Eclipsing Expectations, NCAA, and the Golden Age of Travel

Short on Time, Big on Insights: Your monthly rundown on the most compelling narratives.

Ethan Chernofsky , SVP of Marketing

In the rules of retail, we’re all familiar with the classic adage “don’t let a full eclipse go to waste.”

Ok. So that line may not actually be an adage at all, but the impact of the lesson is hard to block out. (Nailed. It.)

Brands like Krispy Kreme, Warby Parker and players across QSR and hospitality saw major increases in visits and opportunities that aligned almost perfectly with the unique trajectory of ‘totality visibility.’

This shows, once again, the power of aligning campaigns, messaging and readiness with opportunities that cannot be created by the brands themselves.

Whether it be a local sporting event, a period of seasonal visit peaks or a celestial extravaganza, understanding these elements can position retailers, restaurants, municipalities and others to drive significant gains when they lean in.

Caroline Wu , Director of Research

The NCAA women’s basketball final this April was truly one for the books. 

With TV viewership outpacing the men’s final for the first time in championship history, we also saw that people showed up in droves for the South Carolina vs Iowa showdown at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH. Major events like this are a boon to the host city. Downtown Cleveland Hotels saw a massive boost in traffic leading up to the final.

Ben Witten , Head of Real Estate Strategy

Is the tide turning for CRE capital markets?

Blackstone’s latest activity could certainly point in that direction with $25 billion deployed in the first quarter, including the $10 billion acquisition of Air Communities. 

Blackstone has $191B in dry powder aimed at opportunistic pricing dislocation with another $15 billion in commitments. Uncertainty continues to abound regarding the Fed and interest rates but it appears the smart money is taking Warren's Buffet's famous words to heart: "be greedy when others are fearful."

Ian Ross , Head of Civic

Art! Who Goes There!?

With nationwide return-to-office visits still hovering around 60%, city and downtown leaders are looking to arts and entertainment to draw visitors and support local businesses.

According to the International Economic Development Council, the arts are forecasted to bring $151.7B to cities this year, supporting 2.6M jobs and generating $29.1B in taxes. 

Starting May 2nd, San Francisco’s East Cut Neighborhood will launch First Thursday, shutting down a few city blocks to cars in favor of pedestrian block parties expected to draw 10,000 visitors. Will it be enough to make up the 40% gap in employee visits to local restaurants? We’ll let you know in a future TLDR. 

R. J. Hottovy, CFA, Head of Analytical Research

Although food inflation has moderated in 2024, we continue to see evidence that consumers are shopping a wider number of food retail stores than ever as they seek out deals. 

Our data suggests that U.S. consumers visited grocery stores 331M times per week thus far in 2024, which is an increase of 4.4% from the 317M visits per week during the comparable period a year ago. 

In 2017, U.S. consumers visited grocery stores 252M times per week during the comparable period, meaning that consumers are visiting grocery stores almost 32% more on a weekly basis. There are more factors than just price comparisons involved (population growth, retail consolidation, migration, online groceries), but that's a pretty meaningful lift in weekly visits.

Stephanie Atiase , VP of Marketing

If we are in the Golden Age of Travel, luxury experiences are clearly benefiting. 

Luxury isn't just about indulgence. It's an escape into a world of exquisite experiences and impeccable service. People gravitate towards luxury experiences where every detail is meticulously curated to delight in your senses.

Yet, segmenting for luxury experiences poses a unique challenge for most brands. How do you differentiate your product for consumers who are already used to experiencing the best across all categories?

Delving into luxury hotel brands - Hilton's Waldorf Astoria and Marriott's Ritz-Carlton - on the Placer.ai platform unveiled intriguing insights. Naturally, both attract high-income guests from smaller households, but nuances emerge: families favor Waldorf Astoria, while Ritz-Carlton attracts more singles and empty nesters.

A deeper understanding of entertainment preferences highlights Ritz-Carlton guests have more interest in salsa music. Dining preferences highlight a majority of Waldorf Astoria guests appreciate farm-to-table food. These insights lead to more informed product strategy, F&B concepts and service delivery strategies for guests who have the most discerning tastes.

Thomas Paulson , Director of Research & Business Development

For March, one of the most satisfying things that we saw was the rebound in consumer spending that we had been calling for (after a soft start of the year).

Unfortunately, that made the Fed's fight on inflation "muddled" and expectations for interest rates and inflation for the year sharply reversed. High inflation, in all its elements, was one of the important factors for 99 Cents Only going out of business. Alas. Our call ended up being less satisfying. 

Kevin Ching , Head of Advertising

Another year, another Google announcement pushing third party cookie deprecation down the road.  

It’s time to stop waiting for something to happen, and take control of your data future by adopting privacy first, future proof targeting tactics. 

Advertising in your true trade area with personalized messaging works always, with proven results and without cookies.  

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