U.S. retailers saw traffic decline by almost 11 percent in October, the second double-digit drop in four months, according to the most recent information from big data supplier RetailNext.
In its October 2015 Retail Performance Pulse Report, the analytics firm also reported that sales in physical retail stores fell by 12.2% in the month, the fifth straight month of accelerating declines in the measure, and that the number of transactions fell by more than 15 percent.
Sales per shopper, which had been increasing between April and July, dropped by more than 1 percent in October, the second month in a row of year-over-year decreases.
The warmest October in over 50 years was a big part of the problem as stores loaded with cold weather merchandise failed to entice shoppers.
The measures are also consistent with the general feeling that after a tepid Back-to-School season, retailers need to step up their game to attract consumers into their stores if they want a successful holiday season.
Traffic and sales varied greatly by region, with the South down the most, at almost 16 percent for each metric.
The one bright spot in the report was average transaction value, which rose by 3.8%, its biggest increase in months.
The first Saturday in October, Columbus Day weekend, saw the highest sales and transaction count in the month, while the last Saturday, Halloween, saw the lowest.
