U.S. Black Friday Retail Traffic Matched Year-to-Date Trends, Says Sensormatic

• In-store traffic was down 2.1% compared to 2024 Black Friday results, on par with 2025 results year-to-date (-2.2%).

• Week of Black Friday (Nov. 23-28) traffic was up 56.7% compared to the week prior (Nov. 16-21).

• Shopper traffic on Black Friday (Nov. 28) exceeded the previous Friday (Nov. 21) by 248.9%.

Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls, shared its initial analysis of Black Friday in-store traffic for the 2025 U.S. holiday season. According to its ShopperTrak Analytics insights, which captures 40 billion store visits globally each year, retail visits on the annual shopping holiday were down slightly compared to 2024 (-2.1%), but shopper traffic was in-line with 2025 year-to-date (-2.2%). Compared to the previous Friday (Nov. 21), traffic on Nov. 28 was up 248.9%.

“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, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions. “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.”

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ShopperTrak Analytics data also showed that early afternoon is still the most popular time for Black Friday browsing. As in years past, in-store traffic peaked between 2 and 4 p.m., with 3 p.m. marking the busiest hour for retailers.

The Season Ahead

Black Friday may be the predicted busiest day of the 2025 holiday shopping season in the U.S., but the retail rush is just getting started. According to Sensormatic Solutions predictions, the rest of the season’s busiest days are still on the horizon, with the peak expected to fall in the final few days leading up to Christmas. With this year’s holiday falling on a Thursday for the first time in over a decade, retailers may see a more sustained high-traffic period in the week preceding Dec. 25.

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“This weekend truly marks the kickoff to a successful holiday season for retailers, and beyond that, a successful 2026 as well,” continued Gustafson. “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.”

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