For the first time in weeks since the coronavirus began expanding in the U.S., consumer traffic at top retailers Walmart, Costco and Target has declined.

The prime reason is likely the mandates for consumers to stay at home and practice social distancing when out in public in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, according to a blog post at Placer.ai. It may also be due to stockpiling by consumers in the past several weeks.

Here are the figures for the third week of March, year over year, and the previous week's traffic:

  • Walmart traffic was down 6.7%; previous week traffic was up 18.4%.
  • Costco  traffic fell 8.7%; previous week traffic jumped 34.7%.
  • Target traffic slumped 20.5%; previous week brought a 19.2% increase.

"There is a downside to stocking up for the long haul," stated Ethan Chernofsky, vice president of marketing for Placer.ai, in the blog. "Once you have all the things you need, there is little need for more visits," Chernofsky wrote. "Should this trend hold, it's a very strong endorsement for those who believe that wider retail activity could quickly return to previous levels should the preventative measures being enacted serve their ultimate goal."

Please check here for more news and insight on how COVID-19 is impacting the retail industry.

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