Mall visits return to near pre-pandemic levels in 2023

Mall traffic continued to return towards pre-pandemic levels in 2023, with open-air centers leading the way.

According to location intelligence and retail foot traffic data firm Placer.ai’s report, “The Comeback of the Mall in 2024,” which analyzed over 3,000 American shopping centers, visits to the wider shopping center industry were just 2.3% lower than they had been in 2019. This is compared to 10.9% in 2021 and 5.9% in 2022, showing continued improvement since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Last year, the visit gaps for indoor malls and open-air centers had narrowed to 5.8% and 1% lower, respectively. Outlet also saw visits increase once again, with the visit gap compared to 2019 narrowing to 8.5% in 2023 after having dropped to 11.3% in 2022.
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