.svg)
While a state’s share of brick-and-mortar retail visits generally tracks with its share of the U.S. population, the chart below shows that the relationship is not perfectly proportional. Some states, such as Texas and Florida, generate a larger share of retail traffic than their population size alone would suggest, while others, such as California and New York, account for a smaller portion of visits relative to their population base.
Mapping each state’s share of retail visits to its share of the population reveals a clear geographic pattern: Across much of the Sun Belt, retail visits tend to over-index relative to population, while under-indexing is more common along the West Coast and in parts of the Northeast.
Several structural dynamics may help explain this regional divide. Migration into Sun Belt markets has been driven in part by lower costs of living, and once there, households may have more discretionary income relative to high-cost coastal markets – supporting more frequent in-person shopping trips. At the same time, consumer behavior differs across regions: in higher-cost coastal and Northeastern markets, shoppers may be more likely to consolidate trips or shift spending online, contributing to fewer retail visits per capita.
For retailers and CRE professionals, these patterns suggest that a data-driven expansion strategy should account not just for population growth, but for how and where consumers choose to shop across regions.
Sun Belt markets may offer outsized opportunities for physical retail expansion, as higher-than-expected foot traffic signals strong in-person engagement and potential demand for additional brick-and-mortar supply. Conversely, in coastal and Northeastern markets, where visits under-index and e-commerce adoption is higher, success may depend more on experiential retail, premium formats, or omnichannel integration rather than footprint growth alone.
For more data-driven retail and CRE insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
After failing to attract a buyer for its retail operations following its February 2026 bankruptcy filing, Eddie Bauer LLC announced it would close all of its stores – though the Eddie Bauer brand will continue to be sold online and through wholesale partners. The company has pointed to headwinds such as inflation and tariff uncertainty as major factors contributing to the chapter 11 filing.
But Eddie Bauer isn’t the only brand facing these pressures – and even in today’s challenging macroeconomic environment, some apparel brands are thriving. So what other factors likely contributed to Eddie Bauer’s decline? We dove into the data to find out.
Unsurprisingly, visits to Eddie Bauer’s store fleet had been declining for some time. In 2024, year-over-year (YoY) traffic to Eddie Bauer fell 9.7% compared to just 4.1% for sportswear and athleisure brands and 3.7% for traditional apparel. And although the brand’s YoY visit gap narrowed in 2025, it remained significantly larger than that of the broader categories.
Alongside the company’s explanations, commentators have pointed to other challenges – including rising competition from athleisure brands, limited traction in Asian markets, and a disconnect between the company’s typical older shopper base and the younger demographic it sought to attract. Observers have also noted that the brand’s shift toward outlet malls, as it closed underperforming full-price locations, blurred its premium identity and conditioned consumers to expect deep discounts.
But location analytics also suggest another way in which Eddie Bauer’s drift towards outlet malls may have undermined the company’s brick-and-mortar performance – a mismatch between Eddie Bauer’s core audience and that of the typical outlet mall shopper.
As retail destinations that typically require a drive and center on discretionary purchases, outlet malls tend to attract visitors from areas with higher median household incomes than the nationwide average. But Eddie Bauer’s audience appears to be even more affluent – suggesting that the brand’s core customers may not have been typical bargain-hunting outlet shoppers.
At the same time, Eddie Bauer’s audience skews older and less family-oriented than that of outlet malls overall. In 2025, households belonging to ESRI ArcGIS Tapestry’s “Mature and Retired Living” segment group accounted for more than half of the brand’s captured market – significantly higher than both the nationwide average and the share seen in outlet mall trade areas.
Meanwhile, other key outlet audiences – such as families – were substantially underrepresented in Eddie Bauer’s trade areas. And despite attempts to woo Gen Z consumers, the brand attracted relatively fewer “Contemporary Households,” a younger-skewing group that includes singles, couples without children, and other non-family households.
Retail turnarounds are far from impossible – especially for legacy brands with strong recognition. But in a retail environment with little room for error, success hinges on getting every detail right. As Eddie Bauer’s experience shows, that means keeping locations, target audiences, and positioning tightly aligned, to deliver a clear, compelling value proposition.
For more data-driven retail analyses, follow Placer.ai/anchor.
Over the past several months since our last self-storage update, the industry has remained surprisingly resilient even as its primary fuel source – housing turnover – dried up. With Public Storage's recent acquisition of National Storage Affiliates, we dove into the data to understand what's driving the category's ongoing growth.
Coming out of the pandemic, demand for self-storage facilities surged due to increased migration trends and living space downsizing trends. According to Extra Space’s December 2025 Company Presentation, 12.6% of U.S. Households utilized self-storage facilities in 2023, up from below 10% before the pandemic. Our location intelligence reinforces this data, as monthly visitation trends to self-storage chains continued to grow in 2025, albeit at a slower pace than previous years (below).
Looking ahead to 2026, can this momentum continue? Home sales have improved modestly as interest rates inched downward, but the industry has had to pivot to generate growth the past few years. With that backdrop, we’ve identified four trends that will define the category in 2026.
With fewer people moving, operators had to cut prices to attract new tenants, with "street rates" declining in recent years. According to [many operators], "street rates" for a 10x10 unit dropped 10%–15% year-over-year in 2025. To compensate, major REITs (like Public Storage and Extra Space) raised rates on current tenants. Because these tenants were also locked into their housing situations, they proved incredibly "sticky" – accepting the price hikes rather than going through the hassle of moving their goods. Our data also shows an increase in the share of frequent visitors (2+ times a month) to self-storage units, reinforcing the idea that storage has become a more embedded, utility-like part of their daily lives – and further reducing their likelihood to churn even as rents rise.
If you can't move, you improve. As migration trends and housing turnover trends have slowed, there appears to be a shift in the rationale behind why customers were renting self-storage units. Instead of "moving storage," demand has shifted toward "lifestyle storage." As homeowners renovated to accommodate hybrid work setups or cleared out spare rooms for new family members, they needed temporary space. We see this with the percentage of remote workers visiting the largest self-storage chains, which has steadily increased the past several years. In turn, this helped put a floor under occupancy rates, which have stabilized in the low-90% range for REIT-managed storage properties and in the low-80% range across all operators.
The self-storage industry is seeing regional divergence. Sunbelt markets (Phoenix, Tampa, Atlanta), which saw massive migration and development booms during the pandemic, faced a supply hangover in 2025. With too many new facilities opening just as migration slowed, these markets saw the steepest drops in pricing compared to high-barrier markets in the Northeast.
However, this “saturation" could offer opportunities within this category. Recently, CubeSmart and CBRE Investment Management announced a $250 million joint venture to acquire assets in these very high-growth markets. Their first acquisition? A property in Phoenix – the poster child for recent oversupply. This move signals a critical shift for 2026: while development is slowing, institutional capital is waking up. Major players are using this period of soft pricing to acquire high-quality assets in the Sunbelt, betting that the long-term population growth will eventually absorb the current supply glut.
While standard drive-up units remain the bread and butter of the consumer self-storage industry, 2025 saw a continued shift toward climate-controlled solutions as a key revenue driver. New development throughout 2025 and into 2026 has skewed heavily toward 100% climate-controlled facilities. As consumers store higher-value items – such as electronics, wine, and collectibles – rather than just "garage overflow," they have proven willing to pay a higher premium for strict humidity and temperature regulation.
Simultaneously, investors tracking the self-storage sector have historically looked to industrial cold storage (refrigerated warehousing for food and pharma) as a parallel play, given both asset classes benefit from similar "last-mile" logistics tailwinds. However, the 2026 outlook for the industrial side has shifted significantly.
While the rise of online grocery and pharmaceutical delivery initially made refrigerated warehousing a defensive darling, the sector is now digesting a massive pandemic-era development boom. The U.S. industrial cold storage market is currently facing a notable supply glut. As industry leader Americold recently highlighted, "[O]ver the last few years, it's in excess of 15% of incremental capacity that's been added mainly by a lot of new market entrants whose business model is to get a little bit of scale and then try to transact."
This creates a split narrative for 2026: while consumer climate-controlled self-storage continues to capture premium yields, the industrial cold storage sector is entering a period of recalibration, forcing operators to focus on absorbing excess capacity and improving efficiency rather than breaking ground on new builds. We see this in visitation trends to cold-storage leaders Americold and Lineage, where visits continue to trend downward versus 2022 as these chains see an increase in new competitors.
As we head deeper into 2026, the industry is watching for the "thaw." If interest rates moderate and housing turnover picks up, street rates could rally quickly. But until then, the name of the game is consolidation and efficiency. Expect more REITs to follow CubeSmart’s lead, partnering with institutional capital to scoop up modern, climate-controlled assets while smaller operators struggle to compete in a low-volume environment.
For more data-driven CRE insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
.avif)
Recent McDonald's menu additions such as the annual Shamrock Shake release and the Big Arch Burger pilot appear to have generated only a modest lift in McDonald’s foot traffic. Although visits increased 5.5% year-over-year during the week of February 16th 2026 – the week of the Shamrock Shake's launch – traffic the following week dipped -0.5%, suggesting the seasonal item generated only a short-lived bump rather than a sustained lift in visits. And the heavily publicized Big Arch generated just a 2.2% YoY traffic boost during its launch week of March 2nd to March 8th 2026 – although performance may strengthen as the item gains traction with consumers.
So while these LTOs did generate modest traffic lifts for the chain, the impact was relatively muted compared to some of last year’s stronger performers, such as McDonald’s Grinch Meals. These results may suggest that consumers are becoming increasingly selective in their spending – potentially making it more difficult for QSR chains to rely on LTOs alone to drive meaningful traffic momentum without additional value-oriented offerings.
While recent LTOs delivered only modest gains on their own, pairing LTOs with a clearer value proposition – such as the upcoming McValue 2.0 – may prove more effective, with limited-time items drawing attention and value-focused offerings encouraging repeat visits. In a price-sensitive environment, this dual strategy could drive a more sustainable traffic lift than product innovation or value promotions alone.
For more data-driven restaurant insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
.avif)
Confidence in physical retail remains solid this year. More than 55% of survey respondents said they feel confident or very confident about brick-and-mortar performance in 2026, while only around 20% expressed concern.
This sentiment aligns with the broader performance of the sector. The chart below shows two consecutive years of modest but positive retail visit growth, with year-over-year (YoY) gains hovering around 1%. While that pace reflects a relatively stable – rather than booming – environment, it reinforces the idea that physical retail continues to demonstrate resilience despite macroeconomic uncertainty.
Still, the results also highlight an element of caution. Nearly half of respondents reported feeling neutral or concerned about the coming year, suggesting that while the foundation for brick-and-mortar retail remains strong, industry leaders are watching economic conditions closely.
At the same time, most respondents believe online retail will continue to grow faster than physical stores. Nearly 70% said they expect e-commerce to outpace brick-and-mortar growth over the next twelve months.
This outlook is hardly surprising given e-commerce’s smaller starting point and the ongoing digital expansion across the retail landscape. But crucially, the expectation of stronger online growth does not translate into pessimism about stores. Nearly a third of respondents said they were actually more bullish on physical retail than on e-commerce.
These findings suggest the industry has moved beyond the once-dominant narrative that e-commerce would inevitably replace physical retail. Instead, the data reflects a growing consensus that the two channels are increasingly complementary – a story also supported by visit data, which shows e-commerce activity growing faster than brick-and-mortar retail even as both continue to expand. The rise of online retail doesn’t reduce the necessity of physical stores – it pushes retailers, brands, and landlords alike to develop clearer strategies for how online and offline channels work together to create a seamless consumer journey that leverages the unique advantages of each.
When we asked professionals about the role agentic AI could play in retail in the coming years, our expectation was a resounding vote for the lift it would provide e-commerce. And indeed, 44% of respondents said they expect agentic AI to increase the share of online retail.
However, reflecting the growing recognition that retail’s future lies in more harmonized commerce, 34% of respondents said they believe agentic AI will lift all boats – increasing incremental growth across commerce more broadly.
This is a significant signal. It reinforces the idea that innovation, whether centered on physical or digital shopping, is most powerful when it creates value across the entire ecosystem. Rather than viewing technology as a zero-sum competition between channels, many retail leaders increasingly see tools like AI as ways to strengthen the overall shopping experience. And that perspective makes it more likely that retailers and brands will evaluate new technologies through a broader lens that prioritizes integrated commerce.
Understanding why consumers visit stores remains central to shaping the next phase of brick-and-mortar retail. When survey participants were asked to identify the key drivers of in-store visits, tactile experiences topped the list, with nearly 80% of respondents pointing to the ability to see, touch, and try products as among the biggest advantages of physical retail. Another 70% highlighted the enjoyment of the in-store shopping experience itself – emphasizing another element that is difficult to replicate online.
At the same time, respondents expressed skepticism about some of the strategies often cited as drivers of store traffic. Only 12% identified services such as buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) or in-store returns as major traffic drivers. This suggests that while these services are important components of omnichannel retail – reflected, for example, in a growing share of short in-store visits across industries – they may not yet be fully integrated into shopping journeys in ways that maximize their potential.
Perhaps most surprisingly, only 30% of respondents said stores excel at inspiring shoppers to discover new products. Yet this capability may represent one of brick-and-mortar retail’s greatest untapped opportunities. Physical environments are uniquely positioned to spark discovery through merchandising, layout, and experiential elements – factors that can expand baskets and deepen customer engagement.
Industry sentiment also varies significantly across retail segments, with sector-level expectations closely tracking last year’s visit performance. When asked whether they expected various categories to grow, remain stable, or decline over the next twelve months, respondents were more likely to express confidence in continued growth or stability for segments that experienced stronger YoY traffic trends in 2025.
Wholesale clubs, which saw visits rise 5.0% YoY in 2025, topped the list – with 97% of respondents expecting growth or stability in the months ahead, followed by grocery stores at 96%. The strength of both sectors reflects broader consumer trends, including suburban living, increased home cooking, and a heightened focus on value and wellness.
Still, respondents are significantly more bullish on wholesale clubs than on traditional grocery stores: Breaking down the growth / stability outlook down further, 61% of respondents expect clubs to see continued growth, compared with about 35% for grocery stores.
One reason may be the club model’s ability to capture large shopping baskets. While consumers today are increasingly willing to visit multiple stores to find the best value or selection, club retailers excel at capturing a significant share of the shopping list once they secure the visit. Grocery stores, on the other hand, attract frequent trips – but these may include fewer items as shoppers spread spending across multiple retailers. This dynamic may push grocers to focus more heavily on specialization, differentiated offerings, and higher value per visit.
Mass merchandisers such as Walmart and Target also received strong confidence scores, reflecting Walmart’s recent performance and expectations surrounding Target’s ongoing turnaround strategy. Meanwhile, discount and dollar stores – another category that has performed well recently – were widely expected to remain stable, with fewer respondents predicting continued rapid growth for the sector in the months ahead.
There are few sectors we love talking about more than malls. Several years ago, the prevailing expectation was of a perpetual decline for the sector as a whole. But the “death of the mall” narrative has quickly diminished – or at least evolved. In our survey, 54% of respondents expected continued success for Tier 1 malls, while 30% anticipated decline across all mall types. Only 16% expected Tier 2 malls to perform well, and less than half of those believed that success would extend further down the tier ladder.
This largely aligns with visit data, with top-tier indoor malls driving significant success in recent years – a trend that will likely be further reinforced by the continued shift of key audiences toward the suburbs.
However, the potential of Tier 2 malls remains an area worth watching. A major part of the success of top malls has been a shift away from heavy concentrations of apparel and beauty toward more diverse tenant mixes, along with a stronger emphasis on elevated dining and experiences. This has been a critical element for the highest-performing malls. But in an environment where space is increasingly at a premium – and where less space is being dedicated to apparel and beauty in these top locations – a significant opportunity may emerge for Tier 2 malls to provide a stage for retailers that can no longer find a home in the most sought-after centers.
The result is an opportunity for these properties to become the “big fish” in smaller ponds, particularly if they focus on building tenant mixes that complement major regional players rather than compete with them directly. Executed well, this strategy could reduce direct competition while creating more destinations where consumers want to spend time.
Industry sentiment, especially when combined with visit data, offers a valuable snapshot of how retail is likely to evolve in the year ahead. Together, they point to a sector defined by steady physical retail performance, growing integration between online and in-store channels, optimism around technologies like AI, and shifting opportunities across segments from wholesale clubs and grocery to evolving mall formats.
For more data-driven retail insights visit Placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Swig, the Utah-born drive-thru concept that helped popularize customizable dirty sodas, has evolved from a regional novelty into one of the fastest-growing beverage chains in the country. Known for mixing classic soft drinks with flavored syrups, creams, and fruit add-ins – alongside cookies and pretzel bites – the brand has expanded well beyond its Mountain West roots.
This expansion is fueled by significant online hype, with new locations often generating lines that wrap around the block and leave some customers waiting over an hour to try their first drink. And as the brand pushes deeper into the Sunbelt and beyond, location analytics offer a window into how this growth is impacting traffic trends and reshaping the brand's audience.
Unsurprisingly, the data shows that as Swig has expanded its footprint, it has successfully grown its overall traffic. In February 2026, visits to the chain were 137.9% higher than in February 2023 – and up 30.7% year-over-year compared to February 2025.
The data also shows the emergence of a clear seasonal pattern, with visits to Swig peaking each year in the summer as people seek out cool soda treats to beat the heat. Notably, the magnitude of the summer peak in 2025 was larger than ever before, suggesting that as the chain becomes more mainstream, its seasonal appeal may be increasing. But the dramatic increase in off-season visits as well shows that Swig is successfully building a loyal customer base that craves its offerings year-round.
This rapid growth is also leading to a meaningful broadening of Swig’s customer base. While the chain’s trade areas still remain affluent relative to the average U.S. household, the median household income (HHI) of its captured market is dropping as it reaches a more varied demographic.
And while "Wealthy Suburban Families" and "Upper Suburban Diverse Families" remain Swig’s largest audience segments, their total share of the market has edged down as engagement deepens across additional cohorts. This includes, notably, households in Blue Collar Suburbs who are now overindexed at 8.1% of Swig’s captured market, compared to a 6.9% nationwide baseline.
As Swig continues its transition from a niche favorite to a broad staple, it will inevitably face the challenges of sustained growth, such as maintaining unit-level productivity and operational consistency. However, for now, the data and the visible excitement surrounding new openings suggest that the dirty soda pioneer still has plenty of fizz left.
For more data-driven dining analyses follow Placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
2024 has been another challenging year for retailers. Still-high prices and an uncertain economic climate led many shoppers to trade down and cut back on unnecessary indulgences. Value took center stage, as cautious consumers sought to stretch their dollars as far as possible.
But price wasn’t the only factor driving consumer behavior in 2024. This past year saw the rise of a variety of retail and dining trends, some seemingly at odds with one another. Shoppers curbed discretionary spending, but made room in their budgets for “essential non-essentials” like gym memberships and other wellness offerings. Consumers placed a high premium on speed and convenience, while at the same time demonstrating a willingness to go out of their way for quality or value finds. And even amidst concern about the economy, shoppers were ready to pony up for specialty items, legacy brands, and fun experiences – as long as they didn’t break the bank.
How did these currents – likely to continue shaping the retail landscape into 2025 – impact leading brands and categories? We dove into the data to find out.
Bifurcation has emerged as a foundational principle in retail over the past few years: Consumers are increasingly gravitating toward either luxury or value offerings and away from the ‘middle.’ Add extended economic uncertainty along with rapid expansions and product diversification from top value-oriented retailers, and you have an explosion of visits in the value lane.
But we are seeing a ceiling to that growth – especially in the discount & dollar store space. Throughout 2023 and the first part of 2024, visits to discount & dollar stores increased steadily. But no category can sustain uninterrupted visit growth forever. Since April 2024, year–over-year (YoY) foot traffic to the segment has begun to slow, with September 2024 showing just a modest 0.8% YoY visit increase.
Discount & dollar stores, which attract lower-income shoppers compared to both grocery stores and superstores, have also begun lagging behind these segments in visit-per-location growth. In Q3, the average number of visits to each discount and dollar store location remained essentially flat compared to 2023 (+0.2%), while visits per location to superstores and grocery stores grew by 2.8% and 1.0%, respectively. As 2024 draws to a close, it is the latter segments, which appeal to shoppers with incomes closer to the nationwide median of $76.1K, which are seeing better YoY performance.
The deceleration doesn’t mean that discount retailers are facing existential risk – discount & dollar stores are still extremely strong and well-positioned with focused offerings that resonate with consumers. The visitation data does suggest, however, that future growth may need to focus on initiatives other large-scale fleet expansions. Some of these efforts will involve moving upmarket (see pOpShelf), some will focus on fleet optimization, and others may include new offerings and channels.
Return of the middle anyone?
Still, in an environment where consumers have been facing the compounded effects of rising prices, value remains paramount for many shoppers. And brands that have found ways to let customers have their cake and eat it too – enjoy specialty offerings and elevated experiences without breaking the bank – have emerged as major visit winners this year.
Trader Joe’s, in particular, has stood out as one of the leading retail brands for innovative value in 2024, a trend that is expected to continue into 2025.
Trader Joe’s dedicated fan base is positively addicted to the chain’s broad range of high-quality specialty items. But by maintaining a much higher private label mix than most grocers – approximately 80%, compared to an industry average of 25% to 30% – the retailer is also able to keep its pricing competitive. Trader Joe’s cultivates consumer excitement by constantly innovating its product line – there are even websites dedicated to showcasing the chain’s new offerings each season. In turn, Trader Joe’s enjoys much higher visits per square foot than the rest of the grocery category: Over the past twelve months, Trader Joe’s drew a median 56 visits per square foot – compared to 23 for H-E-B, the second-strongest performer.
Casual dining chain Chili’s has also been a standout on the disruptive value front this past year – offering consumers a full-service dining experience at a quick-service price point.
Chili’s launched its Big Smasher Burger on April 29th, 2024, adding the item to its popular ‘3 for Me’ offering, which includes an appetizer, entrée, and drink for just $10.99 – lower than than the average ticket at many quick-service restaurant chains. The innovative promotion, which has been further expanded since, continues to drive impressive visitation trends. With food-away-from-home inflation continuing to decelerate, this strategy of offering deep discounts is likely to continue to be a key story in 2025.
Convenience is king, right?
Well, probably not. If convenience truly were king, visitors would orient themselves to making fewer, longer visits to retailers – to minimize the inconvenience of frequent grocery trips and spend less time on the road. But analyzing the data suggests that, while consumers may want to save time, it is not always their chief concern.
Looking at the superstore and grocery segments (among others) reveals that the proportion of visitors spending under 30 minutes at the grocery store is actually increasing – from 73.3% in Q3 2019 to 76.6% in Q3 2024. This indicates that shoppers are increasingly willing to make shorter trips to the store to pick up just a few items.
At the same time, more consumers than ever are willing to travel farther to visit specialty grocery chains in the search of specific products that make the visit worthwhile.
Cross visitation between chains is also increasing – suggesting that shoppers are willing to make multiple trips to find the products they want – at the right price point. Between Q3 2023 and Q3 2024, the share of traditional grocery store visitors who also visited a Costco at least three times during the quarter grew across chains.
Does this mean convenience doesn’t matter? Of course not. Does it indicate that value, quality and a love of specific products are becoming just as, if not more, important to shoppers? Yes.
The implications here are very significant. If consumers are willing to go out of their way for the right products at the right price points – even at the expense of convenience – then the retailers able to leverage these ‘visit drivers’ will be best positioned to grow their reach considerably. The willingness of consumers to forego convenience considerations when the incentives are right also reinforces the ever-growing importance of the in-store experience.
So while convenience may still be within the royal family, the role of king is up for grabs.
Convenience may not be everything, but the drive for quicker service has emerged as more important than ever in the restaurant space. Diners want their fast food… well, as fast as possible. And to meet this demand, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and fast-casual chains have been integrating more technology into their operations. Chipotle has been a leader in this regard, unveiling the “Autocado” robot at a Huntington Beach, California location last month. The robot can peel, pit, and chop avocados in record time, a major benefit for the Tex-Mex chain.
And the Autocado seems to be paying off. The Huntington Beach location drew 10.0% more visits compared to the average Chipotle location in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area in Q3 2024. Visitors are visiting more frequently and getting their food more quickly – 43.9% of visits at this location lasted 10 minutes or less, compared to 37.5% at other stores in the CBSA.
Are diners flocking to this Chipotle location to watch the future of avocado chopping in action, or are they enticed by shorter wait times? Time will tell. But with workers able to focus on other aspects of food preparation and customer service, the innovation appears to be resonating with diners.
McDonald’s, too, has leaned into new technologies to streamline its service. The chain debuted its first (almost) fully automated, takeaway-only restaurant in White Settlement, TX in 2022 – where orders are placed at kiosks or on app, and then delivered to customers by robots. (The food is still prepared by humans.) Unsurprisingly, the restaurant drives faster visits than other local McDonald’s locations – in Q3 2023, 79.7% of visits to the chain lasted less than 10 minutes, compared to 68.5% for other McDonald’s in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX CBSA. But crucially, the automated location is also busier than other area McDonald’s, garnering 16.8% more visits in Q3 than the chain’s CBSA-wide average. And the location draws a higher share of late-night visits than other area McDonald’s – customers on the hunt for a late-night snack might be drawn to a restaurant that offers quick, interaction-free service.
Changing store formats is another key trend shaping retail in 2024. Whether by reducing box sizes to cut costs, make stores more accessible, or serve smaller growth markets – or by going big with one-stop shops, retailers are reimagining store design. And the moves are resonating with consumers, driving visits while at the same improving efficiency.
Macy’s, Inc. is one retailer that is leading the small-format charge this year. In February 2024, Macy’s announced its “Bold New Chapter” – a turnaround plan including the downsizing of its traditional eponymous department store fleet and a pivot towards smaller-format Macy’s locations. Macy’s has also continued to expand its highly-curated, small-format Bloomie’s concept, which features a mix of established and trendy pop-up brands tailored to local preferences.
And the data shows that this shift towards small format may be helping Macy’s drive visits with more accessible and targeted offerings that consumers can enjoy as they go about their daily routines: In Q3 2024, Macy’s small-format stores drew a higher share of weekday visitors and of local customers (i.e. those coming from less than seven miles away) than Macy’s traditional stores.
Small-format stores are also making inroads in the home improvement category. The past few years have seen consumers across the U.S. migrating to smaller suburban and rural markets – and retailers like Harbor Freight Tools and Ace Hardware are harnessing their small-format advantage to accommodate these customers while keeping costs low.
Harbor Freight tools and Ace Hardware’s trade areas have a high degree of overlap with some of the highest growth markets in the U.S., many of which have populations under 200K. And while it can be difficult to justify opening a Home Depot or Lowe’s in these hubs – both chains average more than 100,000 square feet per store – Harbor Freight Tools and Ace Hardware’s smaller boxes, generally under 20,000 square feet, are a perfect fit.
This has allowed both chains to tap into the smaller markets which are attracting growing shares of the population. And so while Home Depot and Lowe’s have seen moderate visits declines on a YoY basis, Harbor Freight and Ace Hardware have seen consistent YoY visit boosts since Q1 2024 – outperforming the wider category since early 2023.
Are smaller stores a better bet across the board? At the end of the day, the success of smaller-format stores depends largely on the category. For retail segments that have seen visit trends slow since the pandemic – home furnishings and consumer electronics, for example – smaller-format stores offer brands a more economical way to serve their customers. Retailers have also used smaller-format stores to better curate their merchandise assortments for their most loyal customers, helping to drive improved visit frequency.
That said, a handful of retailers, such as Hy-Vee, have recently bucked the trend of smaller-format stores. These large-format stores are often designed as destination locations – Hy-Vee’s larger-format locations usually offer a full suite of amenities beyond groceries, such as a food hall, eyewear kiosk, beauty department, and candy shop. Rather than focusing on smaller markets, these stores aim to attract visitors from surrounding areas.
Visit data for Hy-Vee’s large-format store in Gretna, Nebraska indicates that this location sees a higher percentage of weekend visits than other area locations – 37.7% compared to 33.1% for the chain’s Omaha CBSA average – as well as more visits lasting over 30 minutes (32.9% compared to 21.9% for the metro area as a whole). For these shoppers, large-format, one-stop shops offer a convenient – and perhaps more exciting – alternative to traditionally sized grocery stores. The success of the large-format stores is another sign that though convenience isn’t everything in 2024, it certainly resonates – especially when paired with added-value offerings.
Many retail brands have entrenched themselves in American culture and become an extension of consumers' identities. And while some of these previously ubiquitous brands have disappeared over the years as the retail industry evolved, others have transformed to keep pace with changing consumer needs – and some have even come back from the brink of extinction. And the quest for value notwithstanding, 2024 has also seen the resurgence of many of these (decidedly non-off-price) legacy brands.
In apparel specifically, Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch – two brands that dominated the cultural zeitgeist of the 1990s and early 2000s before seeing their popularity decline somewhat in the late aughts and 2010s – may be staging a comeback. Bed Bath & Beyond, a leader in the home goods category, is also making a play at returning to physical retail through partnerships.
Anthropologie, another legacy player in women’s fashion and home goods, is also on the rise. Anthropologie’s distinctive aesthetic resonates deeply with consumers – especially women millennials aged 30 to 45. And by capturing the hearts of its customers, the retailer stands as a beacon for retailers that can hedge against promotional activity and still drive foot traffic growth.
And visits to the chain have been rising steadily. In Q4 2023, the chain experienced a bigger holiday season foot traffic spike than pre-pandemic, drawing more overall visits than in Q4 2019. And in Q3 2024, visits were higher than in Q3 2023.
And speaking of the 35 to 40 set – the generation that all retailers are courting? Millennials. Does that sound familiar? Yes, because this is the same generational cohort that retailers tried to target a decade ago. As millennials have aged into the family-formation stage of life, their retail needs have evolved, and the industry is now primed to meet them.
From the revival of nostalgic brands like the Limited Too launch at Kohl’s to warehouse clubs expanding memberships to younger consumers as they move to suburban and rural communities, there are myriad examples of retailers reaching out to this cohort. And Sam’s Club offers a prime example of this trend.
Over the past few years, millennials and Gen-Zers have emerged as major drivers of membership growth at Sam’s Club, drawn to the retailer’s value offerings and digital upgrades – like the club’s Scan & Go technology. Over the same period, Sam’s Club has grown the share of “Singles and Starters” households in its captured market from 6% above the national benchmark in Q3 2019 to 15% in Q3 2024. And with plans to involve customers in co-creating products for its private-label brand, Sam’s Club may continue to grow its market share among this value-conscious – but also discerning and optimistic – demographic.
Millennials are also now old enough to wax nostalgic about their youth – and brands are paying attention. This summer, Taco Bell leaned into nostalgia with a promotion bringing back iconic menu items from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s – all priced under $3. The promotion, which soft-launched at three Southern California locations in August, was so successful that the company is now offering the specials nationwide. The three locations that trialed the “Decades Menu” saw significant boosts in visits during the promotional period compared to their daily averages for August. And people came from far and wide to sample the offerings – with a higher proportion of visitors traveling over seven miles to reach the stores while the items were available.
Hot on the heels of a tumultuous 2023, 2024’s retail environment has certainly kept retailers on their toes. While embracing innovative value has helped some chains thrive, other previously ascendant value segments, including discount & dollar stores, may have reached their growth ceilings. Consumers clearly care about convenience – but are willing to make multiple grocery stops to find what they need. At the same time, legacy brands are plotting their comeback, while others are harnessing the power of nostalgia to drive millennials – and other consumers – through their doors.
The grocery industry has navigated unprecedented challenges in recent years – from pandemic-driven shifts in consumer behavior and supply chain disruptions to rising costs, labor shortages, and increased operational demands. In the face of these hurdles, the category has been pushed to innovate, adapting everything from product selections to shopping formats to meet changing consumer expectations.
But within the grocery industry, some segments resonate particularly strongly with the 2024 consumer. This white paper dives into the data to explore two segments that have been leading category-wide visit growth for some time: specialty and fresh format stores, which focus on produce, organic foods, and culturally specific items (think Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, and H Mart, to name a few), and value grocery chains like Aldi, WinCo Foods, and Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. Location analytics show shoppers are increasingly drawn to these two grocery store types, a shift that has the potential to reshape the grocery landscape.
How did value and specialty grocery chains perform in Q3 2024 in comparison to traditional supermarkets like Kroger, Albertsons, and H-E-B? How does visitor behavior vary between the three grocery segments, and what differences can be observed in the demographic and psychographic make-ups of their trade areas? The report explores these questions and more below.
The grocery industry has performed well over the past few months, with steady weekly year-over-year (YoY) visit increases throughout Q3 2024. During the week of July 1st, the segment saw a 4.6% YoY foot traffic boost, likely driven by shoppers loading up on ingredients for Independence Day barbecues and picnics. And after tapering somewhat in early August, visits picked up again in September, with YoY increases ranging from 2.0% to 2.9% throughout the month. This positive growth is a good sign for the segment – which has experienced more than its fair share of challenges over the past few years.
Though the grocery category as a whole is thriving, a closer look at different segments within the industry reveals that some are seeing more significant growth than others.
Indeed, digging deeper into grocery visits throughout Q3 2024 reveals that much of the industry’s growth is being driven by specialty and fresh format stores and value grocery chains. The two segments offer markedly different shopping experiences: Specialty chains tend to emphasize harder-to-find ingredients and fresh produce – sometimes even at higher price points than traditional grocery stores – while value grocery stores focus on affordability. But both categories are experiencing outsize visit growth in 2024, highlighting consumers’ dual interest in both quality and value.
In July and August 2024, traditional supermarkets, specialty grocers, and value chains all experienced positive YoY visit growth. But while traditional grocery stores saw a 3.1% increase in July and just a 0.9% uptick in August, value and specialty chains saw YoY growth ranging from 4.7% to 7.7% during the two months. In September 2024, YoY visits to traditional grocery stores fell by 0.5%, while value and specialty chains saw 5.0% and 5.2% increases, respectively. For today’s consumer, it seems, savings are key – but specialty offerings also resonate strongly.
Today’s grocery shoppers are increasingly embracing specialty grocery options – and analyzing consumer driving habits to grocery stores shows that they are willing to go the extra mile to reach them.
Breaking down grocery visits by distance traveled reveals that just 18.5% of visits to specialty and fresh format grocery chains came from less than one mile away in Q3 2024 – compared to 23.9% for traditional grocery stores and 23.2% for value chains. Similarly, 31.3% of visits to specialty and fresh format grocery stores originated from one to three miles away, compared to 34.7% and 34.5% for the other analyzed segments.
On the flip side, some 26.4% of visits to specialty and fresh format stores were made by people traveling at least seven miles to do their shopping – compared to 22.7% and 21.4% for traditional and value chains, respectively. Specialty grocery operators can account for this difference, locating stores in areas accessible to geographically dispersed audiences eager to shop their unique offerings.
And a look at changes in visitor behavior at three key specialty chains – Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Great Wall Supermarket – shows that even as these brands expand their footprints, customers are increasingly willing to travel the distance to visit them. Between 2019 and 2024, all three chains saw a marked increase in the share of visitors traveling over seven miles to shop their offerings. .
Asian grocery chain Great Wall Supermarket, a relatively small regional chain with some 22 locations across eight states, saw the most significant increase in visits from afar over the analyzed period. In Q3 2024, 32.3% of visits to the chain originated from seven or more miles away, up from 28.3% in Q3 2019. Ranked America’s Best Supermarket by Newsweek in 2024, the chain’s wide selection of everything from seafood to fresh produce has made it a hit among Asian food aficionados – and as the supermarket’s reputation grows, so does its draw among customers living further away from its venues.
Consumer favorite Trader Joe’s and organic grocery chain Sprouts Farmers Market also grew their shares of long-distance visits between 2019 and 2024 – no small feat for the two chains, given their expansion over the past several years.
This travel distance snapshot serves as a reminder of the unique role played by specialty grocery stores that offer their customers unique shopping experiences, premium or organic products, and culturally specific items. Shoppers will go out of their way to travel to these stores – and even as they expand and become more readily accessible, their growing popularity makes them ever-more attractive destinations for customers coming from further away.
While visitors to specialty grocery chains often travel long distances for unique offerings, cost-conscious consumers at value stores exhibit other behaviors that differentiate them from traditional and specialty grocery shoppers.
The rising cost of living has pushed the discount retail segment into overdrive – and value grocery chains are also benefiting. The category has flourished in recent years, with many bargain-oriented grocery chains adding new stores at a rapid clip to meet burgeoning consumer demand.
Like visitors to specialty grocery chains, value grocery shoppers demonstrate segment-specific behaviors that reflect their preferences and habits. And perhaps most strikingly, foot traffic data reveals that these shoppers tend to stay longer in-store than visitors to traditional and specialty grocery chains.
In Q3 2024, 26.5% of visits to value grocery chains lasted longer than 30 minutes, compared to 23.4% for traditional grocery chains and 23.7% for specialty and fresh format chains. This suggests that these stores attract shoppers who take their time and carefully consider price points, looking for the best value for their dollar – a need that the chains they frequent seem to be meeting.
Given the tremendous success of the value grocery space in recent years, it may come as no surprise that some traditional supermarkets are getting in on the action by opening or expanding discount banners of their own. How do such off-shoot banners impact these grocers’ reach?
Cult-favorite Texas grocery chain H-E-B opened the first branch of its value banner, Joe V’s Smart Shop, in 2010. The discount arm currently includes 11 stores – mainly in the Houston area – with several new stores opening, or in planning stages, in Dallas.
And foot traffic data shows that Joe V's attracts mission-driven shoppers who make less frequent but significantly longer trips than visitors to traditional grocery stores. In Q3 2024, the average visit duration at Joe V’s was 37.8 minutes, compared to just 26.8 minutes at H-E-B – a full 11 minute difference. At the same time, while 38.5% of Q3 visits to H-E-B were made by customers frequenting the chain, on average, at least four times a month, just 11.8% of visits to Joe V’s were made by visitors reaching that threshold.
Joe V’s is also more likely than H-E-B to attract parental households, with 36.8% of its captured market made up of households with children – significantly higher than H-E-B’s 32.0%.
Together, these data points paint a picture of the average Joe V’s shopper: cost-conscious, likely to have children, and inclined to carefully plan shopping trips to maximize savings and cut down on grocery runs. This suggests that they are mission-driven and focused on stocking up rather than running out to grab ingredients as the need arises.
Major grocery store operators often operate a variety of store types at different price points to appeal to as many shoppers as possible, and Hy-Vee is no exception. The regional grocery favorite launched a discount chain, Dollar Fresh, in 2018 and currently operates 25 stores under that banner, aiming to attract middle-class, cost-conscious shoppers.
Using Experian’s Mosaic dataset to analyze Dollar Fresh’s trade area reveals that the chain’s captured market features significantly higher shares of lower-middle-class family consumers than its potential one – highlighting its special draw for these shoppers. (A chain’s potential market is obtained by weighting each Census Block Group (CBG) in its trade area according to population size, thus reflecting the overall makeup of the chain’s trade area. A business’ captured market, on the other hand, is obtained by weighting each CBG according to its share of visits to the chain in question – and thus represents the profile of its actual visitor base. Comparing a chain’s captured market to its potential one can serve as a helpful gauge of the brand’s success at attracting key audience segments.)
In Q3 2024, the “Pastoral Pride” family segment represented 11.4% of Dollar Fresh’s captured market, compared to just 5.3% of its potential market. This over-representation of lower-middle-class consumers from small towns in Dollar Fresh’s captured market indicates that the chain is especially effective at drawing customers that belong to this segment. Though Hy-Vee’s captured market also boasted a higher share of this demographic than its potential one in Q3, the difference was much smaller – and the chain’s overall reach among these consumers was more limited.
In contrast, Hy-Vee excels at attracting “Flourishing Families” – affluent, middle-aged families and couples – who made up 10.3% of the supermarket’s captured market in Q3 2024. Dollar Fresh’s captured market, on the other hand, featured a smaller share of this segment than its potential one – showing that the discount chain is of less interest to these consumers. So while Hy-Vee tends to appeal to higher-income families with more spending flexibility, value-conscious shoppers have been making their way to Dollar Fresh.
This audience segmentation analysis shows how value offerings help grocery chains attract wider audiences – and highlights the advantage of operating multiple store types to appeal to a broader range of shoppers.
People will always need access to a variety of fresh foods – ensuring that grocery stores and supermarkets continue to play a vital role in in the retail landscape. And while the category as a whole has continued to thrive even in today’s challenging environment, specialty and value grocery chains resonate particularly strongly with the 2024 consumer. As grocery retailers diversify their formats, those aligning with consumer preferences for affordability, uniqueness, and quality are well-positioned for continued growth.
Malls have come a long way since their introduction to the world in the 1950s. These gleaming retail hubs promised shoppers a taste of the American dream, offering a third place for teens, families, and everyone in between to shop, socialize, and hang out.
And though malls have faced challenges in recent years, as e-commerce and pandemic-induced store closures led to shifts in consumer habits, the outlook is brightening. Malls have embraced innovation, incorporating enhanced entertainment, dining, and experiential offerings that attract a diverse range of visitors and redefine their purpose.
This white paper takes a look at the recent location intelligence metrics to gain an understanding of the changes taking place at malls across the country – including both indoor malls and open-air shopping centers. The report explores questions like: Why do malls experience foot traffic bumps during the summer months? How much of an impact do movie theaters have on mall visits, and what can mall operators learn from the Mall of America and American Dream malls’ focus on experiential entertainment?
Mall visitation is highly seasonal, with strikingly consistent monthly visitation patterns. Each year, visits decline somewhat in February, pick up in March, and begin to trend upward again in May – before peaking again in August. Then, after a slower September and October, foot traffic skyrockets during the holiday season, spiking dramatically in December.
And while these trends follow similar patterns every year, comparing monthly visits throughout 2019, 2023, and 2024 (YTD) to each year’s own January baseline shows that this seasonality is growing more pronounced - especially for indoor malls.
Following a lackluster 2023, visits to both indoor malls and open-air shopping centers peaked higher in March 2024 than in 2019. And this summer, indoor malls in particular saw a much larger visit boost than in previous years. In August 2024, for example, visits to indoor malls were 27.3% higher than in January 2024 – a substantially higher baseline jump than that seen either in August 2019 (17.0%) or in August 2023 (12.0%). And though open-air shopping centers experienced a smaller summer visit boost, they too saw a bigger bump this year than in 2019 or in 2023.
But malls aren’t just seeing larger visit spikes this year relative to their January baselines – they are also drawing bigger crowds than they did in 2023.
Between June and August 2024, indoor malls and open-air shopping centers both experienced year-over-year (YoY) visit growth. Indoor malls saw the largest YoY foot traffic boost (3.7%) – perhaps owing in part to 2024’s record-breaking heat, which led many patrons to seek refuge in air conditioned spaces. Still, open-air shopping centers, which feature plenty of air conditioned stores and restaurants, also enjoyed a YoY visit boost of 2.8% during the analyzed period.
Malls’ strong summer baseline and YoY foot traffic growth built upon the strong performance seen during most of 2024 so far, leading to the question: What is driving malls’ positive momentum? We delve into some of the factors propelling these changes below.
One offering that continues to play a significant role in driving foot traffic to malls is on-site movie theaters. Summer blockbuster releases, in particular, help attract crowds to theaters, in turn boosting overall visits to malls.
Much like malls, movie theaters have also proven their resilience over the past few years. While pundits fretted about the theater’s impending death, production houses were busy releasing blockbuster after blockbuster and shattering box-office records at an impressive clip. And while 2023 was certainly a banner year for blockbuster summer releases, 2024 has had its fair share of stunning box-office successes, leading to major visit boosts at theaters across the country.
Analyzing visits to malls with and without movie theaters highlights the impact of these summer Hollywood hits. Between June and August 2024, malls with theaters saw bigger visit boosts compared to a monthly year-to-date (YTD) average than malls without – an effect observed both for indoor malls and for open-air shopping centers.
For both mall types, the gap between centers with and without movie theaters was most pronounced in July 2024, likely owing to the release of Inside Out 2 in mid-June as well as the July releases of Deadpool & Wolverine and Twister. But in June and August 2024, too, centers with movie theaters sustained particularly impressive visit boosts – a solid sign that movie theaters and malls remain a winning combination.
Malls with movie theaters also drew higher shares of evening visits (7:00 PM - 10:00 PM) this summer than those without. Between June and August 2024, for example, evening outings accounted for 22.9% of visits to open-air shopping centers with movie theaters – compared to 18.2% of visits to centers without theaters. Indoor malls with theaters also saw a larger share of evening visits than those without – 18.1% compared to 15.0%.
This increase in evening traffic is likely driven by major summer movie releases and the flexibility of summer schedules, with many visitors – including families – taking advantage of late-night outings without the concern of early wakeup calls. These summer visitation trends benefit both theaters and malls, opening up opportunities for increased sales through concessions, promotions, and evening deals that attract a more relaxed and engaged crowd.
Analyzing the demographics of malls’ captured markets also reveals that centers with movie theaters are more likely to attract certain family-oriented segments than those without. (A mall’s captured market consists of the mall’s trade areas – the census block groups (CBGs) feeding visitors to the mall – weighted according to each CBG’s actual share of visits to the mall.)
Between June and August 2024, for example, 14.2% of the captured markets of open-air shopping centers with movie theaters were made up of “Wealthy Suburban Families” – compared to 9.7% for open-air shopping centers without theaters.
Indoor malls saw a similar pattern with regard to “Near-Urban Diverse Families”: Middle class families living in and around cities made up 9.0% of the captured markets of indoor malls with movie theaters, compared to 7.1% of the captured markets of those without.
This increase in foot traffic from middle-class and wealthy family segments can be a boon for malls and retail tenants – driving up food court profits and bolstering sales at stores with kid-friendly offerings.
Malls have long positioned themselves as destinations for summer entertainment as well as retail therapy, holding – in addition to back to school sales – events like Fourth of July celebrations and even indoor basketball and arena football games. And during the summer months, malls attract visitors from further away.
Between June and August 2024, indoor malls drew 18.2% of visitors from 30+ miles away – compared to just 16.7% during the first five months of the year. Similarly, open-air shopping centers drew 19.6% of visits from 30+ miles away during the summer, compared to 17.1% between January and May.
Extended daylight hours, summer trips away from home, and more free time are likely among the contributors to the summer draw for long-distance mall visitors. But in addition to their classic offerings – from movie theaters to stores and food courts – malls have also invested in other kinds of unique experiences to attract visitors. This next section takes a look at two mega-malls winning at the visitation game, to see what sets them apart.
The Minneapolis-based Mall of America opened in 1992, redefining the limits of what a mall could offer. The mall boasts hundreds of stores, games, rides, and more – and is constantly expanding its attractions, cementing its status as a top destination for retail and entertainment.
Between June and August 2024, Mall of America experienced a 13.8% YoY visit increase, far outperforming the 3.7% visit boost seen by the wider indoor mall space. And as a major tourist attraction – the mall hosted a series of Olympic-themed events throughout the summer – it also drew 41.6% of visits from 30+ miles away. This share of distant visitors was significantly higher than that seen at the mall during the first five months of 2024, and more than double the segment-wide summer average of 18.2%.
The Mall of America also seems to be attracting more upper-middle-class families during the summer than other indoor malls: Between June and August 2024, some 18.0% of Mall of America’s captured market consisted of “Upper Suburban Diverse Family Households” – a segment including upper-middle-class suburbanites – compared to just 11.1% for the wider indoor mall segment. The increased presence of these families at the Mall of America may be driven by the variety of events offered during the summer.
In 2019, the American Dream Mall in New Jersey opened and became the second-largest mall in the country. Since the mall opened its doors, it has also focused on blending retail and entertainment to draw in as wide a range of visitors as possible – and summer 2024 was no exception.
The mall hosted the Arena Football League Championship, ArenaBowl XXXIII, on Friday, July 19th. The event successfully attracted a higher share of visitors traveling from 30+ miles away compared to the average summer Friday – 35.4% compared to 25.7%.
Visits to the mall on the day of the championship were also 13.6% higher than the Friday visit average for the period between June and August 2024, showcasing the mall’s ability to draw in crowds by hosting major events.
Malls – both indoor and open-air – continue to evolve while playing a central role in the American retail landscape. Increasingly, malls are emerging as destinations for more than just shopping – especially during the summer – driving up foot traffic and attracting visitors from near and far. And while much is often said about the impact of holiday seasons on mall foot traffic, summer months offer another opportunity to boost mall visits. Malls that can curate experiences that resonate with their clientele can hope to see foot traffic growth – in the summer months and beyond.
