Placer.ai: Mall visits rise for second consecutive month in May
Memorial Day helped boost traffic to indoor, outdoor, and outlet malls in May.
Retail data firm Placer.ai’s Mall Index for May 2025 revealed that mall visits in May followed a strong performance in April by increasing 5.2% year over year. Indoor malls posted the largest gains with a 6.7% increase in visits, followed by open-air shopping centers (+5.0%) and outlet malls (+3.9%).
Placer.ai says that some of May's visit increases were likely also driven by the sector's strong showing over Memorial Day weekend. Indoor malls and open-air shopping centers saw their visits spike on the Saturday and Sunday before the holiday, both seeing double-digit increases compared to 2024.
This holiday increase is in contrast with the wider brick-and-mortar retail industry that saw relatively flat year over year visit numbers over the long weekend.
[READ MORE: Placer.ai: Are malls cool again?]
The May 2025 index reveals the median household income fell slightly for audiences across all mall formats – while visitation trends show an increase in average visit duration. Placer.ai says that this suggests that top-tier malls are succeeding by positioning themselves as social hubs and experiential destinations and keeping guests for longer, despite economic uncertainty.
“Malls are continuing to adapt to evolving consumer behaviors," said Shira Patrick, content manager at Placer.ai. “With top-tier malls leaning into their role as multifaceted social and entertainment venues – positioning them well for continued growth and sustained relevance in a dynamic economic landscape.”