These three brands accounted for 45% of visits made to off-price retailers in Q3

Off-price retail, the dominant segment in malls and shopping centers, is also dominated by three brands.

Nearly 50% of customer traffic at off-price stores during Q3 moved through Kohl’s (15.4%), T. J. Maxx (15.3%), and Ross Dress for Less (14.9%), according to Placer.ai, a data analytics service that provides data based on cell phone location data.

Kohl’s posted a 12.5% increase in visits over the second quarter during the back-to-school shopping period, followed by Dillards at 10%, Nordstrom at 9%, and Old Navy at 6%.

Placer.ai, which is able to discern shopping patterns of individuals, reported that customer loyalty is spread fairly evenly across the off-price segment. While Ross posted the highest incidence of visits per customer for the period at 2, the worst performer, Old Navy, finished not far away at 1.4.

“This is one of the elements that makes this sector so interesting. It leaves the door open for a player to increase the regularity of visits,” said Ethan Chernofsky, the marketing VP of Placer.ai. “From a potential Old Navy spinoff to a JC Penney rebrand, there are many tactics in the works by these players.”

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