Study: Fewer holiday shopping trips, but bigger spend; bookstores make comeback
Holiday shoppers consolidated their trips this season, making fewer visits but spending more on high-value, meaningful purchases.
That’s according to an analysis of shopper behavior from Nov. 24 to Dec. 28 from AI-based insights platform Pass_by, which found that overall foot traffic declined by 2.01% year-over-year, while total spend increased 1.47%, reflecting a shift toward intentional, last-minute buying. The number of transactions slightly decreased by 0.39%
In other findings, shoppers consolidated visits, with significant declines early in the season easing to single digits by mid-December.
Top Performers
The top performing categories by store visits were jewelry stores (up 10.83%) and hobby, toy and game stores (up 8.57%). Shoe stores also saw healthy foot traffic, reflecting ongoing interest in fashion and footwear deals.
The top performing categories by spend were book stores (up 13.29%), used merchandise stores (up 7.36%), shoe stores (up 6.58%) and cosmetics (up 6.41%). Beauty and perfume, and women’s clothing also saw consistent increases, underscoring ongoing demand for self-care and fashion items despite a crowded holiday market.
By brand, Macy’s (up 1.47%) enjoyed a slight uptick, suggesting effective holiday promotions or store events. Burlington (+5.58%) and Ross (+1.70%) also saw positive traffic, indicating off-price formats remain appealing.
Among big-box and mass retailers, Target (-7.77%) and Walmart (-5.27%) both saw declines in holiday foot traffic, reflecting competition from online channels and specialty retailers, according to the study. Best Buy (up 0.88%) bucked the trend slightly, possibly thanks to strong demand for electronics/gaming as holiday gifts.
The Pass_by survey featured several “actionable takeaways,” including the following:
- Bolster staffing/inventory on Black Friday and surrounding weekends for maximum impact.
- Don’t ignore mid-December: Dates like Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 drove strong transaction volumes, indicating ongoing demand well after Black Friday weekend.
- Stagger promotions to capture last-minute buyers leading up to Christmas, rather than front-loading all deals on Black Friday alone.
“Shoppers are rewriting holiday norms by focusing on fewer, higher-impact trips and gifts that resonate emotionally,” says James Ewen, VP marketing at Pass_by. “This data underscores the importance of convenience, personalization, and sustainability as key drivers for holiday retail success.”
