Foot traffic to stores is up as shoppers stock up ahead of price increases from tariffs

Consumers are most likely reacting to headlines about tariffs by hurrying to buy things they fear will go up in price, these companies told Modern Retail. For instance, specialty food stores, known for carrying items like French cheese and Italian olive oil, saw a whopping 22.94% year-over-year increase in foot traffic from April 7 to 13, per Pass_by. Though some tariffs have been paused and some exemptions were announced, most imports from all countries are currently subject to at least a 10% tariff, which may explain why shoppers are looking to stock up on specialty foods.

And the home improvement sector — where tariffs on materials like lumber could increase builder costs anywhere from $7,500-$10,000 per home — saw a 9.5% increase in foot traffic the week of March 24, according to Placer.ai.

These patterns are similar to trends seen on Amazon, where shoppers are stockpiling items like baby formula amid worries that tariffs will push prices higher. While there are still many question marks surrounding tariffs, “data does suggest that consumers remain sensitive to higher prices,” R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai, told Modern Retail. Consumers have already dealt with soaring food prices from inflation in recent years, Hottovy explained, so “it’s not surprising to see consumers try to get ahead of tariff implementation.”

It is unusual, however, to see such gains in foot traffic across all types of retail sectors, James Ewen, vp of marketing at Pass_by, told Modern Retail. “Most foot traffic patterns are driven by seasonality, promotions or category-specific events,” Ewen said. “To see simultaneous spikes across a majority of these categories in the same week indicates a broader behavioral shift — [and] in this case, that is likely to be tariff concerns.”

While most retail sectors are seeing jumps in traffic, there are a couple exceptions. One is furniture stores, where foot traffic dropped 5.62% year over year for the week ending April 6 and 3.81% for the week ending April 13, according to Pass_by. Another is the auto industry, where dealers saw foot traffic drop 19.29% and 15.73% for those respective weeks. This is likely because dining tables and $50,000 cars are high-cost, long-consideration decisions. “Consumers may be hitting pause, unsure [of] how tariffs might affect pricing, financing or availability,” Ewen explained.

It’s also important to note that traffic spikes in certain sectors aren’t guaranteed to continue week to week, sources stressed. For instance, Placer.ai found that visits to clothing stores increased year over year for the weeks of March 17 and 24 but remained relatively flat the week of March 31. Pass_by found that year-over-year visits to used merchandise stores swung up from the weeks of March 9 to March 23, then down through the week of April 6, then back up again.

Ultimately, consumers are bracing for continued volatility under U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and their decision to come into stores will reflect this. “Foot traffic may surge in bursts as new policy announcements land, followed by sharp dips as shoppers wait for clarity,” Pass_by’s Ewen said. “Think of it as waves of reaction, not a smooth trend line.”

Placer.ai reflected this thought in a recent blog post. “As the U.S. moves closer to implementing new tariffs, retailers across categories must prepare for both immediate and long-term impacts,” the company wrote.