Report: Back-to-School Shopping Boosted Retail Foot Traffic
Back-to-school shopping helped many large retailers see a foot traffic spike, according to a new report from Placer.ai. The report, School Season Sparks Retail Growth, shows that weekly visits to major back-to-school retail categories, including superstores, department stores, and other apparel retailers, enjoyed strong year-over-year (YoY) visit boosts through July and August 2024. During the week of August 19, for example, YoY visits were up 6.9 percent at apparel retailers, 5.1 percent at superstores, 3.4 percent at department stores, and 1.8 percent at retailers overall. Brands mentioned in the report include Costco, Target, Walmart, Burlington, Marshalls, Ross Dress For Less, T.J. Maxx, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, DICK’S Sporting Goods, and Hibbett Sports.
Total Retail's Take: Back-to-school sales were forecast to reach $38.8 billion, according to the NRF, and Placer.ai's latest report is tracking some positive trends. Target, Walmart, and Costco gained particularly strong momentum as they drew crowds with discount and bulk offerings, positioning these superstores well heading into the holiday shopping season. In the off-price retail sector, Burlington, Marshalls, Ross, and T.J. Maxx saw a significant boost, with August 19 foot traffic up 11 percent at Burlington, 13.9 percent at Marshalls, 6 percent at Ross, and 15.8 percent at T.J. Maxx, compared to a YTD weekly average. August also saw surges at office supply stores Office Depot, OfficeMax, and Staples, as well as sneaker and sports retailers DICK's Sporting Goods and Hibbett. See the full report from Placer.ai for growth percentages here. Will these retailers manage to sustain their momentum into the holiday season?
Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment—or at home on Zoom—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.
Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.
