Back-to-school shopping helped boost mall visits across the board in August to close out the summer.

According to data from retail analytic firm Placer.ai’s Mall Index: August 2024 Recap,  year-over-year visits in August 2024 increased by 7.3% for indoor malls, 5.8% for open-air shopping centers, and 6.1% for outlet malls.

The increased August visits came on the heels of a sluggish July 2024, when indoor mall visits (-1.0%), open-air center visits (-1.0%) and outlet mall visits (-3.8%) were all down year-over-year. However, Placer.ai says these decreases were likely due to a calendar shift rather than to any decreased back-to-school momentum. July 2024 contained one less Saturday and Sunday than the equivalent period of 2023, when malls draw some of their biggest crowds. 

In January-August 2024, weekends accounted for 39.0% of visits to indoor malls, 35.6% for open-air shopping centers, and 43.0% for outlet malls.