According to the latest report, 51.2% of active consumers plan to visit shopping malls and centers before the upcoming holidays. Last year, 48.7% of those responsible for household shopping visited these places at least once during the pre-Christmas season. The busiest period will be the last two weeks before Christmas, with the peak of visits expected 4-6 days before Christmas Eve. In 2023, foot traffic in malls and shopping centers increased by 34% compared to the baseline period between October and November. Only hypermarkets came close with a 32% rise. In comparison, discount stores and supermarkets saw more modest increases of 10% and 7% respectively. This year, malls and shopping centers already reported an 8.5% increase in traffic on Black Friday compared to the preceding “regular” Friday.
According to a report by UCE RESEARCH and Proxi.cloud, 51.2% of active consumers intend to shop at malls and shopping centers this holiday season. Additionally, 48.7% of surveyed consumers reported having visited such locations for holiday shopping last year. The report is based on a public opinion survey conducted among over 1,500 Poles responsible for household shopping. Their responses indicate that traffic in malls and shopping centers this year may be similar to or slightly higher than in the previous year.
“The data also shows that consumers are most likely to visit malls and shopping centers during the two weeks leading up to the holidays. The highest concentration of visits will occur 4-6 days before Christmas Eve, primarily over the weekend of December 20-22,” note analysts from UCE RESEARCH.
Last year, increased foot traffic in malls was particularly observed during the three weeks before Christmas, supported by two shopping Sundays on December 10 and December 17. Saturdays preceding these Sundays were also notably busy. This year, the traffic surge will be concentrated in just two weeks before the holidays, as shopping Sundays in December fall on December 15 and December 22.
“Last year, the highest traffic in shopping centers was recorded on December 22, just before Christmas. This indicates that many Poles leave gift shopping until the last minute. This year, we expect peak days to be Saturday, December 21, and Sunday, December 22. The period immediately before the holidays sees increased in-person shopping due to the short timeframe for e-commerce deliveries,” explains Łukasz Pytlewski, co-author of the report from Proxi.cloud.
In 2023, during the three weeks before Christmas compared to the reference period from October 30 to November 5, 2023, traffic in malls increased by an average of 34%. In hypermarkets, traffic grew by 32%, while in discount stores it rose by 10%, and in supermarkets by 7%.
“This data shows that the strongest increase in pre-holiday traffic occurs in shopping malls. It indicates that their holiday offers, especially for gifts, are significantly better tailored compared to large retail chains. I predict that this year, traffic in malls and hypermarkets will also see double-digit year-on-year growth,” says an expert from Proxi.cloud.
The report’s authors add that there is a high likelihood of this trend continuing. For instance, malls and shopping centers reported an 8.5% increase in traffic on Black Friday (November 29, 2024) compared to the previous regular Friday (November 22, 2024). “The intensity of promotions and their communication in the media drove more customers to malls and shopping centers on that day. This increase was undoubtedly noticeable for retail chains operating in these locations,” summarizes Łukasz Pytlewski.
Research Methodology
The primary survey was conducted from December 1-6, 2024, by UCE RESEARCH and Proxi.cloud using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method on a sample of 1,277 individuals aged 18-80, responsible for daily household shopping. Additional data comes from Proxi.cloud’s current and archival analytical resources.
