The trend: Foot traffic trends softened across the retail sector in Q3, a potentially troubling sign for holiday spending, according to the latest Industry KPI data from Placer.ai.

The numbers: All four categories tracked—discount and dollar stores, grocers, department stores, and home improvement stores—had slower growth from July to September.

• Department stores recorded the biggest drop, with store visits declining steadily throughout the period. Traffic fell 3.3% YoY in July, 4.6% in August, and 8.4% in September.