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RetailNext predicts that Black Friday will not be the biggest shopping day of the rapidly approaching 2016 holiday season.

In announcing its forecast of the season’s biggest shopping days, the retail technology company said the final days leading up to Christmas will outperform Black Friday in terms of sales and store traffic this year.

Specifically, Friday, December 23 is projected to be the busiest shopping day in terms of sales, while Super Saturday (December 17) will prevail in terms of store traffic.

“As retailers have continued the trend to open more stores on Thanksgiving Day, it has pilfered away both sales and traffic from Black Friday,” said Shelley E. Kohan, vice president of retail consulting at RetailNext, which uses technology to optimize the brick-and-mortar shopping experience. “This year, with Christmas falling on a Sunday, most shoppers will want to cut short their shopping early on Saturday, December 24, leaving the day before, Friday, as retail’s biggest opportunity for sales. For store visits, Super Saturday will lead the way, with Black Friday a very close second.”

RetailNext has published two lists ranking this season’s key shopping days.

Top 10 Biggest Shopping Days (Sales)
1. Friday, December 23
2. Super Saturday, December 17
3. Black Friday, November 25
4. Thursday, December 22
5. Wednesday, December 21
6. Sunday, December 18
7. Saturday, December 24
8. Saturday, December 10
9. Friday, December 16
10. Saturday, December 3

Top 10 Busiest Shopping Days (Shopper Visits)
1. Super Saturday, December 17
2. Black Friday, November 25
3. Friday, December 23
4. Saturday, December 10
5. Monday, December 26
6. Sunday, December 18
7. Saturday, December 24
8. Thursday, December 22
9. Wednesday, December 21
10. Saturday, December 3

In September, RetailNext predicted a strong holiday season for brick-and-mortar retailers with sales increasing 3.2 percent during the November-December period, driven in part by a 14.9 percent increase in year-over-year sales through digital channels.

“There will be slight degrees of variability in early November due to the U.S. Presidential election,” Kohan said, “but the residual angst from Election 2016 will subside by Thanksgiving. As compared to last year, there are two additional shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and when coupled with generally positive economic indicators, the retail industry looks for a strong close to the year.”