The Earnest Research Spend Index* was flat compared to the prior month with in-store growth continuing to decelerate and online accelerating slightly. Yo2Y spend accelerated 2pp both in-store and online. Foot traffic to consumer businesses was up slightly versus 2019 levels for the first month since February 2020, a sharp reversal from August suggesting a recovery in consumer activity.
The cryptocurrency market has been one of the more disruptive elements of the finance industry since it sprung to stardom in 2017. Where once cryptocurrencies seemed like a figment of the future, they’re now a household name. As key currencies rise and fall and the pundits have their say, the question is: How does the buzz surrounding cryptocurrencies translate into customer behavior online?
Had a plant-based sausage or some non-dairy cheese lately? Meat replacements and dairy alternatives have become increasingly popular over the past decade. Not only are these foods more environmentally friendly, but they are also a part of an extremely lucrative market: the plant-based food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $74.2 billion by 2027.
Retail advertisers’ creative messaging has shifted during the Covid-19 pandemic as they continued to meet consumers changing needs. Top creatives in 2020 and 2021 were meaningful promotions highlighting new job opportunities, being present for the community, and even convenient pick-up options. Today, we’re taking a look at the retail category’s top three advertisers during the summer (June-September) of 2020 and 2021.
Their product might not come wrapped with a beautiful bow like consumer products—but B2B teams need to make their final Q4 sales soon. This is why it’s critical to approach their advertising team now—they’re spending the remainder of their budget and they’re planning for next year. Make sure you’re coordinating with the right contacts to get ahead of your competition. On Monday we covered the top consumer brands to watch in Q4. Here are the top B2B brands from a range of sectors to keep tabs on.
How much free time does the average working person have per day? Let's say she gets home from work at 6pm, then prepares something to eat. If she goes to bed at 11pm, that leaves around four hours in the evening. Add in some time on the commute and at lunch, and we might say the average working person has just over five hours of leisure time a day. In some markets you're probably spending all of that time in apps.
COVID-19 will be remembered in history as a pandemic. One of the things it may or may not be remembered for is the mental health pandemic that it induced. Mental Health Awareness Day this year is a stark reminder that, although there is a vaccine for COVID-19, there is no such thing for mental health and personal well-being. And while the need for mental health services has soared, the pandemic halted traditional support and treatment.
In this Placer Bytes, we dive into two classic brands – Dutch Bros. Coffee and Crocs – that have been experiencing a major pandemic boost. Although the dining industry is still struggling to reach its 2019 foot traffic level, Dutch Bros. Coffee has been on an incredible growth streak for more than a year. In the wake of the brand’s [recent IPO](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/dutch-bros-coffee-targets-33b-valuation-in-ipo/601867/), we took the opportunity to dive into one of the most impressive success stories of the pandemic.
The end of the year is quickly approaching and it’s time to close those final ad sales. Some of the best opportunities can be found in young consumer brands. This is why we’ve analyzed the ad spending of some of the top performing startup brands from this year. These brands were first identified based on LinkedIn’s Top Startups in 2021. We sifted through the consumer brands and identified those that had the best quarter-over-quarter outlooks.
As the wider retail recovery continues, one sector that seems particularly well aligned with current trends is the pharmacy space. An increased focus on health and wellness alongside the ability to distribute COVID vaccines and administer tests has positioned leaders in the space particularly well. CVS and Walgreens returned to year-over-two-year growth by March 2021 with both brands maintaining the success throughout the summer.
After rising unabated for the last three months, the average number of daily deaths due to COVID-19 is finally decreasing again. While around 1,800 people are still lost to the virus each day, trends suggest the COVID-19 death rate will continue to fall. The surge in deaths caused by the Delta variant topped out at just under 2,100 deaths per day, nearly the same as the peak during the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020. The 2020-21 holiday outbreak continues to be the most deadly period of the pandemic for the US when the country topped out at around 3,400 daily deaths.
This past May, following a disappointing jobs report for April, we posited that the job market was not afflicted with a labor shortage but rather a wage shortage. In subsequent months, we expanded our argument by laying out the case that the job market was suffering from a massive bid-ask spread between employers and employees. Health risks and economic devastation from COVID were obviously the primary contributors to illiquidity in the job market, but beyond those first-level factors, the pandemic incited what we called in June’s post a ‘stealth revolution.’
Following what’s trending and trendspotting are not the same. Trendspotters identify the coming trends and capitalize on them early. They stay market leaders. Think about the top brands in the market now. They are the names others turn to prepare for what’s coming. It’s why there is hype around every new iPhone launch. Yet, being on the cutting edge of the industry isn’t just reserved for the current market leaders. By keeping an eye out for industry data, you can anticipate which trends are fleeting (think clubhouse vs. TikKok), and which have lasting power to disrupt your market.
Consumer transaction data reveals that sales for the home improvement industry skyrocketed early in the pandemic as many consumers stayed at home during shelter-in-place orders. A year and a half later, home improvement sales are still higher than pre-pandemic levels, but sales growth at a select group of major hardware store chains did not maintain the same momentum in 2021 as it did in 2020. At the same time, the average transaction value for home improvement companies has increased year-over-year.
Top tier malls across the country had been experiencing a steady recovery since the start of 2021. This recovery culminated in July when visits to indoor malls rose 1.0% above the same month in 2019, with outdoor mall visits rising 1.8%. Pent-up demand, a lack of travel, general excitement around the retail reopening and more all combined with the Back-to-School retail season to drive an impressive month.
The Dodge Momentum Index gained 11% in September to 164.9 (2000=100) from the revised August reading of 148.0. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Construction Network, is a monthly measure of the initial report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The commercial planning component increased by 13% in September, while the institutional component rose 8%.
Teen/tween retailer Claire’s, known primarily for its fashion jewelry and ear piercing services, has filed for an IPO—several years after a private equity takeover and emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In its recent prospectus, Claire’s noted that for the first half of fiscal year 2021, North American sales grew 124.3% compared to 2020 and 23.2% compared to 2019; much of this was driven by ear piercing-related transactions.
Today, 60% of U.S. consumers stock up on groceries online. In the wake of the pandemic, traditional grocers now compete with disruptors like Instacart and megaretailers like Walmart and Amazon. To help these retailers thrive in the cutthroat online grocery business, we use Similarweb Shopper and Research Intelligence, to compare Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, and traditional grocers. Web traffic to the U.S. grocery industry spiked 47% year-over-year (YoY) since the onset of COVID-19.
The retail and domestic tourism sectors are slowly seeing year-over-two-years visit gaps close in New York City, but major office towers are still seeing huge visit gaps when compared to 2019. And this has significant effects on restaurants and retail within the city. So we dove into the data to find out – how far along is the office recovery in NYC? Domestic tourism visits (visits by individuals living more than 50 miles outside of New York City) fell dramatically over the pandemic.
The pandemic has impacted the entire nation, but its influence greatly varies across state lines. Those living in California had a different experience than those living in Texas. And those living in New York had a different experience than those in Florida. Much of this has to do with public policy. Restrictions varied greatly among locations, leading to differences in regional ad sales. Due to the variations, we analyzed pandemic regional trends from four states—California, Texas, Florida, and New York—to help you with your regional sales strategies.
