Retail footfall has fallen for six consecutive months – despite a surge of shopping around Halloween – as bricks-and-mortar shops in the UK continue to struggle.
Data from BRC-Sensormatic IQ Footfall Monitor UK shows that footfall dipped 0.7% year-on-year in October – a slight improvement on September’s 1.8% drop, but still part of a broader trend of declining in-store visits. High streets bucked the trend with a 0.6% rise, but retail parks and shopping centres continued to slide, down 0.5% and 0.9% respectively.
Halloween, however, saw an increase in footfall as consumers headed to the shops to buy food, decorations and costumes. Footfall on 31 October jumped 4.6% year-on-year, with retail parks seeing a standout 12.6% boost. The momentum carried into the weekend, with Saturday 1 November delivering a dramatic 27.6% year-on-year surge across all retail destinations. This chimes with research from Globaldata which found that half of UK consumers planned to celebrate Halloween this year, with spending expected to hit £537 million.
Online holds steady — but doesn’t spike
While physical retail saw a Halloween bounce, online shopping stayed steady. Ecommerce sales in October were flat to slightly up, especially in seasonal categories like fashion and homeware. The difference can be explained by the fact that events drive footfall – Halloween gave people a reason to hit the shops — something online doesn’t replicate. Online wins on convenience – but physical retail increasingly needs a hook to compete.
For retailers with brick-and-mortar stores, the message is clear: experiences, events, and seasonal moments are key to driving footfall. But relying on footfall alone is a risky gamble – and with shoppers mixing channels more than ever, retailers without strong omnichannel or multichannel presences risk losing out on both everyday purchases and events-driven sales.
As we head into the festive season, retailers will be watching closely to see whether Christmas can deliver a more sustained recovery – or whether the sector will need to brace for a seventh month of decline.
Stay informed
Our editor carefully curates two newsletters a week filled with up-to-date news, analysis and research. Click here to subscribe to the FREE newsletter sent straight to your inbox. Why not follow us on LinkedIn to receive the latest updates on our research and analysis?
