ShopperTrak Reports Retail Sales Rise 3.9 Percent for the Month of May
Total U.S. Foot Traffic Falls 3.1 Percent
CHICAGO, IL, June 9, 2010 – ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) today reported that total GAFO retail sales for the month of May increased 3.9 percent while the company’s Retail Traffic Index (SRTI) reported a 3.1 percent decline in total U.S. foot traffic for the same period as compared to last year.
Once again the 2010 calendar shift influenced consumer shopping patterns last month as Memorial Day fell in June as opposed to May in 2009, slowing traffic patterns for the period. Although total U.S. foot traffic declined, ShopperTrak reports retail sales posted a solid increase, pointing to a pattern the traffic intelligence company has seen since November 2009 – a smarter consumer planning less visits to the mall with a bigger spend during each trip.
Looking at the month-over-month performance, Mother’s Day spending and the build up to Memorial Day boosted both sales and traffic levels as ShopperTrak’s SRTI reported a 3.3 percent traffic increase while the company’s NRSE reported a steady 7.9 percent rise. The 2010 calendar shift also strongly influenced month-over-month performance as April 2010 did not contain Easter holiday traffic, equaling a slower month.
“Yet again the monthly retail performance points to a truly resilient consumer who is economically planning trips around perceived value and spending more dollars during each of these visits,” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. “This continued pattern points to a relatively positive retail environment so far throughout 2010 and after analyzing our data and speaking with our clients we believe this trend will continue throughout the summer and into the holidays as Memorial Day, Father’s Day, July 4th and eventually back-to-school shopping positively influences retail performance.”
Further analyzing the data, ShopperTrak also reports foot traffic in Apparel & Accessories Store segment slipped 3.6 percent compared to last year, followed by the Wireless & Electronics segment which fell 5.2 percent.
Breaking out regional year-over-year traffic for the month, ShopperTrak’s data shows:
Total U.S. Foot Traffic
· Midwest -4.0
· Northeast -5.8
· South -1.0
· West -6.8
Apparel & Accessories Traffic Index
· Midwest -3.7
· Northeast -3.4
· South -2.8
· West -5.4
Wireless & Electronics Traffic Index
· Midwest -0.9
· Northeast -9.6
· South -2.9
· West -6.9
For ShopperTrak’s weekly 2010 sales and traffic analysis, please visit ShopperTrak’s newly designed Website, www.shoppertrak.com.
Developed by ShopperTrak, the NRSE provides a nationwide benchmark of retail sales. It is derived from the U.S. Commerce Department's GAFO (general
merchandise, apparel, furniture, sporting goods, electronics, hobby, books and other related store sales) statistic, as well as ShopperTrak proprietary industry intelligence on shopper movement and sales statistics.
The ShopperTrak Retail Traffic Index™ measures traffic across five separate retail segments including total
A privately held entity, ShopperTrak leverages 20 years of retail expertise to be the industry's authority for information and analysis of the movement of shoppers in retail environments. ShopperTrak's cutting-edge shopper tracking products and indices offer retail intelligence solutions that enable companies to better understand retail trends and the impact of store and staff performance on company revenues. With more than 50,000 units installed in the world's best known retail outlets and malls, the company's solutions also provide a proven means for retailers to gauge labor efficiencies, advertising and marketing efforts, store design and remodeling programs, merchandise changes, associate training programs, and other budget-intensive strategic initiatives. For more information visit http://www.shoppertrak.com.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The data contained within this news release is the property of ShopperTrak RCT Corporation and may be reprinted, published or broadcast, provided proper credit is given to the National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE), the ShopperTrak Retail Traffic Index and ShopperTrak RCT Corporation as the supplier of the information. Please contact Aaron Martin at
