After a sluggish December, U.S. malls kicked off 2026 with a surge in shoppers, according to new data from Placer.ai. Foot traffic rose across all mall formats in January, marking a strong year-over-year rebound, led by open-air shopping centers.
Open-air malls saw visits climb 6.2% compared to January 2025, while indoor malls recorded a 4.5% gain. Outlets, which had struggled to sustain growth through much of last year, enjoyed a 3.6% uptick. The contrast with December was sharp—when open-air centers rose only 1.1%, indoor malls slipped 0.9%, and outlet visits fell 3.1%.
The early-month bump wasn't driven purely by post-holiday shopping enthusiasm. Placer.ai data shows January's growth was heavily concentrated in the first two weeks, coinciding with the annual wave of returns. During the week of January 5, open-air centers jumped 15.3% year over year, indoor malls gained 11.6%, and outlets rose 11.8%. Two weeks later, by January 19, the momentum had faded, with open-air traffic down 0.2%, indoor malls off 9.4%, and outlets down 7.2%. The final week brought an even steeper decline, attributed to severe winter storms disrupting normal activity.
Short-duration visits reinforce the returns narrative. The largest gains came from trips lasting 10 minutes or less—up 10.8% at open-air centers, 27.0% at indoor malls, and 21.1% at outlets. Longer visits still increased modestly: 5.7%, 2.0%, and 1.5%, respectively. "While post-holiday returns clearly played a role in driving January foot traffic, the simultaneous growth in longer trips suggests that shoppers were also spending time browsing or making additional purchases," Placer.ai noted.
That balance of quick efficiency and longer engagement signals how consumer habits continue to evolve. Shoppers appear eager to return to physical retail spaces but are increasingly intentional about how they spend their time. Malls best positioned for success, Placer.ai suggests, will be those that combine frictionless convenience with experiences that keep people browsing longer.
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