It’s exactly a month to Christmas. But credit card provider Mastercard says there is hope for those who want to avoid the crowds.
Based on the analysis of its transaction data from previous years, Mastercard predicted the busiest day of the year will most likely occur on December 23 and the busiest hour most likely will be from 2pm to 3pm on Christmas Eve.
By contrast, the best days to shop will be the first Wednesday and Thursday in December — which, this year, are December 1 and 2 — and the first Monday and Tuesday in December: December 6 and 7.
”If possible, we advise people to do their shopping on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” Eddie Grobler, senior vice-president and general manager of Mastercard Southern Africa, said on Thursday.
To be even more specific, Mastercard records the least number of transactions per hour between the hours of 7am and 10am.
In other words, consumers who enjoy shopping in relative peace should set their alarm clocks and get out early.
But if you are not a morning person, then Mastercard advises waiting until the evening.
”We’ve noticed that on most days, transaction volumes will peak during the afternoon — but slow down between the hours of 7am and 9pm, indicating the lines at the tills may be shorter and parking spaces may be easier to find,” explained Grobler.
Mastercard also suggested finishing holiday shopping early this year, predicting that the shopping centres could be packed with holiday procrastinators on Christmas Eve.
”We predict high-volume Saturdays on December 11 and 18. Also, our data shows that when Christmas Eve falls on a Friday, as it does this year, that day is even more crazed than usual. If you wait until then to do your shopping this year, you’ll need a lot of patience — as we expect to have our busiest hour of the year on the afternoon of Christmas Eve,” said Grobler.
Mastercard has also noticed from past years that holiday shopping generally commenced at the beginning of November — which meant that many South Africans had already started their holiday shopping both in shopping centres and online.
”Online shopping is growing in popularity,” said Grobler.
”Many people take advantage of this luxury — they forego long lines and competition for parking spots in favour of shopping online at home — since websites are always open.” – Sapa