The distribution of crowds throughout the week has changed compared to 2023. Notably, the busiest moments of the day are becoming even busier, and Saturday has once again emerged as a more important shopping day.

An interesting trend is the increase in crowd levels during peak hours. Between 12:00 and 16:00, crowd density has risen by an average of 6.3% compared to the same hours last year, with some increases as high as 10% in the early afternoon. Saturday has also become busier as a shopping day, with an 8.5% increase. It seems that Saturday is regaining its importance as a key shopping day!

Based on real-time measurements, we can conclude that consumers in 2024 seem to be exhibiting different shopping behaviors than in 2023. It may appear busier, but what stands out is the shift in shopping hours throughout the day.

Real-time data is crucial to provide a complete picture: perceived busyness can be misleading as it doesn't accurately reflect the full scope of shopping behavior.

We are continuously researching real-time shopping trends across the Netherlands and Belgium. If you have any questions following this article, feel free to email me at h.lubbers@rmc.nl.