Starbucks faced a challenging 2024, marked by slowing growth, increased competition, and evolving consumer preferences. The company struggled to maintain its momentum from prior years, grappling with inconsistent foot traffic and mixed financial results. A significant turning point came in September with the appointment of Brian Niccol as CEO. Niccol, who previously spearheaded Chipotle’s impressive turnaround, brought a fresh perspective and a renewed focus on operational efficiency and customer engagement. His efforts are beginning to shape Starbucks’ strategy, but the results remain a work in progress.

We have all been seeing that with each passing year the panic of shopping on Black Friday has been subsiding. No more stories of pepper-spraying or trampling each other to be the first to grab the best deals. The foot traffic is corroborating that sentiment. As seen in the first graphic below, the Black Friday retail store visits are showing a clearly declining trend. There were fewer Black Friday store visits this year than during the pandemic!

In today’s competitive market, generating high-quality leads is crucial for the success of any business. One powerful method to achieve this is by leveraging location and transaction data as sourced from mobile devices and credit/debit cards respectively.This approach provides businesses with deep insights into consumer behavior, enabling them to target the right audience with precision down to the individual location or Point of Interest(POI). Advan Research stands out among other providers by seamlessly integrating foot traffic and transaction data on brand, sub-brand all the way down to the individual location, offering unparalleled insights.

Key Takeaways and Industry Implications Advan’s foot traffic data from January 2022 to May 2024 reveals several key trends in the apparel retail industry: Resilience of Discount Retailers: TJ Maxx and Ross Stores have demonstrated robust growth, underscoring the enduring appeal of discount retailers. Their ability to attract shoppers seeking value for money remains a significant strength. Strategic Shifts in Traditional Department Stores: Kohl’s mixed performance suggests that traditional department stores must continuously innovate and adapt to changing consumer preferences.

The New Year is an exciting time for many, as it gives people a moment to reflect on the past year, and look toward the next. The tradition of setting resolutions in the new year is practiced by many, and it’s not uncommon to hear someone with the goal of getting back to the gym. In fact, several gyms will run promotions at the beginning of the year, to help encourage potential customers that their establishment is the best place to achieve that goal.

We love our coffee like the next person. But, with our data we can actually qualify what the “next person” actually thinks. Starbuck’s Red Cup days are an interesting indicator of the spirit of the moment. Let’s analyze how the chain has performed in the last few years on that day. In 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, daily visits during Red Cup Day jumped by -6%, 1%, 8%, 20%, 13%, 15%, respectively, compared to the daily visit average during the five weeks preceding Red Cup Day each year.

Target (NYCE: TGT) announced today that it expects lower profit due to high inventory. It is counter-intuitive, but cellphone location data is measuring this discrepancy by monitoring Target’s supply and demand sides. On the demand side, in the image below we can see foot traffic in Target stores () and its associated blue trendline being relatively steady, at a 3% Y/Y increase vs same quarter last year, and closely following the revenue y/y change; on the supply side however we see that employees in Target distribution facilities () are up 48% on a Y/Y basis for the last quarter, and this over-supply has persisted for the last 3 fiscal quarters.

Amazon, one of the companies that benefited the most from the pandemic as shoppers shifted towards online shopping, is now experiencing a significant slowdown as consumer behavior started to change. On Thursday April 28, 2022 the company reported $116.4 billion in revenue for the quarter that ended on 3/31, up 7.3% from a year earlier however it was Amazon’s slowest quarterly growth in years: down from 44% revenue increase in 1Q21.

The hardest-hit New York City is bouncing back once again as Omicron cases continue to rapidly fall at the same speed they increased in mid-December and New Yorkers look forward to enjoy the city as it was before the pandemic. ADVAN’s foot traffic data shows an uptick in foot traffic mobility overall however the trends differs from area to area. For example, foot traffic in fashionable SoHo started to increase significantly the first weekend of this month after the Omicron wave started to subside in the second half of January.