Retail footfall continues to grow as warm weather and public holidays create perfect spending conditions

Research in 2021 showed an increase in high street footfall around the UK with a rise of nearly 12% week-on week when the warm summer weather began, while out of town shopping centres saw between 2% and 9% increase, indicating the effects that warm weather can have on retail.  And, if you’re based in a tourist hot spot, it gets even better with a rise of between 24% and 38% in retail footfall when the weather starts to heat up. Warm weather, combined with bank holidays and pending summer vacations intensifies the desire to get out and spend at this time of year.

Springboard’s Insights Director, Diane Wehrle, agrees: “A combination of the May bank holiday, incredible weather and the school half term holiday can have a hugely beneficial effect on customer activity in UK summer retail destinations.”

With so-called staycations on the rise, it seems that more and more consumers are planning to spend their hard earned cash in the UK during the summer holidays.

The popularity of staycations also boosts the sale of garden and homeware as some consumers continue to opt for home improvements over and above expensive holidays.  With camping also on the rise, tents and other outdoor equipment also experience a boost at this time of year. 

If you’re a retailer with multiple sites, you may be struggling to manage your stock between locations. OpSuite’s retail management solution will help you to control your stock effectively, allowing you to allocate inventory from your central warehouse to whichever outlet requires it most, ensuring you don’t over or undersell. And, if you sell online too, you can manage your eCommerce and bricks and mortar products from one piece of software.

If you’d like to see the system in action, get in touch with our team and book a discovery call. We’ll explain how to make best use of stock allocations to cope with the increased demand and any supply shortages.  Call 0800 138 0050 for more information or book a discovery call with a member of our team here.