Luxury Outlet Malls: Seeing Strong Back-to-School Traffic and the Lure of Luxury

Outlet mall visitation typically sees a resurgence in that all-important back-to-school season, and this year is no different.

Some of the mainstay athletic brands saw some dips in traffic compared to last year, although adidas outlets experienced stronger foot traffic in June of this year compared to last year and Under Armour outlets were up in March.

And in a sign that outlet shoppers were not splurging as much this year, visitation to luxury brand outlets Burberry and Gucci have also decreased compared to last year.

Visitation to some of the outlet malls that carry both of these luxury brands were a mixed bag. March saw a relatively large increase in shopping at these premium outlets, as did May and June, but July saw mostly decreases.

However, the number of designer offerings differs at premium outlets, and Woodbury Common is definitely an outlier.  Its website touts over 80 luxury brands, such as Balmain, Balenciaga, Brunello Cucinelli, Bottega Veneta, Dior, Gucci, Loewe, Loro Piana, and Prada, which are not commonly found at some of the other premium outlets. Simon Property Group has also announced plans to introduce a VIP suite at this location, which will include dressing rooms, an upscale lounge area, and a private kitchen.

This strategy for additional VIP amenities makes sense when you compare the profile of a typical Woodbury Common shopper vs a Desert Hills shopper, another location that has many luxury brands but not nearly to the same extent.  With roughly similar visitation numbers in January, Woodbury Common outpaces Desert Hills throughout the rest of the year.

Woodbury Common attracts a much higher proportion of Ultra Wealthy Families compared to Desert Hills, per Spatial.ai’s PersonaLive.

Woodbury Common also retains a more loyal customer, with nearly 6 in 10 visiting 2 or more times a year.

Average household income is also higher for visitors to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.

In another indication of the draw of Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, its trade area is nearly twice that of Desert Hills, proving the irresistible allure of snagging designer goods at a discounted price.