Placer.ai: Visits rise at bookstores, off-price apparel chains heading into holidays
The holiday shopping season is set to begin, and several retail categories are heading into the holidays with strong momentum.
New data from Placer.ai reveals that bookstores, off-price apparel chains, and hobby, gift and craft retailers are best positioned to thrive this year, with visits climbing over the last three months, compared to 2025.
Bookstores saw visits rise 12.5% year over year in October, after an increase of 12.1% in September and a 9.7% jump in August. Off-price apparel chains saw visits rise 6.1% in October, 8.3% in September and 5.6% in August. Visits to hobby, gift and craft retailers rose 3.5% in October, 5.2% in September and 4.8% in August.
Other categories that have seen visits increase over the past three months include discount and dollar stores, beauty retailers and mass merchandisers.
On the other side of the spectrum, more traditional holiday destinations have seen visits dip year over year in the last three months. At traditional apparel retailers, visits decreased 2.5% year over year in October, 1.2% in September and 5.9% in August. While visits increased 1.1% at department stores in October, they fell 1.0% in September and 3.6% in August.
On Black Friday last year, department stores saw the biggest Black Friday surge, with visits increasing 335.9% compared to the average same weekday. The sector was followed by electronics stores (314.4%), traditional apparel chains (236.9% , beauty retailers (216.4%), bookstores (157.4%) and hobby retailers (146.5%)
[READ MORE: Accenture: Here’s what Black Friday/Cyber Monday shoppers want]
“Even as deals start earlier, Black Friday still draws close to 4% of fourth-quarter visits for department stores, electronics and apparel, and its pull has grown for bookstores and beauty retailers,” said Lila Margalit, content manager at Placer.ai. “With budget-conscious shoppers still making room for smaller-ticket treats, those two categories – as well as off-price and hobby stores – look especially well placed for this year's holiday rush.”
