Placer.ai's report weighs in on retail foot traffic in anticipation of tariffs

In anticipation of Trump’s new tariffs (which have been mostly paused), American consumers stocked up — at least according to a new report from Placer.ai: What Visitation Data Reveals About Consumer Behavior Ahead of Tariff Implementation. 

The report finds that in the weeks leading up to the Trump administration’s “Liberation Day," foot traffic spiked to warehouse clubs and several other retail categories, perhaps in an attempt to get ahead of coming price increases.

For instance, during the week of March 24-30, warehouse clubs saw visits increase 9.7% compared to the same week last year. A similar pattern was observed for electronics (3.8%), home improvement (9.5%), luxury department stores (7.9%) and clothing stores (5.6%). 

[Read more: Placer.ai weighs in on Q1 2024 retail sector performance]

Key takeaways from the report:

• Recent foot traffic data suggests that consumers showed signs of pulling forward demand in anticipation of tariff implementation, particularly at stock-up retailers like warehouse clubs.
• Value-focused retailers with bulk purchasing options, strong private labels and everyday low prices as well as operationally agile national restaurant chains are likely to be more resilient to tariff impacts.
• Sectors heavily reliant on imported goods, such as consumer electronics, apparel, luxury goods and BevAlc may face significant challenges due to increased costs and limited pricing flexibility in a price-sensitive market.

Consumer behavior amidst tariff uncertainty:

While the U.S. government has currently partially paused its consideration of reciprocal tariffs on global imports, retailers are still bracing for the possibility of future enactment and potential ripple effects across the industry of the tariffs still in place, the report said.

From rising supply chain costs to shifts in consumer behavior, tariffs have the potential to impact everything from product pricing to in-store foot traffic. And in an environment where consumers remain highly price-sensitive and economic uncertainty persists, understanding how tariffs could influence retail visitation is critical. While we won’t know the full impact until the tariffs are implemented and impacted retailers adjust, Placer.ai visitation data can help evaluate how the proposed tariffs may be shaping consumer patterns and what that might mean for retailers moving forward, Placer.ai said.

[Read more: Placer.ai data sizes up how pharmacy foot traffic is faring]

When new regulations like tariffs are introduced, they often create both short-term and long-term effects. In the short term, consumers remain highly price-sensitive following prolonged inflation in key areas such as food, rent and health care, the report said.

As a result, Placer.ai's visitation data suggests that some consumers acted early to avoid potential price increases tied to tariff implementation. While visit trends for the week of March 24–30, 2025, were also influenced by the timing of Easter in 2024 (which fell on March 31), Placer.ai data indicates a possible pull forward in demand during the weeks leading up to the expected implementation of the latest tariffs—particularly at “stock-up” retailers like warehouse clubs. 

In fact, warehouse clubs recorded their strongest year-over-year visitation week of 2025 on the week of March 24-30, while superstores and grocery stores saw declines, likely due to comparisons to strong performance during the same Easter week in the previous year.

Pre-tariff traffic to discretionary categories: 

Looking at more discretionary retail categories, placer.ai said it also sees evidence that consumers were trying to get ahead of tariff implementation. The data indicates that retailers selling products sourced from countries potentially facing higher tariffs experienced stronger year-over-year visitation trends. The timing of Easter 2024 likely contributed to this boost as well—many of these retailers were closed or operating with reduced hours during that week last year.

Categories such as home improvement, electronics, luxury department stores, apparel and accessories, and clothing all saw notable year-over-year visitation increases for the week of March 24–30, 2025.