Placer.ai: Hot temps sparked mall traffic and dwell times in June

Extremely hot weather is good for indoor shopping venues.

During the week of June 17, when high heat warnings affected more than 100 million people in the United States, enclosed malls and shopping centers served as makeshift cooling centers for a high percentage of them.

Placer.ai’s Mall Index review for the month reported nearly 10% year-over-year traffic increases for both indoor and open-air malls during that week, while outlet centers experienced a 6% jump. Weekly visits at all three sectors outpaced 2023 totals throughout June.

The foot traffic analytics provider noted that not only do more shoppers congregate at malls during the hot summer months, but they stay longer, as well. Its most recent Mall Index report examined dwell time trends over the past six months and found that visit length increased slightly each month for all mall types.

Average visits to indoor malls, open-air shopping centers and outlet malls this June were 1.9, 1.3, and 3.1 minutes longer, respectively, than they were in January.

“While these differences are subtle, the consistency of the shift is striking – and considering that the averages are derived from millions of visits to hundreds of malls, it reflects a significant trend,” read the report.

Summertime foot traffic spikes for outlet malls rivaled those experienced in December. 

“People may have more time to travel to outlet malls during summer vacations and may be more inclined to embrace the experience of a leisurely shopping day trip when the weather is warm,” wrote Placer.ai analyst Maytal Cohen in the June report. “College students and parents eager to find back-to-school deals may also flock to outlet malls in July and August as they gear up for the academic year.”

Mall dwell time also has a seasonal element, with people staying longer during holiday shopping seasons, as well as in the summer. Visit durations peak in July and then again in November and December, with smaller jumps seen in March, likely a result of Easter and Spring Break.