Where other retail segments struggled to come close to their 2019 visit rate, home improvement leaders surged to impressive year-over-year growth. Yet, some brands were able to leverage the powerful surge in customer demand better than others. In our latest Home Improvement 2020 Deep Dive whitepaper, we dove into the major shifts that shaped the industry during the pandemic and investigated which brands succeeded to adapt and profit. Below is a taste of what we found.
Costco began 2020 with significant year-over-year growth in January and February, and a slight increase in March before seeing the effects of COVID take over in April. Yet, by July, visits were back to year-over-year growth even as visit durations increased giving the brand the combined benefits of more visits and more impactful visits, likely indicating larger basket sizes.
With COVID cases resurfacing just in time for the holidays, we took a look at several hotels and airports to see how the pandemic affected the country’s holiday travel plans. While showing signs of a recovery, overall airport traffic was still down significantly during the holiday season – one of the normal peaks for travel.
It was a holiday season those in retail will never forget, however they might try. Just as many retailers were moving ever closer to 2019 visit levels, the COVID pandemic not only made its impact felt, but actually surged just prior to a critical Black Friday weekend.But, what did this mean for the sector as a whole?
Black Friday did not produce surges of their usual magnitude. Super Saturday weekend was strong but the day itself still lower than 2019 levels, and even Turkey Wednesday fell short for many grocers. Yet, like they have proven all year, the grocery sector is uniquely capable of adapting to the current challenges. And once again, even where other days fell short, the sector found another boost.
The restaurant industry has been completely upended by COVID, though with dramatically different effects on sub-sectors. QSR restaurants benefitted from their strength in drive-thru, delivery, and takeaway allowing them to offset losses and even drive strength during the pandemic. And the year to come could be especially well suited for their offerings as economic uncertainty could further boost the appeal of their high-value offering.
In this Placer Bytes, we dive into the Q4 performances of Bed Bath & Beyond and Walgreens to see how they ended their 2020 campaigns.
Last year, we marked Bed Bath & Beyond as one of the brands we expected to emerge as a winner in 2020. And it certainly appeared to be on that path, posting same-store sales gain for the first time since 2016. But what about Q4?
2020 was a uniquely challenging year for the world of offline retail, but it also presented an opportunity to truly appreciate its value. The resilience of consumer demand and the ongoing ability of many brands to continue driving engagement and interest, even amid the pandemic, served as a huge testament to the retail landscape’s strength.
In a year where grocery dominated headlines for all the right reasons, the sector also saw the addition of a new Amazon foray into grocery, Amazon Fresh stores. The focus on a strong, technologically backed shopping experience and value pricing seemed like a winning mix.
Black Friday took an expected fall in 2020, and the loss of Thanksgiving traffic entirely alongside these dips created significant year over year visit declines for that entire weekend. But Super Saturday has a unique ability to give brands a boost, and there are indications that this year’s iteration may have significantly softened the negative blow.
While there are clear benefits to diving deep into the specific performances of key brands, there is also a value in stepping back to look at the retail space from a wider perspective. So, how has the recovery unfolded as 2020 comes to a close? We dug into industry analysis insights to see.
The COVID pandemic had a clear and demonstrable impact on the retail industry. But the biggest, and perhaps, most important challenge is discerning which of these trends are here to stay and which are short term phenomena limited to the realities and context of the pandemic itself. We took a look at several key trends that defined retail in 2020 with a look at which ones will have staying power into 2021.
The 2020 holiday season has been as crazy as expected with major downturns on Black Friday for retail and malls. Yet, retailers have seen strength in new places this season, helping to offset those losses. And one place that may receive added focus in 2020 is Super Saturday.
Although the wake-up call for shopping malls to adapt to a changing retail environment was heard long before COVID, the pandemic had enhanced its pressing urgency. Our latest whitepaper discusses some of the ways in which malls can go through a data-driven redevelopment process while adapting to changing industry trends and consumer behavior. Below is a taste of what we found.
There are few sectors that have felt the brunt of the pandemic’s retail impact like the wider apparel sector. After seeing a rapid recovery in the early weeks following springtime lockdowns, the category stagnated with visits down around 25-30% year over year for most weeks since the summer.
In this Placer Bytes, we dive into Nike’s recovery and holiday performance, analyze the Sephora partnership with Kohl’s, and break down the impact of the COVID resurgence on key Darden restaurant brands. Using location analytics to analyze Nike’s retail strategy puts its offline push in a particularly positive light demonstrating the opportunity that exists there.
December 11, 2020
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Business
Mall Update
Analyzing Black Friday data shows that a resurgence of COVID cases has clearly affected the wider retail economy. Whether it be a typical indoor mall, or outlet center, and whether the location be in New York or California, every type and every region has been affected.
In this Placer Bytes, we dive into two retail giants from vastly different sectors, wholesale club king Costco and athleisure leader Lululemon. Costco’s rebound should come as no surprise. Whether it be mission-driven shopping, economic uncertainty driving consumers to value, or the ability to stock-up ahead of potential closures, there are few trends that don’t align for the wholesale club giant.
In this Placer Bytes, we dive into Simon’s new return policy, GameStop’s turnaround potential, Walmart’s signs ahead of the holidays, and Ollie’s strong position. Simon recently announced a new return concept that could help provide even more reasons to visit their centers.
Black Friday 2020 was never going to reach the ‘normal’ peak that this retail extravaganza usually hits. But, the recent rise in COVID cases and added restrictions created an extra obstacle for some states to overcome. So, what happened? Looking at six top retailers, with a focus on those who have done well in 2020, shows that impact. The six saw an average visit decline of 26.3% compared to Black Friday 2019.
