Placer.ai: Malls continued visit growth momentum into October
Malls saw increased year-over-year visit growth in October, signaling a positive sign for owners and operators ahead of the holiday shopping push.
According to retail data firm Placer.ai’s October 2026 Mall Index, open-air shopping centers saw visits increase 5.8% compared to October 2025, while visits rose 4.1% at indoor malls and 3.6% at outlet malls. October marked the second-consecutive month where all three mall formats had visits increase.
Placer.ai noted that like September, October’s strong results benefited from a calendar assist, as the month included an additional Saturday compared with October 2025. However, that extra Saturday fell on Halloween, when mall traffic tends to be lighter than usual.
Placer.ai credited open-air shopping centers’ strong performance in October to a combination of affluent shoppers and shorter travel distances. Between January and October 2026, open-air center visitors had a median household income (HHI) of $109,200, compared with $101,100 for indoor malls and $92,000 for outlets.
Visitors to open-air centers traveled a median distance of just 7.0 miles, compared with 8.4 miles for indoor malls and 17.1 miles for outlets.
[READ MORE: Placer.ai: Visits rise at bookstores, off-price apparel chains]
“Open-air centers are well-positioned to benefit from their combination of convenience and affluence, while indoor malls offer a middle ground between accessibility and destination shopping,” said Lila Margalit, content manager at Placer.ai. “And outlets could capitalize on shoppers' growing appetite for deals, as budget-conscious consumers look to stretch their holiday dollars.”
