Retail footfall rose 3.3% during 2023 despite the cost-of-living crisis, rail strikes and adverse weather, according to MRI Software.
However, the software company flagged this was still 11.5% down on 2019 pre-pandemic levels, although this was an improvement on last year’s 14.2%. gap.
The business found optimism among shoppers, although 84% chose to shop for cheaper brands when it came to essentials.
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Week on week footfall fell across 26 weeks over the year, however, the Easter break, October half term and Black Friday provided 17%, 10.5% and 10% boosts respectively.
MRI Software marketing and insights director Jenni Matthews said: “As we look ahead to 2024, consumer behaviour continues to evolve shaped by many factors including hybrid working and inflation, which makes it a challenging time for the retail sector as they grapple with these adjustments.
“2023 closed on a positive note with inflation sitting much lower than at the beginning of the year, and consumer confidence improving by over half setting the stage for a hopeful beginning to 2024.”
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