festive season spending in December.”
Signifyd’s ecommerce sales data and Holiday Season Pulse Tracker are derived from Signifyd’s Commerce Network of thousands of online retailers.
