News

Black Friday restaurant gift card sales nearly 10% higher this season

December 4, 2019

A Paytronix analysis of Black Friday restaurant gift card sales reveals a 9.73% increase compared to last year and sales for the holiday shopping weekend jumped 3.96% overall, a news release said.

Despite the increase brands and retailers will need strong promotions this month to optimize overall sales, according to the release. The analysis included anonymous tracking of aggregate gift card sales for nearly 200 brands, from Friday, Nov. 29 through Sunday, Dec. 1.

In terms of a daily breakdown Paytronix said:

• Black Friday sales increased 9.73%.
• Saturday sales decreased by 14.1%.
• Sunday sales were up 22.8%.

"While Black Friday offers us a great opportunity to examine a point in time, it doesn't provide a deep insight into how sales will progress during the holiday season," said Michelle Tempesta, head of marketing for Paytronix Systems, in the release. "What matters more is the number of days within the season for sales, which means every day counts, whether that day is Black Friday, Christmas Eve or just another day in December. Brands will need to work hard with promotions to ensure they get the most out of the season."

This Black Friday gift card sales analysis is the first stage of a full Paytronix Holiday Gift Card Report that will publish after the holiday shopping season and supplements the Paytronix Annual Gift Card Sales Report: 2019, which surveyed 220 brands and found consistent 10 percent year-over-year growth in gift card sales over 2018.