Malls and open-air centers remain hugely popular destinations for Americans, a survey conducted for ICSC shows. Three-quarters of Americans, about 184 million, went to a mall within the three months preceding the survey — four times, on average. And in just the 30 days preceding, 62 percent of them did so, amounting to some 2.3 times each.
The survey of 1,015 respondents was conducted April 25–27 by ORC International on ICSC’s behalf.
In nearly half these visits, the patrons acquired discretionary items, and they dined at a restaurant or fast-food outlet in 43 percent of the expeditions. In the 30-day period preceding, mall shoppers spent $241.20 each, on average, for goods and services, equating to $104.87 per visit.
Open-air centers are popular destinations too: In the week preceding the survey, half of adult Americans (123 million people) visited one, an average of two times, spending $83.15 each per visit.
“This demonstrates the important role centers and physical retail in general continue to play in people’s lives,” said Tom McGee, ICSC’s president and CEO. “People not only want to see and touch what they’re buying, they also want the whole social experience that shopping centers offer.”
Young people were predominant, and they tended to visit more often than older people. Seventy-four percent of those age 18 to 34 visited during the 30 days preceding, versus 71 percent of those 35 to 44 years old, 56 percent of those age 45 to 54, 58 percent of those 55 to 64, and 48 percent of those 65 or older.
Shopping and eating were not the only reasons for mall visits. Nearly a quarter of the visitors participated in activities that involved no transactions, such as walking or children’s activities, underscoring the malls roles as social gathering places.
But the continuing love affair Americans have with physical shopping does not preclude the Internet. Fifty-six percent of American adults go online to do research on items before they buy them in a store, and 66 percent use mobile devices once they are actually inside a store, to compare prices, view ratings, get digital discounts and check for merchandise availability.
