Consumers’ desire to shop and eat in person was higher in Q1 2025 than it was pre-pandemic, wrote research firm Placer.ai in its recent 6 Trends Still Defining Post-Pandemic Consumer Behavior report.
“In the first half of 2025, visits to both the retail and dining segments were consistently higher than they were in 2019. In both the dining and the retail space, the increases compared to pre-Covid were probably driven by significant expansions from major players, including Costco, Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane's and Dutch Bros … The overall increase in visits indicates that … consumer appetite for offline retail and dining remains strong—whether to browse in store, eat on-premises, collect a buy online, pick up in store order or pick up takeaway,” Placer.ai wrote.
However, while consumers are searching for more in-person experiences, they are also seeking value, with value-oriented retail and dining segments having seen visits increase since the pandemic. Consumer behavior has bifurcated toward budget and premium options.
The research found that there has been a steady increase in visits to discount and dollar stores, value grocery stores and off-price apparel. “Some of the visit increases are due to the aggressive expansion strategies of leaders in those categories—including Dollar General and Dollar Tree, Aldi and all the off-price leaders. But the dramatic increase in traffic—around 30% for all three categories since H1 2019—also highlights the strong appetite for value-oriented offerings among today’s consumers. And zooming into YoY trends shows that the visit growth is still ongoing, indicating that the demand for value has not yet reached a ceiling.”
Meanwhile, the firm also found that consumers are “willing to go the extra mile for the perfect product or brand. The era of one-stop-shops may be waning, as many consumers now prefer to visit multiple chains or stores to score the perfect product match for every item on their shopping list.”
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