We get it — summer can sometimes be slow for retailers that focus heavily on the winter holidays. For those stuck in the summer slump, we uncovered key dates that are being underutilized to help brands connect with consumers. Take a look!
Slurpee Day
Mmmm, taste that sweet refuge from the summer heat.Who doesn’t love a frosty cold treat for FREE on a hot summer day? Slurpee Day, celebrated every year on July 11th (7/11), is also the 2nd busiest time during the summer months for convenience stores. This unofficial holiday may be the reason people are rushing into convenience stores while other retail categories were down. Brands have a unique opportunity to reach consumers at C-stores this year on Thursday, 7/11/2019.
Lunar & Solar Eclipses
2018 was a big year for astrological events:
Lunar Eclipse
- Higher foot traffic than usual across all categories except drug stores
- Notably higher than average foot traffic at convenience store
Solar Eclipse
- Higher than usual foot traffic across all categories except drug stores
- 2nd busiest day for department stores
Astrological milestones are a unique and underutilized opportunity for marketers to connect with consumers as they gear up to observe the heavens. Plan around the upcoming lunar eclipse on 7/16/2019. Marketers will unfortunately have to wait until 2024 for the next visible solar eclipse in the U.S.
NOT Labor Day
Labor Day is an obvious date for marketers to note in their calendars, but the day of the actual holiday sees a significant drop in foot traffic. Department stores are busiest on the Saturday during the long weekend before the actual holiday, so marketers should focus on advertising on the days leading up as consumers are shopping early and relaxing the day of Labor Day.
How We Did It
inMarket’s first-party, SDK derived location insights platform measured foot traffic spikes and dips around key days for non-grocery retailers using 50 million Comscore-verified monthly active users.
So What? Why Should I Care?
Next to using a crystal ball, observing foot traffic patterns is one of the best predictors for seasonal trends.
Get the full results for this deep-dive report on Q3 2019 Foot Traffic — now available here.
Want more inSights reports? Sign up at go.inmarket.com/subscribe or check out inmarket.com/insights.
To learn how your brand can connect with consumers on key milestone days, contact us today.