A perfect post-Christmas shopping storm of blowout sales and gift card mania is brewing, according to retail analysts.
Expect stores and malls across the region and nationwide to be flooded today and parking lots packed as eager buyers hunt for the best deals.
"It's usually in the top 10 shopping days of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if it cracked the top five this year," said Ken Perkins, analyst at Retail Metrics Inc. in Swampscott, predicting today will be "a very sound day for retail."
Big sales — many stores boasting 60 percent off deals even before Christmas — combined with the popularity of gift cards this holiday season mean big profits for retailers, Perkins said.
Today will cap off an already successful shopping season, Perkins said. The retail scene has been packed with promotions since the beginning of November, and Super Saturday saw $23 billion in sales nationally, surpassing Black Friday's $20 billion this year.
Norwell's Retail Concepts owner Michael Tesler said the plummeting popularity of clothes-centered gifts — a negative for stores going into the holiday season — will be a positive this weekend. It means fewer returns and more competitive sales to clear out lingering merchandise.
"There has been a shift from apparel to things like toys and electronics, which are less likely to be returned," Tesler said. "With the markdowns and sales, you'll see more shoppers than in previous years."
The unseasonably high temperatures in the Northeast will also serve as an "incredible plus," Tesler said, as will the upcoming weekend days.
"You have a Friday, Saturday, Sunday grouping coming up, so a larger percentage of people will probably be free after Christmas than usual," he said. "This is like a Black Friday weekend, everyone's got the time off."
In the week leading up to Super Saturday, retail sales increased 3.1 percent from the same week last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
The weekend prior to Christmas saw $42 billion in shopping sales, compared to $41 billion last year, according to research firm Customer Growth Partners.
According to Perkins, lower unemployment numbers across the country help to account for some of the shopping boom, particularly in more affluent areas like Boston.
Massachusetts shopping numbers going into Super Saturday weekend pointed to the best Christmas for state retailers since 2006, according to Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, which expects statewide holiday sales to climb 3.9 percent to $15.4 billion.
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