So-called Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas, lived up to its expectations this weekend as one of the busiest shopping days of the year — at least for online retailers.
According to Verizon’s Retail Index, which tracks consumer shopping over its broadband and mobile data networks, desktop traffic rose 19 percent above average on Dec. 19, representing the most activity this season since the Sunday before Cyber Monday, and repeating a similar pattern from last year.
In contrast, average daily mobile traffic attributed to m-commerce was 6 percent higher than average on Super Saturday, though down year-over-year overall. However, peak volumes spiked as much as 15 percent above average on Super Saturday, confirming earlier reports that more shoppers than ever are letting their fingers do the walking across their smartphones and tablets this holiday season.
“As expected, there was a surge in both online and mobile commerce on Super Saturday as consumers rushed to wrap up their shopping,” observed Michele Dupré, retail, hospitality and distribution VP at Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “This effective one-two punch combined with heavy in-store traffic means that it was a solid day for retailers, though all indications are that there is still shopping to be done and wallet share to be gained in these final days before Christmas.”
Brick-and-mortar stores were also expected to do well, with foot-traffic counter ShopperTrak projecting Super Saturday to come in as the second busiest shopping day of the year, behind only Black Friday.
