Going to the mall is an American past time. Gen X and Millennials grew up pre-online shopping, which meant hitting the mall for new outfits, hangs with friends, and yummy food establishments (like Orange Julius).
It’s a tangible experience Gen Z mostly missed out on growing up. But recently, they’re fueling a mall renaissance not only to shop, but for vital social interaction.
“The resurgence of the mall category directly correlates with Gen Z shoppers’ desire for community and in-person connection,” Elizabeth Lafontaine, director of research at Placer.ai, told USA Today.
Gen Z mall trends
Foot traffic at malls has rebounded thanks to Gen Z shoppers. PwC, a U.S. consumer markets industry leader, reports that foot traffic has increased 57%, per USA Today. The newspaper also cited data from Circana that found that, in the last year, Gen Z shoppers ages 18-24 bought 62% of their merchandise purchases in physical stores.
“Pre-COVID, e-commerce really picked up. People were able to go online and buy what they need instead of having to schlep to the mall,” Bloomberg reporter Lily Meier shared. “But post-COVID, shoppers do want to go into stores, they want to touch and feel products. They’re sick of buying things online.”
Meier adds that for many of Gen Z’s formative years, they were “stuck at home, they were communicating via Zoom, they were going to school on Zoom. They were using social media to chat with each other. And so now that we’ve retuned to a level or normalcy, teens are very excited about going back outside and doing a lot of the nostalgic activities that we all remember from our childhood—and going to the mall is one of those.”
What Gen Z says about malls
In an interview with ABC 7 Detroit, Gen Zers shared more about the appeal of the mall—including how often they find themselves going there.
“Probably once or twice a week,” one Gen Z teen says.
“Maybe once a week or every two weeks,” another Gen Zer explains. “I like that I can actually see the outfits that I am getting in person rather than ordering online. I can see the quality.”
Another Gen Zer shared, “I usually like going in-store to be able to try stuff on and to really get a feel for the clothes because I feel like that’s the thing that’s lacking online shopping.”
Besides shopping, the mall is also a place for Gen Zers to hang out.
“You can just go in there for the fun of it,” one Gen Zer adds. Another explained, “You can kind of make a day out of it. You can go for a couple hours, get something to eat. Maybe get a matcha or a coffee.”
Gen Zer Sahara Ross told Bloomberg that she likes to go because she can “try on stuff, and just more excitement. Just walking around, looking at everything in the stores.”
Sahara’s Gen Xer mom, Gloria, added, “The appeal part is wandering. By the time you look up, we’ve visited and shopped in like, 10 different stores.”
Gen Xers shared their thoughts on the mall revival:
“Malls were great in the 80s.”
“Good for them, young people have no idea how great malls were and I’d love to see them make a comeback.”
“That is why the mall still matters as a third space: it teaches taste, proportion, presence, and social rhythm. Online gives you images. The mall gives you people.”
“This is what I have been screaming since malls started dying. We NEED actual retail stores. I want to see and feel and try on IN PERSON. Hanging out at the mall was fun. Window shopping is fun. Bring it back!”
