Late Gift Shopping, Mild Weather Seen Lifting Super Saturday Sales
Source: WWD
By David Moin
Nearly 160 million consumers in the U.S. plan to shop on Super Saturday, according to the NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
There would also be some pent-up demand on Super Saturday considering how the beginning of this week saw frigid weather conditions in the Northeast and Midwest, keeping many people at home and away from stores, though some business would have been made up online. A winter storm hit the Northeast on Sunday, leading to temperatures well below freezing and icy conditions through Tuesday. Also, much of the Pacific Northwest last week suffered flooding.
By Wednesday, however, temperatures were back in the 30s and 40s. According to Planalytics, which predicts the weather to help stores with their planning, “most businesses in the U.S. can expect drier and milder conditions in time for Super Saturday, supporting traffic into retail stores, shopping centers and dining destinations. Warmer temperatures will steadily expand from the Central U.S. to the East Coast as we head into the weekend. By Super Saturday, warmer-than-normal temperatures will prevail across most major markets. Store traffic will be lifted by dry conditions across the South [and] Central regions, and through most of the Eastern U.S.”
Planalytics also reported there will be some exceptions to the calm weather in certain areas of the country, including heavy precipitation and strong winds in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. In addition, Planalytics indicated that light rain and snow showers are expected across the Great Lakes and Northeast on Friday, but conditions will be mostly clear for the weekend. . . .