Black Friday retail store traffic on was down 2.1% compared to the date in 2024, consistent with the 2025 trend, but traffic surged significantly in the days leading to the big shopping day, according to Sensormatic Solutions.
When compared to the previous Friday, November 21, Black Friday traffic was up 248.9%, the business services provider and traffic tracker maintained. Traffic increased by 56.7% during the week of Black Friday (November 23-28) compared to the prior week (November 16-21).
Sensormatic’s ShopperTrak Analytics data indicated early afternoon was still the most popular period for Black Friday browsing, peaking between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., with 3 p.m. marking the busiest hour for retailers.
In looking ahead, Sensormatic noted a number of the holiday season’s busiest traffic days are upcoming, with the peak expected to fall in the final few days leading up to Christmas. Because Christmas falls on a Thursday for the first time in more than a decade, the company noted, retailers could enjoy a more sustained high-traffic period in the week preceding December 25.
“Traffic has been steadily picking up throughout the second half of 2025, kicking off during the back-to-school season, and this week’s strong showing hints this trend is likely to continue throughout the rest of the holiday season,” said Grant Gustafson, Sensormatic head of retail consulting and analytics. “Black Friday is still expected to be the busiest shopping day of the year as consumers prioritize leveraging peak discount days to purchase big-ticket items on their lists. According to ShopperTrak Analytics, in 2024, 77% of the retailers who outperformed in shopper traffic during the holiday season continued to outperform into the first half of 2025. The momentum and loyalty gained by providing great shopping experiences this weekend can help retailers into the new year.”
