Placer.ai: Thrift stores, discount retailers, open-air malls lead 2025 holiday season
Visits to retail and restaurant chains were both up year over year during the holiday season – despite lingering economic pressures.
That’s according to the latest report from retail data firm Placer.ai, which found that from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, visits to retail chains increased 2.8% compared to the same period in 2024, while dining chains saw a 1.6% increase in visits.
Bifurcation was a key theme of the holiday season, according to Placer.ai. Thrift stores and off-price retailers led the apparel category with traffic up 11.7% and 6.6%, respectively, during the Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 period. Luxury chains and department stores also posted modest gains (1.8%) during the holiday season, while traditional apparel chains saw minor declines (-1.8%) and mid-tier department stores experienced more significant drops in traffic (-6.2%).
[READ MORE: Placer.ai: Thrift, luxury store visits rose in 2025]
“While performance varied meaningfully by category and format, aggregate retail traffic numbers point to significant consumer engagement throughout the end of 2025,” said Shira Petrack, head of content at Placer.ai.
When it came to shopping center visits, open-air shopping centers led mall-format performance during the 2025 holiday season, with visits up 1.7% compared to last year. Placer.ai said that this was driven by more festive atmospheres as well as warmer-than-average weather across much of the United States.
Indoor mall traffic was largely flat (0.8%) during the period, while visits to outlet malls declined slightly (-0.8%).
Within the superstore category, wholesale clubs and discount & dollar stores outperformed mass merchants during the holiday period. Visits to wholesale clubs increased 7.5% year over year, while visits to discount & dollar stores increased 6.9%. Mass merchants only saw visits increase 0.9% year over year.
Placer.ai says this performance underscores consumers’ continued shift toward value-driven retail during the holidays and highlights that “value” extends beyond low prices alone.
Categories most closely tied to self-gifting outperformed more traditional holiday segments during the 2025 season, according to the report. Pet stores and services (5.5%) and home improvement retailers (3.4%) led the way in year-over-year visit increases. In contrast, home furnishings (-0.8%) lagged behind the other categories, with Placer.ai noting that these purchases tend to be more decorative or occasion-driven and are more likely to be intended as gifts for others rather than immediate, utility-focused upgrades. Also notably, traffic to electronics stores also dipped slightly (-1.5%).
“Overall, location analytics for the 2025 holiday season suggest that consumers remained highly engaged despite ongoing economic pressure, but their spending behavior continued to fragment,” added Petrack. “Across apparel, superstores, and discretionary categories, shoppers consistently gravitated toward retailers that delivered clear value – whether through low prices, strong quality-to-price ratios, or products tied to personal utility and well-being.”
