Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Super Saturday 2022 Recap

by 
Shira Petrack
 on 
December 22, 2022
Super Saturday 2022 Recap

Super Saturday – the last Saturday before Christmas – draws crowds of last-minute gift buyers to retailers across the country. We dove into the data to understand how this day fit into the wider 2022 holiday shopping season and how consumer concern over rising prices impacted this year’s performance. 

Super Saturday Drives Significant Peaks 

Super Saturday presented a continuation of a trend seen in recent months — a more extended holiday season limits the peaks of any specific day. There is even more time for shopping ahead of the holiday and ample evidence that the lack of major doorbuster deals limits the urgency on any specific day. 

Most categories and chains analyzed saw visits down compared to 2021, which is consistent with some reports of Americans cutting down on gifts this year as inflation squeezes budgets. At the same time, minor year-over-year (YoY) declines could be offset by longer and more significant visits, which may mean that basket sizes have increased or that extended discovery in an offline environment is driving more online sales. 

Super Saturday Still Drives Visit Peaks 

In many ways, Black Friday and Super Saturday bookend the holiday shopping season. 

And despite the YoY declines, it’s critical to note that Super Saturday, like Black Friday, still drove massive visit peaks for most chains and categories examined, with visits to select categories up 20-60% relative to the previous six Saturday visit average. 

And while Black Friday usually gets the bulk of the attention, location intelligence indicates Super Saturday visits are not so far behind. This year’s Super Saturday visits to superstores, specialty apparel retailers, and pet care brands – a surprising stop on many consumers’ holiday gift buying trajectory – were less than 10% lower than visits to those categories on Black Friday 2022. At dollar and discount stores, visits were actually  31.5% higher on Super Saturday than on Black Friday. 

The more traditional Black Friday categories of shopping centers, department stores, and recreational and sporting goods retailers saw 17.6%, 27.2%, and 25.2% declines on Super Saturday 2022 relative to this year’s Black Friday, while electronics visits were down a whopping 59.6% in the same comparison. But zooming out at the larger holiday season paints a more nuanced picture. 

Aside from electronics – which still sees its annual visit peak during the week of Black Friday – all other categories analyzed received more visits the week of Super Saturday. This result may not seem all that surprising, given that Black Friday week also includes Thanksgiving, a notoriously weak day for retail. But the strength of Super Saturday week does highlight the limited impact that any single day will have on the performance of most brands and categories. 

Super Saturday Winners

And even as the retail context shifts from promotion days to promotion weeks and seasons, there are chains and segments that did over-perform this Super Saturday. Ulta continued to show its strength, and the strength of the wider beauty category. Off-price retail leaders like T.J. Maxx and Marshalls also saw growth relative to 2021, in line with previous years when the category saw stronger performance later in the holiday season than during the Black Friday wave. Finally, the discount & dollar segment saw growth likely driven by the draw of their value orientation and wide product array ahead of the holiday. This category, alongside superstores, could also benefit from an extended pre-Christmas period after Super Saturday that should drive ongoing visits for those who need last minute items ahead of the holiday. 

For more data-driven retail insights, visit placer.ai/blog

Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter

Great! Prepare your inbox for data-driven insights...
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Text Link
T.J. Maxx
Text Link
Marshalls
Darden Brands: Location Analytics and Consumer Behavior
Nike and lululemon: a Strong 2023, Sprinting into 2024
Where Is Retail and Dining Foot Traffic Thriving in Early 2024?
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – February 2024
Three Retail & Dining Chains That May Surprise in 2024
Specialty Discount Chains Rock Retail Therapy
Placer.ai Mall Index: February 2024
Placer.ai Office Index: February 2024 Recap
Ulta Beauty Continues To Shine
First Watch Sails Into 2024
Hibbett Sports and DICK’S Sporting Goods: A Psychographic Analysis
Checking in With Discount & Dollar Stores
Peeking Behind The Curtain: Movie Theaters in 2023 and Beyond
Diving Into Brick-and-Mortar Eyewear
Getting Into Gear: Exploring The Auto Part Industry
Recapping Valentine’s Day 2024 Foot Traffic Trends
Fitness: A Strong Start to 2024
Dutch Bros. Continues To Percolate Visits
Super Bowl 2024: Placer.ai’s Postgame Foot Traffic Analysis
CAVA & sweetgreen Are On the Rise
Hats Off For Off-Price
Who Is Shopping at Malls?
Drilling Down Into Home Improvement
Walmart, Target, Costco & Superstore Space 2023 Recap
Catching Up With Shake Shack and Wingstop
Something To Chew On: Demographic Shifts at Steakhouse Chains
Placer.ai Office Index: Looking Back at 2023
Recapping RBI & Yum! Brands’ 2023 Foot Traffic Performance
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – January 2024
Who Shops at Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters?
Three Taco Chains to Watch in 2024
Starbucks and Dunkin’: 2023 in Four Data Points
Who Visits CVS and Walgreens?
Fashionably Frugal: Apparel in 2023
Catching Up With Fast Food
The Grocery Sector in 2023: An End-of-Year Recap
3 Mall & Shopping Center Trends for 2024
Bakery Chains Rising To The Top
Placer.ai and Esri Partner to Deliver Geospatial Analytics
Tampa Tourism Trends
Going For The Green: The Changing Dynamics Of Country Clubs
Christmas Day Dining Recap
Major Urban Shopping Districts – Holiday Season Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: December 2023 Recap
Recapping the 2023 Holiday Shopping Season
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – December 2023
7 Retail & Dining Segments to Watch in 2024
Diving Into Holiday Season Favorites
Super Saturday and Christmas Eve Eve: A Winning Combination
3 Budget Grocery Chains Finishing 2023 On a High Note
Making It In America: International Chicken Chains Bring The Heat
Domestic Tourism at a Glance: A Q3 2023 Roundup
Five Pizza Chains On The Rise
Jewelry Brands Taking Advantage of the DTC Opportunity
Secondhand News: Kids' Thrift Shops
Recapping 2023’s Dining M&As
MetLife Stadium Kicks Off Football Season
Placer.ai Office Index: November 2023 Recap
Small Coffee Chains Brewing Big Success
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – November 2023
Thanksgiving Travel 2023 Recap
Checking in With Nike and Lululemon
Black Friday 2023 Retail Recap
Starbucks’ 2023 Holiday Menu & Red Cup Day Performance
Turkey Wednesday 2023
Who Attended the 2023 Pickleball Championship? 
Three Surprising Holiday Shopping Trends
What’s in Store for Ulta Beauty This Holiday Season?
Best Buy and Department Stores: A Holiday Deep Dive
Discount & Dollar Stores: Strength Toward The End of the Year
The State of Off-Price Retail: Discounts Seal The Deal
Placer Mall Index Recap: October 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: October 2023 Recap
Retail Corridors Ahead of the 2023 Holiday Season
California, Here Gap Comes
Checking in With Home Improvement
Getting Into the Glasses Game: Warby Parker Takes Over
Fitness Positioned for a Strong 2023 Finish
White Paper Recap: October 2023
Coffee Giants Brewing Up Business
Popeyes and Burger King Lead the Way
Diving into Yum!
Looking Ahead to Black Friday 2023
Blockbusters Drive Movie Theater Comeback
Crocs and Boot Barn: Shoe-Ins for Success
McDonald’s and Chipotle's Winning Recipe
The State Of Steak: Checking in With Texas Roadhouse
Pleasant Pastimes: Pickleball Potential Proves Potent
Who’s Driving Downtown Manhattan’s Weekend Revival?
Diving into Downtown Manhattan Foot Traffic Trends
Rite Aid: Rightsizing Right
Major League Soccer: Its Die-Hard and Casual Fans
The Anchor Recap: September 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: September 2023 Recap
Placer Mall Index Recap: September 2023
September White Paper Recap
The Consumer Habits of College Students
JCPenney: Rightsizing and Revitalizing
Pent-Up Demand Ahead of October Sales Events
4 Strategies Retailers are Using to Drive Traffic to Their Venues