London, UK, November 30th, 2015 — Electronics retailer Game, department store BHS and fashion retailer Topshop enjoyed some of the biggest increases in footfall over Black Friday in the UK, according to smartphone connection data analysed by Wi-Fi platform provider Devicescape.
Asda, which decided not to participate in Black Friday this year, saw reduced activity over the weekend.
By comparing the number of unique devices that connected to the free Wi-Fi at leading UK high street locations on Black Friday 2015 with the same data from the previous Friday, Devicescape was able to deduce which brands enjoyed the largest footfall improvement.
Connections at Game were up 71% week on week, with BHS seeing a 59% improvement and Topshop 56%.
Large supermarkets fared less well, with Tesco seeing a 10.5% improvement and Sainsbury’s a 4.8% improvement. Asda saw a 2.5% drop in connections on Black Friday compared to the previous week.
“Black Friday is relatively new in the UK retail but big promotions from a number of brands have translated into substantial footfall increases,” said Mike Hibberd, Director of Marketing at Devicescape. “Asda’s decision to opt out this year has led to a slight drop in footfall, but it might be interested to see that improvements at its competitors were towards the lower end of the results we tracked.”
In the U.S., where Black Friday is far more established and many people take the day off work, increases were more dramatic, with 20 brands seeing more than 100% increases week on week.
Top 10 UK brands for Wi-Fi connection increase on Black Friday, 2015
|
Retailer |
Increase in Connections (week on week) |
| Game | 71.2% |
| BHS | 58.9% |
| Topshop | 56.1% |
| JD Sports | 30.3% |
| John Lewis | 23.7% |
| Apple Store | 21.5% |
| Boots | 14.1% |
| Tesco | 10.5% |
| Marks & Spencer | 5.0% |
| Sainsbury’s |
4.8% |
For more information on Devicescape visit www.devicescape.com or follow us on Twitter @Devicescape.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The data gathered for this exercise was fully anonymised. Devicescape did not capture or store any personal identity information.
- This data builds on a report released by Devicescape on November 18th, 2015, entitled: ‘Making Connections: Wi-Fi on the UK High Street’. To access this report, click here.
About Devicescape
Devicescape operates the world’s largest multi-service Wi-Fi platform, delivering Access, Insight, and Engagement Services for operators, mobile application providers, device manufacturers, and retailers. Powered by a global Curated Virtual Network of tens of millions of amenity Wi-Fi access points, including those provided by some of the world’s most popular service and retail brands, Devicescape enables a Connectivity First customer experience at an unmatched operating cost.
Media Contact
Henry Burrell
Babel PR
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Email: devicescape@babelpr.com