Cold Turkey! The Coldest Black Friday Weekend in Over 25 Years Had Shoppers Stuffing Their Baskets with Seasonal Categories
December 2, 2024
Rain and Snow Basted the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day, and Dried Out Over the Weekend The Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend (November 28 – December 1) was the coldest in over 25 years, and the driest since 2017, helping kickoff the holiday shopping season with strong demand for seasonal categories. The cold temperatures were welcomed …
Black Friday Weekend Outlook from Planalytics
November 21, 2024
Cold Front to Meet Hot Deals over the Black Friday Weekend Mother Nature Cooks up a Batch of Rain and Snow Throughout the Week It’s almost Turkey Time! Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend represent the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. While fall thus far has trended warmer than last year and normal across …
Reviewing the consumer spending impacts of Hurricane Milton
November 15, 2024
2024 has been a busy tropical storm and hurricane season to date with 17 named storms, 11 hurricanes, 5 major hurricanes, and 11 landfalling systems in the U.S. through early November. This included Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm (the highest severity classification possible), which rapidly intensified in early October with wind speeds topping 180MPH, …
How to Leverage Weather-Driven Demand Analytics for Reporting
November 5, 2024
Originally published by Planalytics’ partner, Clarkston Consulting . . . According to the American Meteorological Society, over 3% of all retail sales are directly affected by changes in the weather, which translates to $1 trillion in today’s dollars. For retailers, there’s no other external variable that influences consumer demand as frequently, directly, and meaningfully as a …
“Retail Unwrapped” Podcast Provides Holiday 2024 Outlook
October 29, 2024
In its weekly “Retail Unwrapped” podcast, host Shelley Cohen from The Robin Report, spent time with Tom McGee, president and CEO of ICSC, to talk current retail trends and the upcoming holiday shopping season. Episode 210: Retail Store Transformation and Holiday 2024 ICSC is the member organization for the advancement of the Marketplaces Industry. The Marketplaces Industry …
Weather Update: How Analytics Can Help Businesses Predict the Unpredictable
October 29, 2024
Originally published by Planalytics’ partner, Emarsys . . . Our weather is increasingly in the news. The recent hurricanes in the Southeastern United States, flooding across Central Europe, heatwaves, and tropical storms in South and Southeast Asia demonstrate the devastating toll extreme weather has on our lives, homes, businesses, and infrastructure. While nothing compares to the …
Q2 2024 Retail Insights from RetSci & Planalytics
October 9, 2024
Retailers have now finished reporting on the second quarter of 2024 (May, June, and July). Overall, core retail performance was positive year-over-year, as the National Retail Federation reported. While inflation levels are declining, overall costs remain elevated, and value-based purchasing remains a focus for many consumers. When consumers are shopping based on value, they are more often …
Summertime Showers May Rain on Some Parades During The Holiday Week; Heat Spreads East by July 4th
June 26, 2024
As we approach a key week of the summer season, businesses are looking for warm temperatures to support demand for summer apparel and consumables. In the U.S., the Independence Day holiday falls on Thursday, July 4th; many will enjoy outdoor parades, picnics, and firework displays the weekend before and after the holiday, extending the celebrations …
Measuring and Managing the Impact of Weather on Consumer Purchasing
June 21, 2024
By: Cory Jackson, Senior Manager, Clarkston Consulting This article is the first in a series of thought leadership pieces co-published with Planalytics on the topic of weather analytics and the impact to consumer-centric businesses across the life sciences, consumer products, and retail industries. In this piece, we explore the wide-ranging impact of weather on consumer …
Hotter Than LY for the Middle of the Country, Cooler on the Coasts. Severe Storms in the Heartland.
April 29, 2024
LAST WEEK: April 21, 2024 – April 27, 2024 (Retail Week 12/April Week 3) Hotter than LY conditions covered the middle of the country providing strong support for seasonal merchandise (see Weather-Driven Demand examples in the image below), but cooler weather was found along the West and East Coasts. Severe thunderstorms raked the central U.S. …