The U.S. holiday shopping season in 2026 will feature fewer in-store visitors. Retail analytics firm Sensormatic Solutions reports foot traffic will fall by 3.5% compared to 2025, extending a multi-year decline in physical shopping. Yet the 10 busiest days will still generate 35% of all holiday season traffic, with shoppers arriving already prepared to buy.
Black Friday (November 27) remains the single busiest shopping day, marking the unofficial start of the holiday rush. This year, Christmas falls on a Friday for the first time since 2020, shifting traffic into the days leading up to the holiday. December 20, 21, 22, and 23 all rank among the top 10 busiest days, though December 24 (Christmas Eve), a traditionally strong date for jewelers, does not appear on this year’s list.
Sensormatic Solutions’ full ranking of the busiest days includes:
- 1) November 27 (Black Friday)
- 2) December 19 (Super Saturday)
- 3) December 12 (Second Saturday in December)
- 4) December 26 (Boxing Day)
- 5) December 23 (Wednesday before Christmas)
- 6) December 20 (Super Sunday)
- 7) November 28 (Saturday after Black Friday)
- 8) December 22 (Tuesday before Christmas)
- 9) December 5 (First Saturday in December)
- 10) December 21 (Monday before Christmas)
This shift in consumer behavior shows shoppers increasingly research products online before visiting stores. Over the summer, conversion rates rose by 5% year-over-year, while sales per shopper also climbed by 5%. The data indicates customers now arrive at stores with clear purchase intentions. Retailers need to have what consumers are looking for or risk losing the sale.
Tony D’Onofrio, president of Sensormatic Solutions, says most purchase journeys now start online, meaning shoppers arrive with a clear idea of what they want. The retailer’s job is to meet them at that moment: have the product ready, where it should be, and at the right price.
Sensormatic Solutions monitors similar shopping patterns in 17 countries, including Canada (Boxing Day, December 26), the United Kingdom (November 28), and Australia (December 26). The company supplies retailers with hardware, software, and analytics to manage inventory, loss prevention, and foot traffic trends.
