How long shoppers spend at Walmart, Target and Costco – down to the second

In a world where inflation hits hardsome buyers have taken over somewhat from survivor mode. to in and out.

On “mission-based shopping,” a smart way consumers make fewer but more efficient trips to the store, according to a new report from the pedestrian traffic analysis firm Placer.ai.

When customers visit retail giants like Costco, Target and Walmart, the time they spend in each store varies significantly. The variation, which the firm captured through a measure known as “dwell time,” measures how long shoppers stay in a store.

To put it all into perspective, Placer.ai found that a trip to Target and Walmart is getting faster and faster, and has been for the past four years. Meanwhile, a Costco run has grown steadily over that time frame.

Despite the ebb and flow of mission-based shopping, Costco’s wait time has remained consistent, and that may be due in part to the warehouse retailer. bulk offerscountless free samples and its cheap food court items (like $1.50 hot dog combo).

Even as the retail landscape continues to evolve in an inflationary environment, one thing remains clear: consumers shop at these retail giants. Whether they linger on top of each other may depend on the discounts, deals or bargains the retailer is offering.

In particular, Walmart is winning with consumers in all income brackets (although wealthier buyers give it a big boost). Meanwhile, Target is trying to regain some of that market share with price reductions and weekly discounted events. from Costco taking a Netflix-like approach to his subscriptions and cracking down on those who share loyalty cards (which didn’t stop him from reporting strong sales).

Let’s take a look at the shopping trip “dwell” hours at Target, Walmart and Costco in the first half of 2021-2024.