Top platform apps as a grouping have added more than half a million daily active users in the United States between November 2019 and November 2020. This is an increase of 21%. Platform apps are the apps contractors use to execute the services of companies like Uber, Grubhub, Instacart, etc.
Changes in consumer buying patterns led to a drop in Black Friday and Cyber Monday digital game revenue in 2020. Game spending is still on track for a record-breaking 2020 but consumer anticipation for next-generation consoles and the growing popularity of subscription services diminished the importance of the holiday weekend as a main revenue driver.
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.
We've picked out the top mobile app happenings from this Black Friday holiday weekend. We’re reviewing data in the United States from Thanksgiving day through Cyber Monday. Mobile app sessions of shopping apps in the US hit 1.29 billion, a record for the holiday weekend. The large retailers are first up.
In this Placer Bytes, we analyze what Kroger’s success means moving forward, break down the continued success of At Home and signs of a Michaels breakout. Few have had a better turnaround in 2020 than Kroger. After and up and down 2019, the last ten months have produced an impressive run, especially in light of the pandemic. Kroger was part of a group of traditional grocers that have seen their value increase as visitors increasingly prioritize the combination of value and the ability to serve as a one-stop-shop.
Each year, the flagship day of the pre-Christmas shopping spree, Black Friday, delivers major shifts in consumer behavior. Last year’s sales hit a record high of $7.4bn in online spending, indicating that the future of shopping sits firmly within the digital realm.
With a new phase of lockdowns beginning across the US, many shoppers have opted to get a jump on Black Friday over the past week. Foot traffic to malls increased steadily across most states other than Texas where case numbers have climbed significantly, although lockdown measures have not yet been imposed. Mall visits in Texas have remained more or less flat since the start of the month.
Many B2B industries floundered in the wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic, while others adapted to serve new purposes. The shipping and logistics industry is a prime example of an industry that changed drastically to stay afloat—and some believe those changes are here to stay.
Best Buy is in for their best holiday season yet. The company, which launched Black Friday deals over the weekend, is seeing huge app growth. Yesterday, November 24, the app achieved approximately 1.15 million daily active users, an all-time high for the app according to Apptopia record.* Last week was the first time the app hit the 1-million milestone.
In this Placer Bytes, we dive into one of our 2020 winners, and two brands with strong hopes for a strong holiday season. Looking at monthly visits year over year, it’s critical to remember that the beauty brand kicked off 2020 with visits up 10.1% and 17.9% in January and February before the pandemic brought visits to a standstill.
We’re in the middle of a significant COVID surge, with a 54% growth in the new case rate over the last 14 days. Nearly every state is trending the wrong way and hospitalizations are up dramatically. In response, many states have issued new restrictions and guidance. So, how have consumers adjusted?
For what feels like the first time since 2020 began, there is good news on the horizon. Less than one year since the novel coronavirus changed our world, several vaccines boasting impressive efficacy are nearly ready to go to market, and even more are in the works.
When we last checked in on the hotel industry in August, things seemed to be going smoothly. But, with a resurgence of cases across the entire world, we decided to dive back into three of the largest chains to see if and how they’ve been affected.
COVID-19 forced people around the world to pack up offices, schools, and stores this year, sending people to stay home. At home, people were glued to their digital devices for work, studies, and entertainment. This led to a rise in content streaming—on over-the-top (OTT) platforms and websites.
The United Kingdom has seen considerable advances in 5G during the past year, but access to this emerging technology continues to be uneven across countries of the U.K. Looking at Q3 2020, data from Speedtest Intelligence® and Ookla Cell Analytics™ reveals how 5G affected overall mobile speeds, which country had the fastest 5G and where access was lacking.
Against a backdrop of different policies and lockdown measures across Europe, continental clothing retail is tracking at 38% of year-on-year levels compared to just 17% in the UK – where non-essential retail remains closed. Similar measures of customer levels for other discretionary sectors show the UK and EU in lock-step at low or close to zero, while staples – ie. Groceries – in the UK are tracking higher significantly higher.
When U.S. cities and states faced shelter-in-place orders to limit the spread of the coronavirus, Americans’ reduced mobility resulted in plummeting sales at rideshare companies. As rideshare is continuing to bounce back, in October, Uber sales were down 64 percent year-over-year and Lyft sales were down 66 percent year-over-year.
For many corporate strategy and business development groups, finding other brands with the right balance of similarities and synergies to form a partnership can be a challenging task. The ideal partner should be among the most successful in its industry, with best-in-class growth rates.
In this Placer Bytes, we dive into the recoveries of value retailers Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Five Below. Specifically, we analyze the timing of their visit growth ahead of a potentially massive holiday season for the value segment. Dollar General was strong pre-COVID, during the pandemic and is seeing visits back on the rise ahead of a critical holiday season.
With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise nationwide, holiday shopping is expected to further transition away from brick-and-mortar stores and toward e-commerce. The shift to purchasing gifts online has strong implications for DTC wine subscription companies, which have historically experienced significant sales increases during the holiday season and have further exploded in popularity during the pandemic.
