In the third quarter, traffic in shopping centres and galleries dropped by nearly 12.4% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, the number of unique customers decreased by almost 10% year over year. However, the frequency of shopping slightly increased in two provinces, while slight decreases were noted in the rest. The average duration of the visit was shortened by 18 seconds, and the average total time spent in the facility dropped by over 5 minutes.
According to a regular analysis by technological company Proxi.cloud, in the third quarter, traffic in shopping centres and galleries dropped by 12.4% compared to the same period in 2023. Such decreases were noted in all provinces, with the smallest being in Świętokrzyskie – 4.7%, Mazowieckie – 5.5%, and Opolskie – 8.4%. At the end of the ranking, Podkarpackie province saw a decrease of 21.3%, Warmińsko-Mazurskie – 20.5%, and Podlaskie – 18.1%.
“The decrease in traffic in the third quarter can be felt within retail. Reasons can be found in, for instance, economic slowdown or changes in shopping habits of parts of the society, such as the use of e-commerce platforms. To some extent, the development of discount store assortments and large-scale supermarket chains may also affect the lower traffic in such establishments,” comments Mateusz Nowak from Proxi.cloud.
As Sylwia Kaska from Proxi.cloud points out, the variation in footfall dynamism year-on-year in individual provinces has many contributing factors, the impact of which was not checked in this study. Nevertheless, it can be expected that the varied socio-economic situation in different parts of the country plays a role. This is in addition to random elements, such as potential renovations of shopping centres and galleries. The differences in the pace of discount chain expansion in different regions may also be influencing these results.
“There were forecasts that the European Football Championships in Germany, held from 14 June to 14 July this year, would increase traffic in shopping galleries. In the second half of June, Poland’s matches in the tournament took place, boosting the number of customers in shopping galleries up by 5.9% compared to the same period in 2023,” adds Sylwia Kaska.
According to another report, in the third quarter, the number of unique customers in shopping centres and malls decreased by 9.9% year-over-year. Negative results were observed in literally all provinces. The smallest drops occurred in Mazowieckie – 6.1%, Opolskim – 7.1%, and Wielkopolskim – 7.4%. The largest drops were seen in Podkarpackie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie – both at 14.4%, and Świętokrzyskie – by 13.5%.
“The decline in the number of unique shoppers by almost 10% year-over-year can be noticeable and not very optimistic for shopping galleries. The rise in popularity of e-commerce services could be a contributing factor. It’s possible that some customers have simply stopped visiting shopping galleries because they order needed products with delivery. Others may have refrained from visiting such retail facilities due to their deteriorating financial situation,” says Mateusz Nowak.
In the past quarter, shopping frequency increased year-over-year in two provinces, i.e., in Świętokrzyskie (3rd quarter this year – 2.89, 3rd quarter last year -2.63) and Mazowieckie (respectively – 3.35 and 3.33). Minimal decreases can be seen in the rest of the provinces. Analysis from Proxi.cloud shows that the average time of a visit has been shortened by 18 seconds (this year’s 3rd quarter – 46:48, last year’s 3rd quarter – 47:06) as well as the average total time spent in the facility – dropped by just over 5 minutes (this year’s 3rd quarter – 2:26:52, previously – 2:31:58).
“On average, there are about 3 visits per customer in a month, meaning that frequency remains at a similar level year-over-year. Insignificant decreases and increases in individual provinces should not be noticeable for shopping gallery managers, just like changes in average and total visit time. This confirms that the habits of some customers have not changed,” analyses Sylwia Kaska.
The expert believes that the main determinant of the popularity of shopping centres and galleries will be the economic situation of Polish society. If it improves, we can also expect smaller decreases in footfall or reach year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2024.
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The study was conducted by technological company Proxi.cloud, using data from the third quarter of 2024, referring to the same period last year, excluding holidays and non-trading Sundays. It covers the behaviours of consumers visiting shopping galleries and shopping centres.
The sample size exceeded 1.5 million unique consumers. For a person’s entrance to the geofence to be recorded as a customer’s visit to a particular gallery or shopping centre, the visit had to last at least 2 minutes but no more than 2 hours. Indeed, the movement in 710 facilities, whose locations were obtained from the websites of retail chains and from Google Maps, was studied.
Source: https://ceo.com.pl/spadki-ruchu-i-liczby-klientow-w-galeriach-i-centrach-handlowych-branza-iii-kwartal-br-skonczyla-na-minusie-25657
