In 2024, foot traffic in shopping centers and malls decreased by 3.5% compared to 2023. Twelve provinces saw a decline, with only four seeing an increase. Furthermore, in these types of establishments, there was a 3.1% decrease in unique customers. Fourteen provinces experienced declines in this respect, while only two provinces showed minimal increases. The frequency of shopping in these outlets did not change over the year. These are the results of observations of nearly 1.5 million unique consumers’ behaviors. Experts commenting on these data are concerned about the results in some provinces, suggesting they may be due to decreasing purchasing power of their residents.
In 2024, footfall in shopping centers and malls decreased by 3.5% compared to 2023. This was shown in a recurring report issued by the tech company Proxi.cloud. The observation covered 1.5 million customers at 710 shopping centers and malls; store turnover, which is not dependent on footfall or customer numbers, was not analyzed.
“The decrease in footfall in shopping centers and malls is small, for example, compared to the rate of inflation in 2023-2024. This is primarily a result of the escalating importance of e-commerce. One significant factor is the active entry of Chinese online platforms into Poland. They offer very attractive prices, and the waiting time for delivery has definitely decreased, from a month to a few or up to several days,” commented Prof. Jan Mikołajczyk of the Poznań University of Economics.
Public information has emerged that the 2024 European Football Championship (from June 14 to July 14), and to a lesser extent – the Summer Olympics (from July 26 to August 11), could have attracted many consumers to shopping centers and malls. According to data collected for the report, the first of these events may have contributed to a short-term increase in shopping centers and malls, as Poland’s national team played matches in June.
“In July and August, there was a decrease in footfall. So we do not see any reasons to state that the Olympic Games positively influenced footfall in these establishments. However, it is difficult to assess how it would have looked if these sports events hadn’t occured,” said Mateusz Chołuj from Proxi.cloud.
Another finding of the report is that footfall in shopping centers and malls increased year-on-year in four provinces. The Mazovian province saw a 5.5% increase, Świętokrzyskie 5.3%, Opole 2.5%, and Lodz 1.3%. Meanwhile, declines were recorded in twelve provinces, with the biggest drop in Warmian-Masurian (9.6% decrease), Lublin (8.9% decrease), and Podkarpackie (8.6% decrease). According to Prof. Mikołajczyk, the increases are statistically insignificant. However, the declines in the Warmian-Masurian, Lublin, and Podkarpackie regions are worrying and may be the result of decreasing purchasing power in these parts of Poland.
“The diversified dynamics of footfall year on year in provinces can be attributed to many factors, the impact of which was not checked as part of this specific analysis. Nevertheless, one can expect that the diversified socio-economic situation in different parts of the country is significant. In addition, one should remember about random factors, such as possible renovations of some shopping centers, and the variable pace of discount store chains expansion in particular regions may also affect such data,” analyzes Mateusz Nowak from Proxi.cloud.
Additionally, the analysis showed that in 2024 the number of unique customers (unique shoppers) in shopping centers and malls decreased by 3.1% compared to 2023. In the opinion of the report’s authors, this is a slight change, as in the case of footfall. “Some customers may have given up going to shopping malls due to the popularity of e-commerce services. These are able to order many products for delivery. Meanwhile, other people may have suddenly found themselves in a worse financial situation, so they gave up visiting such retail outlets during this period,” emphasizes Mateusz Nowak.
More detailed data show that last year the number of unique customers increased year-on-year in two provinces, Mazovian by 0.3% and Opolskie by 0.1%. These were therefore minimal changes. In contrast, fourteen provinces recorded year-on-year declines in this area. The biggest drops were in Warmian-Masurian (7.8% decrease), Lubelskie (6.5% decrease), and Podlasie (5.3% decrease).
“Similarly, to footfall, the diversification in the dynamics of the decline in unique customers between provinces can be attributed to several factors. I mean, among others, social and economic situations, random events, but also uneven expansion of other retail chains,” says Mateusz Chołuj from Proxi.cloud.
Moreover, it was observed that last year the average monthly number of visits to malls by a single consumer was 3.2. This is the same as in 2023. “These data confirm the constancy of customers’ shopping habits, who continue to visit these types of establishments. However, such visit frequency may indicate that Poles are getting most of their everyday products from other types of stores. For instance, they do their shopping in discount stores or use e-commerce services,” Mateusz Nowak concludes.
Editorial Team
Source: https://ceo.com.pl/e-commerce-sukcesywnie-odbiera-ruch-galeriom-i-centrom-handlowym-38630
