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The Men’s Final Four tips off this week in Indianapolis, IN, with UConn, Illinois, Arizona, and Michigan all vying for the title. While much of the attention will center on the action inside Lucas Oil Stadium, the experience extends far beyond the court, with a series of events unfolding across downtown. To better understand the impact of this multi-day spectacle, we looked back at last year’s Final Four in San Antonio, TX – examining the moments that drove meaningful consumer engagement and what they could signal for this year’s conclusion to March Madness.
Much like this year’s Final Four in Indianapolis, IN, the 2025 event in San Antonio, TX was spread over several days and multiple downtown locations. The Alamodome hosted the semifinals and national championship, while Fan Fest – a hub for sponsor activations, presentations, and interactive experiences – took place at the nearby Henry B. González Convention Center. Just outside, in Hemisfair’s Tower Park and Civic Park, free concerts, watch parties, giveaways, and games captured fan engagement beyond the arena.
AI-powered analysis of the 2025 Final Four revealed that fans attending a semifinal or national championship game were likely to have a higher household income (HHI) than visitors to other Final Four events – a trend consistent with the premium ticket prices associated with a national tournament. The free or low-cost admission to Fan Fest, Tip-Off Tailgate, and the Music Festival, on the other hand, meant that visitors to the convention center and Hemisfair were more likely to have a household income aligned with state and nationwide benchmarks.
This underscores the importance of layered engagement during a high-profile sporting event. Not every fan will splurge on game tickets, but a diverse mix of accessible experiences allows a broader audience to participate. By investing in these touchpoints, organizers expand the event’s reach and amplify its overall impact.
A deeper dive into the 2025 Final Four highlights how each venue attracted a distinct audience segment – working together to create a more complete, destination-worthy experience for a wide range of fans.
Trade area analysis underscores the differences between the events at each venue. The games at the Alamodome drew a significant share of out-of-town visitors, with more than half traveling over 250 miles. Fan Fest at the convention center skewed far more local, with nearly 70% of visitors coming from within 100 miles.
Meanwhile, music and tailgate events at Hemisfair struck a balance between the two. The venue’s proximity to the stadium, combined with a lineup of high-profile artists, likely made it a natural stop for traveling fans already in town for the games. At the same time, the open-air activities appear to have resonated with local audiences, many of whom may have paired their visit with the nearby Fan Fest at the convention center.
First, this year's Fan Fest and Tip-Off Tailgate in Indianapolis may possess an even stronger local skew than last year's. The addition of the Division II and Division III championships alongside the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) at nearby Gainbridge Fieldhouse introduces more budget-friendly viewing options – a factor that may attract even more local fans. This shift may benefit certain sponsor activations while limiting the reach of others, depending on their target audience.
Second, headline concerts can serve as a powerful draw for out-of-town visitors. And when scheduled before the games, these performances may encourage longer stays – as visitors who travel from afar are likely to remain through the championship game – providing a more sustained hotel and tourism lift across the full event window.
Taken together, these findings reinforce the importance of a multi-layered event strategy. By offering varied experiences that appeal to different audiences, organizers can maximize engagement and elevate the overall impact of a high-profile sporting showcase like the Final Four.
A closer look at the Hemisfair district – home to the Final Four’s Music Festival and Tip-Off Tailgate in 2025 – further highlights the potential of these events to drive local consumer engagement.
Relative to the 2025 daily visit average, traffic during the 2025 Final Four weekend (most notably, April 4th to 6th) ranked as the second-busiest stretch of the year for Hemisfair – surpassed only by the Saturday of Muertos Fest on October 25th.
This visit spike underscores the outsized role of ancillary programming in driving visitation – an effect that can be expected from the 2026 Final Four events as well. But unlike 2025’s closely clustered setup, the 2026 event hubs are set a short distance apart in Indianapolis’s downtown core. This could encourage pedestrian movement along connecting corridors – increasing retail and dining exposure and broadening the tournament’s economic impact.
All eyes will be on this week’s matchups between the final four teams, as the nation awaits the crowning of a new college basketball champion.
But if last year’s Final Four is any indication, the impact will extend well beyond the court. The broader ecosystem of multi-day programming is poised to drive local consumer engagement, reinforcing the tournament’s role as a catalyst for foot traffic and economic activity.
For more in-depth event insights, visit Placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Following a difficult 2025, Target appears to be on a recovery path. Weekly visits from February 2 to March 22, 2026 rose 6.6% to 10.3% year over year, suggesting that the company's turnaround strategy – which includes improving its product assortment and in-store experience – is beginning to deliver results.
In-store traffic volume during the company's recent Circle Days also suggest that a turnaround is on the horizon. Average daily visits during this year's Circle Days (March 25th to 27th 2026) were 2.9% and 5.9% higher than the comparable spring events in 2024 and 2025, respectively – despite those prior events benefiting from weekend days. (In 2024 and 2025, Target's spring Circle Day promotion ran for seven days.) Traffic was also higher compared to the YTD same-weekday average – that shoppers are returning to Target, with Circle Days further boosting already elevated traffic levels.
Target’s early-2026 performance suggests its turnaround efforts are beginning to resonate, supported by investments in stores, staffing, and merchandising aimed at improving the in-store experience. Encouraging traffic trends – including stronger performance during Circle Days despite already elevated baseline visits – point to renewed shopper engagement. If Target can sustain this momentum beyond promotional periods, it appears well positioned for stabilization and modest growth in 2026.
For more data-driven retail insights, visit placer.ai/anchor
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
IKEA’s recent decision to open a store in Tulsa, OK may seem surprising at first glance. But a closer look at the location analytics reveals a market with a compelling mix of inbound migration, rising incomes, and retail momentum – a combination that is putting the state of Oklahoma on the map as a next-tier retail destination.
So what do location analytics reveal about the trends shaping Oklahoma’s largest markets – and why did IKEA choose Tulsa, the state’s second-largest CBSA, over its biggest, Oklahoma City? We dug into the data to find out.
Population growth is often one of the first signals retailers look for. And while states like California, New York, and Illinois have continued to see domestic outflows in recent years, Oklahoma has been quietly gaining ground. Between January 2023 and January 2026, the state saw an influx of relocators equal to 0.3% of its 2023 population.
Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa have benefited from this trend – but Tulsa holds a slight edge, one factor that may be contributing to IKEA’s decision. The gap may seem modest, but in a mid-sized metro context, even small differences in migration can translate into meaningful increases in demand.
Another factor likely shaping IKEA’s decision is the quality of inbound migration. Data shows that newcomers across Oklahoma bring significantly higher median household incomes (HHIs) than existing residents.
And while Oklahoma City’s overall median HHI remains slightly higher than Tulsa’s, the income lift from new residents is more pronounced in Tulsa. Incoming households there earn about 7.1% more than local residents, compared to a 4.8% premium in Oklahoma City.
This stronger income differential points to a greater influx of higher-earning households – consumers who are more likely to drive discretionary spending. As they settle into new homes, these households often trigger immediate, high-value purchasing cycles, particularly in categories like home furnishings.
And these demographic tailwinds appear to be translating into real-world retail performance. Since 2024, year-over-year retail visits across Oklahoma have outpaced the national average.
At the metro level, both Tulsa and Oklahoma City have seen retail activity grow since 2023 – but only Tulsa has consistently outperformed the U.S. benchmark, and in 2025, it also surpassed the state as a whole.
The convergence of these factors – stronger migration, a more pronounced income uplift, and sustained retail outperformance – may help explain IKEA’s strategic choice.
IKEA stores are long-term investments, often serving as regional anchors for decades. Choosing Tulsa signals confidence not just in current demand, but in the market’s future trajectory.
And the data supports that bet. With stronger inbound migration, a greater concentration of higher-income newcomers, and above-average retail momentum, Tulsa is emerging as a quietly attractive growth market – one that may be flying under the radar, but increasingly checks all the right boxes.
For more data-driven retail analysis, follow Placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Chick-fil-A continues to carve out a distinctive growth story in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) space, pairing steady physical expansion with consistent gains in foot traffic. The latest data highlights a brand strengthening its position through operational efficiency, disciplined growth, and a loyal customer base that values quality and experience over aggressive promotions.
Supported by industry-leading average unit volumes, Chick-fil-A has successfully expanded its physical footprint without sacrificing store-level performance.
Recent traffic data from September 2025 through February 2026 illustrates this efficient scaling, as total visits rose consistently year-over-year throughout the entire six-month period while average visits per location remained elevated in four of those six months.
In addition, since September 2025, Chick-fil-A has largely outpaced other limited-service restaurants in per-location traffic growth, lagging behind QSR and fast-casual competitors only in October and November.
Notably, November’s sharp decline can be attributed to calendar dynamics rather than a drop in consumer interest – Chick-fil-A is famously closed on Sundays, and November 2025 had one more Sunday than November 2024, which could have placed the chain at a disadvantage relative to other restaurants.
Chick-fil-A’s resilience may be rooted in part in the strong alignment between its operating model and its customer base. Positioned as a premium QSR brand straddling the line between fast food and fast casual, the chain emphasizes consistency, menu simplicity, and high-touch service rather than heavy discounting.
This approach has helped Chick-fil-A maintain a top ranking for QSR customer satisfaction for over a decade. At the same time, its trade areas skew more affluent than those of traditional QSR competitors, providing a degree of insulation from macroeconomic pressures and supporting a willingness to pay for a reliable, higher-quality dining experience.
Chick-fil-A’s recent performance highlights a brand executing with discipline – expanding its footprint while maintaining strong unit-level productivity and outperforming key competitors. With a stable operating model and a customer base that supports its offerings, the chain appears well positioned to sustain its upward trajectory.
For more data-driven dining insights, follow Placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Traffic trends highlight a growing divergence between mono-brand boutiques and luxury department stores. While both formats have faced headwinds, department stores have consistently outperformed mono-brand boutiques on a year-over-year basis, maintaining relatively stable visitation compared to the sharper and more sustained declines seen across mono-brand locations. This gap has been especially pronounced since the second half of 2025, where mono-brand traffic trends weakened significantly while department stores showed greater resilience.
Part of this gap may be explained by structural differences between the formats. Department stores offer broader assortments, multiple price points, and the ability to support a range of shopping missions in a single visit, allowing them to capture demand across a wider spectrum of consumers. Mono-brand boutiques, by contrast, are more tightly tied to full-price luxury positioning, making them inherently more exposed to fluctuations in discretionary spending.
But even as luxury department stores offer a broader range of products that can appeal to a wider audience, trade area demographics suggest that mono-brand boutiques rely more heavily on aspirational shoppers. While both formats drew from affluent areas in 2025, mono-brand stores captured a higher share of households below the $100K income threshold – indicating greater exposure to more price-sensitive consumers. Department stores, by contrast, skewed toward higher-income households, providing a more stable demand base.
This distinction also helps explain the widening traffic gap between the two formats. As discretionary spending tightens, aspirational shoppers are often the first to pull back. And because mono-brand boutiques seem to depend more on this segment – and lack the pricing flexibility and assortment breadth to retain them – they are experiencing sharper declines. Meanwhile, department stores, supported by a more affluent customer base and greater assortment diversity, are better positioned to sustain traffic and overall performance.
The divergence between the two luxury formats suggests that both who shops and how they shop matter as much as brand strength. Mono-brand boutiques’ greater exposure to aspirational consumers leaves them more vulnerable in periods of constrained spending, while department stores benefit from both structural flexibility and a more resilient customer base. As the environment remains uneven, performance will likely hinge on a retailer’s ability to align format, pricing strategy, and audience with today’s shifting demand dynamics.
For more data-driven retail insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
As economic pressure continues to reshape consumer behavior, one retail segment is accelerating through the storm. Thrift stores, long viewed as a niche segment, are emerging as a core apparel channel – attracting more affluent value-seekers and a younger generation of shoppers. An AI-powered analysis of the thrift category and one of its leading players – Goodwill – highlights the segment’s rise to prominence and the takeaways for other apparel players in an uncertain retail environment.
Thrift stores have seen sustained visit growth in recent years. The chart below compares visits across thrift, traditional apparel, and luxury apparel chains relative to Q4 2022. Thrift has maintained a clear upward trajectory, outperforming both traditional and luxury apparel since Q1 2025, as visits to those segments wane.
This trend likely reflects several dynamics at work. Economic pressure has encouraged consumers to seek out lower-cost alternatives, while the opportunity to score stylish, high-quality, and even luxury items at a fraction of their original price introduces a “treasure hunt” dynamic that traditional retail often struggles to replicate.
In this sense, thrifting has redefined value-seeking behavior – not out of necessity, but because it enhances the thrill of the hunt: a wholly discretionary shopping mentality.
Thrift’s visit growth is also being driven by increasing visitor frequency.
At Goodwill, for example, customer loyalty has been on the rise. Between early 2022 and early 2026, the share of visitors making an average of two or more visits per month, rose from roughly 28% to around 30%.
This trend aligns with the very nature of the thrift experience. Constantly changing inventory combined with meaningful variation across locations encourages shoppers to visit more often and explore multiple stores within short timeframes.
At the same time, online resale activity is increasing, particularly among younger, digitally savvy consumers. As economic uncertainty persists, many are turning thrifting into a side hustle, leveraging low-cost sourcing and online platforms to generate income – providing additional financial incentive to make repeat trips.
Social creators are further accelerating this behavior. “Thrift flip” videos, haul content, and store walkthroughs are reshaping discovery and growing in popularity among Gen Z audiences. And operators are adapting accordingly – partnering with influencers and refreshing store environments to better align with younger consumers’ expectations.
In addition to attracting younger audiences and frequent visitors, the profile of thrift store shoppers is evolving in another way. Operators such as Goodwill have increasingly expanded into higher-income areas, improving both the quality of donated inventory and access to more affluent customer segments. Likely as a result, the median household income (HHI) of the segment’s overall trade area – its potential market – has risen steadily.
At the same time, the median HHI of the category’s captured market – the areas within its trade area generating the most visits – has also increased, evidence that thrifting is gaining traction among more affluent consumers driven by value-seeking and treasure-hunting.
And crucially, while thrift stores still attract a somewhat less affluent audience than their overall trade area, this gap is narrowing: The income differential between potential and captured markets declined from 5.3% in 2022 to 4.8% in 2025, with the customer base increasingly reflecting the demographics of the communities where stores operate.
Taken together, these trends point to a broader repositioning of thrift retail. What began as a value-driven alternative is evolving into a hybrid model – one that blends affordability and discovery.
And in a time of economic uncertainty, a channel that resonates across income levels, engages younger shoppers, and thrives at the intersection of physical retail and digital culture is well positioned to not only remain resilient, but continue to build momentum.
Will the thrift space build on its successes in 2026? Visit Placer.ai/anchor to find out.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Starbucks. Amazon. Barclays. AT&T. UPS. These are just some of the major corporations that have made waves in recent months with return-to-office (RTO) mandates requiring employees to show up in person more often – some of them five days a week.
But how are crackdowns like these taking shape on the ground? Is the office recovery still underway, or has it run its course? And how are evolving in-office work patterns impacting commuting hubs and dining trends? This white paper dives into the data to assess the state of office recovery in 2024 – and to explore what lies ahead for the sector in 2025.
In 2024, office foot traffic continued its slow upward climb, with visits to the Placer.ai Office Index down just 34.3% compared to 2019. (In other words, visits to the Placer.ai Office Index were 65.7% of their pre-COVID levels). And zooming in on year-over-year (YoY) trends reveals that office visits grew by 10.0% in 2024 compared to 2023 – showing that employee (and manager) pushback notwithstanding, the RTO is still very much taking place.
Indeed, diving into quarterly office visit fluctuations since Q4 2019 shows that office visits have been on a slow, steady upward trajectory since Q2 2020, following – at least since 2022 – a fairly consistent seasonal pattern. In Q1, Q2, and Q3 of each year, office visit levels increased steadily before dipping in holiday-heavy Q4 – only to recover to an even higher start-of-year baseline in the following Q1.
Between Q1 and Q3 2022, for example, the post pandemic office visit gap (compared to a Q4 2019 baseline) narrowed from 63.1% to 47.5%. It then widened temporarily in Q4 before reaching a new low – 41.4% – in Q1 2023. The same pattern repeated itself in both 2023 and 2024. So even though Q4 2024 saw a predictable visit decline, the first quarter of Q1 2025 may well set a new RTO record – especially given the slew of strict RTO mandates set to take effect in Q1 at companies like AT&T and Amazon.
Despite the ongoing recovery, the TGIF work week – which sees remote-capable employees concentrating office visits midweek and working remotely on Fridays – remains more firmly entrenched than ever.
In 2024, just 12.3% of office visits took place on Fridays – less than in 2022 (13.3%) and on par with 2023 (12.4%). Though Fridays were always popular vacation days – after all, why not take a long weekend if you can – this shift represents a significant departure from the pre-COVID norm, which saw Fridays accounting for 17.3% of weekday office visits.
Unsurprisingly, Tuesdays and Wednesdays remained the busiest in-office days of the week, followed by Thursdays. And Mondays saw a slight resurgence in visit share – up to 17.9% from 16.9% in 2023 – suggesting that as the RTO progresses, Manic Mondays are once again on the agenda.
Indeed, a closer look at year-over-five-year (Yo5Y) visit trends throughout the work week shows that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 2024 office foot traffic was down just 24.3% and 26.9%, respectively, compared to 2019 levels. The Thursday visit gap registered at 30.3%, while the Monday gap came in at 40.5%.
But on Fridays, offices were less than half as busy as they were in 2019 – with foot traffic down a substantial 53.2% compared to 2019.
Before COVID, long commutes on crowded subways, trains, and buses were a mainstay of the nine-to-five grind. But the rise of remote and hybrid work put a dent in rush hour traffic – leading to a substantial slowdown in the utilization of public transportation. As the office recovery continues to pick up steam, examining foot traffic patterns at major ground transportation commuting hubs, such as Penn Station in New York or Union Station in Washington, D.C., offers additional insight into the state of RTO.
Rush hour, for one thing – especially in the mornings – isn’t quite what it used to be. In 2024, overall visits to ground transportation hubs were down 25.0% compared to 2019. But during morning rush hour – weekdays between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM – visits were down between 44.6% and 53.0%, with Fridays (53.0%) and Mondays (49.7%) seeing the steepest drops. Even as people return to the office, it seems, many may be coming in later – leaning into their biological clocks and getting more sleep. And with today’s office-goers less likely to be suburban commuters than in the past (see below), hubs like Penn Station aren’t as bustling first thing in the morning as they were pre-pandemic.
Evening rush hour, meanwhile, has been quicker to bounce back, with 2024 visit gaps ranging from 36.4% on Fridays to 30.0% on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Office-goers likely form a smaller part of the late afternoon and evening rush hour crowd, which may include more travelers heading to a variety of places. And commuters going to work later in the day – including “coffee badgers” – may still be apt to head home between four and seven.
The drop in early-morning public transportation traffic may also be due to a shift in the geographical distribution of would-be commuters. Data from Placer.ai’s RTO dashboard shows that visits originating from areas closer to office locations have recovered faster than visits from farther away – indicating that people living closer to work are more likely to be back at their desks.
And analyzing the captured markets of major ground transportation hubs shows that the share of households from “Principal Urban Centers” (the most densely populated neighborhoods of the largest cities) rose substantially over the past five years. At the same time, the share of households from the “Suburban Periphery” dropped from 39.1% in 2019 to 32.7% in 2024. (A location’s captured market refers to the census block groups (CBGs) from which it draws its visitors, weighted to reflect the share of visits from each one – and thus reflects the profile of the location’s visitor base.)
This shift in the profile of public transportation consumers may explain the relatively slow recovery of morning transportation visits: City dwellers , who seem to be coming into the office more frequently than suburbanites, may not need to get as early a start to make it in on time.
While the RTO debate is often framed around employer and worker interests, what happens in the office doesn’t stay in the office. Office attendance levels leave their mark on everything from local real estate markets to nationwide relocation patterns. And industries from apparel to dining have undergone significant shifts in the face of evolving work routines.
Within the dining space, for example, fast-casual chains have always been workplace favorites. Offering quick, healthy, and inexpensive lunch options, these restaurants appeal to busy office workers seeking to fuel up during a long day at their desks.
Traditionally, the category has drawn a significant share of its traffic from workplaces. And after dropping during COVID, the share of visits to leading fast-casual brands coming from workplaces is once again on the rise.
In 2019, for example, 17.3% of visits to Chipotle came directly from workplaces, a share that fell to just 11.6% in 2022. But each year since, the share has increased – reaching 16.0% in 2024. Similar patterns have emerged at other segment leaders, including Jersey Mike’s Subs, Panda Express, and Five Guys. So as people increasingly go back to the office, they are also returning to their favorite lunch spots.
For many Americans, coffee is an integral part of the working day. So it may come as no surprise that shifting work routines are also reflected in visit patterns at leading coffee chains.
In 2019, 27.5% of visits to Dunkin’ and 20.1% of visits to Starbucks were immediately followed by a workplace visit, as many employees grabbed a cup of Joe on the way to work or popped out of the office for a midday coffee break. In the wake of COVID, this share dropped for both coffee leaders. But since 2022, it has been steadily rebounding – another sign of how the RTO is shaping consumer behavior beyond the office.
Five years after the pandemic upended work routines and supercharged the soft pants revolution, the office recovery story is still being written. Workplace attendance is still on the rise, and restaurants and coffee chains are in the process of reclaiming their roles as office mainstays. Still, office visit data and foot traffic patterns at commuting hubs show that the TGIF work week is holding firm – and that people aren’t coming in as early or from as far away as they used to. As new office mandates take effect in 2025, the office recovery and its ripple effects will remain a story to watch.
Many retail and dining chains performed well in 2024 despite the ongoing economic uncertainty. But with the consumer headwinds continuing into 2025, which brands can continue pulling ahead of the pack?
This report highlights 10 brands (in no particular order) that exhibit significant potential to grow in 2025 – as well as three chains that have faced some challenges in 2024 but appear poised to make a comeback in the year ahead. Which chains made the cut? Dive into the report to find out.
Through 2024, visits to Sprouts Farmers Market locations increased an average of 7.2% year-over-year (YoY) each month, outpacing the wider grocery segment standard by an average of six percentage points. And not only were visits up – monthly visits per location also grew YoY.
The promising coupling of overall and visits per location growth seems driven by the brands’ powerful understanding of who they are and what they bring to the market. The focus on high quality, fresh products is resonating, and the utilization of small- format locations is empowering the chain to bring locations to the doorstep of their ideal audiences.
This combination of forces positions the brand to better identify and reach key markets efficiently, offering an ideal path to continued growth. The result is a recipe for ongoing grocery success.
CAVA has emerged as a standout success story in the restaurant industry over the past several years. Traditionally, Mediterranean concepts have not commanded the same level of demand as burger, sandwich, Mexican, or Asian fast-casual concepts, which is why the category lacked a true national player until CAVA's rise. However, evolving consumer tastes have created a fertile landscape for Mediterranean cuisine to thrive, driven by factors such as social media influence, expanded food options via third-party delivery, growing demand for healthier choices, the rise of food-focused television programming, and the globalization of restaurant concepts .
CAVA’s success can be attributed to several key factors. Roughly 80% of CAVA locations were in suburban areas before the pandemic, aligning well with consumer migration and work-from-home trends. Additionally, CAVA was an early adopter of digital drive-thru lanes, similar to Chipotle’s "Chipotlanes," and began developing these store formats well before the pandemic. The brand has also utilized innovative tools like motion sensors in its restaurants to optimize throughput and staffing during peak lunchtime hours, enabling it to refine restaurant design and equipment placement as it expanded. CAVA’s higher employee retention rates have also contributed to its ability to maintain speed-of-service levels above category averages.
These strengths allowed CAVA to successfully enter new markets like Chicago in 2024. While many emerging brands have struggled to gain traction in new areas, CAVA’s visit-per-location metrics in recently entered markets have matched its national averages, positioning the brand for continued growth in 2025.
Ashley’s recent strategy shift to differentiate itself through experiential events, such as live music, workshops, and giveaways, is a compelling approach in the challenging consumer discretionary category. Post-pandemic, commercial property owners have successfully used community events to boost visit frequency, dwell time, and trade area size for mall properties. It’s no surprise that retailers like Ashley are adopting similar strategies to engage customers and enhance their in-store experience.
The decision to incorporate live events into its marketing strategy reflects the growing demand for experiential and immersive retail experiences. While home furnishings saw a surge in demand during the pandemic, the category has struggled over the past two years, underperforming other discretionary retail sectors compared to pre-pandemic levels. Recognizing this challenge, Ashley’s rebrand focuses on creating interactive and memorable experiences that allow customers to engage directly with its products and explore various design possibilities. In turn, this has helped to drive visits from trade areas with younger consumers with lower household incomes.
Ashley has leaned into collaborations with interior designers and industry experts to offer informative sessions and workshops during these events. These initiatives not only attract traffic but also provide valuable insights into customers’ preferences, which can be used to refine product offerings, enhance customer service, and shape future marketing efforts. This approach is particularly relevant as millennials and Gen Z drive new household formation. While still early, Ashley’s pivot to live events is showing promising results in attracting visits and increasing customer engagement.
Department stores have had many challenges in navigating changing consumer behavior and finding their place in an evolving retail landscape. Nordstrom, an example of department store success in 2024, has been able to maintain a strong brand relationship with its shoppers and regain its footing with its store fleet. While the chain has certainly benefited from catering to a more affluent, and less price sensitive, consumer base, it still shines in fostering a shopping experience that stands out.
Value might be a driver of retail visitation across the industry, but for Nordstrom, service and experience is paramount. The retailer has downplayed promotional activity in favor of driving loyalty among key visitors. Nordstrom also has captured higher shares of high-value, younger consumer segments, which defies commonly held thoughts about department stores. The chain was a top visited chain during Black Friday in 2024, showcasing that it’s top of mind for shoppers for both gift giving and self-gifting.
What’s next? Nordstrom announced at the end of December that it plans to go private with the help of Mexican retail chain Liverpool. We expect to see even more innovation in store experience, assortments and services with this newfound flexibility and investment. And, we cannot forget about Nordstrom Rack, which allows the retailer to still engage price-conscious shoppers of all income levels, which is certainly still a bright spot as we head into 2025.
Visits are up, and the audience visiting Sam’s Club locations seems to be getting younger which – when taken together – tells us a few critical things. First, Sam’s Club has parlayed its pandemic resurgence into something longer term, leveraging the value and experience it provides to create loyal customers. Second, the power of its offering is attracting a newer audience that had previously been less apt to take advantage of the unique Sam’s Club benefits.
The result is a retailer that is proving particularly adept at understanding the value of a visit. The membership club model incentives loyalty which means that once a visitor takes the plunge, the likelihood of more visits is heightened significantly. And the orientation to value, a longer visit duration, and a wide array of items on sale leads to a larger than normal basket size.
In a retail segment where the value of loyalty and owning ‘share of shopping list’ is at a premium, Sam’s Club is positioned for the type of success that builds a foundation for strength for years to come.
Raising Cane’s exemplifies the power of focus by excelling at a simple menu done exceptionally well. Over the past several years, the chain has been one of the fastest-growing in the QSR segment, driven by a streamlined menu that enhances speed and efficiency, innovative marketing campaigns, and strategic site selection in both new and existing markets. Notably, Raising Cane’s ranked among the top QSR chains for visit-per-location growth last year. Unlike many competitors that leaned on deep discounts or nostalgic product launches to boost traffic in 2024, Raising Cane’s relied on operational excellence to build brand awareness and drive visits. This approach has translated into some of the highest average unit sales in the segment, with restaurants averaging around $6 million in sales last year.
Raising Cane’s operational efficiency has also been a key driver of its rapid expansion, growing from 460 locations at the end of 2019 to more than 830 heading into 2025. This includes over 100 new store openings in 2024 alone, placing it among the top QSR chains for year-over-year visit growth. The chain’s ability to maintain exceptional performance while scaling rapidly highlights its strong foundation and operational strategy.
While Life Time has fitness at its core, it has also expanded to become a lifestyle. Healthy living is its mantra and this extends to both the gym aspect, but also the social health of its members with offerings like yoga, childcare, personalized fitness programs, coworking, and even an option for luxury living just steps away.
With all these choices, it’s no wonder that its members are more loyal than others in its peer group.
To the delight of book lovers everywhere, Barnes & Noble is back in force. With a presence in every single state and approximately 600 stores, location options are growing to browse bestsellers, chat with in-store bibliophiles, or grab a latte. Stores are feeling cozier and more local, with handwritten recommendations across the store. The chain’s extensive selection of gifts and toys mean that one can stop in for more than just books. The membership program is also relaunching, rewarding members for their purchases. Even though some locations have downsized, efficiency is up with average visits per square foot increasing over the last 3 years. Customers are also lingering, with nearly 3 in 10 visitors staying 45 minutes or longer.
With options for a “third place” that’s not home or work dwindling, Barnes & Noble is poised to fill that hole.
From its origins as a corner grocery store in Queens, NY 42 years ago, H Mart now boasts over 80 stores throughout the US. Shoppers are enticed by the aroma of hot roasted sweet potatoes wafting through the store, the opportunities to try new brands like Little Jasmine fruit teas, and the array of prepared foods such as gimbap and japchae. In addition to traditional Korean, Chinese, and Japanese groceries, H Mart’s assortment has expanded to staple items and American brands as well like Chobani yogurt or Doritos.
As the Hallyu wave sweeps across the nation and K-pop stars like Rose top the charts for the eight straight week with the catchy “APT”, so too is the appetite for Asian food. At the second-most visited H Mart in the nation in Carrollton, TX, the ethnic makeup of customers is 39% White, 14% Black, 23% Hispanic or Latino, and 20% Asian – reflecting the truly universal appeal of this supermarket chain.
Beauty retail had a transformative 2024, with a general cooling off in demand for the category. Competition between chains has increased and delivering quality products, expertise and services is critical to maintain visits. Against this backdrop, Bluemercury stands out as a shining star in parent company Macy’s portfolio of brands, with the brand well positioned to take on this next chapter of beauty retail.
Bluemercury’s success lies in its ability to be a retailer, an expert, and a spa service provider to its consumers. Placer data has shown that beauty chains with a service and retail component tend to attract more visitors than those who just specialize in retail offerings, and Bluemercury is no exception. The chain also focuses solely on the prestige market within the beauty industry and caters to higher income households compared to the broader beauty category; both of those factors have contributed to more elastic demand than with other retailers.
Bluemercury’s bet on product expertise and knowledge combined with a smaller format store help to foster a strong connection between the beauty retailer and its consumers. The brand overindexes with visitors “seeking youthful appearance” and has cemented itself as a destination for niche and emerging beauty brands. As the larger Macy’s brand grapples with its transformation, Bluemercury’s relevance and deep connection to its consumer base can serve as an inspiration, especially as the beauty industry faces mounting uncertainty.
Competitors like Dutch Bros and 7Brew are on the rise, critical office visitation patterns remain far behind pre-pandemic levels, and the chain did not end the year in the most amazing way in terms of visit performance. But there is still so much to love about Starbucks – and the addition of new CEO Brian Niccol positions the coffee giant to rebound powerfully.
The focused attention on leaning into its legendary ‘third place’ concept is in excellent alignment with the shift to the suburbs and hybrid work and with audiences that continue to show they value experience over convenience. But the convenience-oriented customer will likely also benefit from the brand’s recent initiatives, including pushes to improve staffing, mobile ordering alignment and menu simplification. In addition, the brand is still the gold standard when it comes to owning the calendar, as seen with their annual visit surges for the release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte or Red Cup Day and their ability to capitalize on wider retail holidays like Black Friday and Super Saturday.
The combination of the tremendous reach, brand equity, remaining opportunities in growing markets and the combined ability to address both convenience and experience oriented customers speaks to a unique capacity to regain lost ground and drive a significant resurgence against the expectations of many.
Retail has had its challenges this year, with many consumers opting for off-price to snag deals – but the strength of the Adidas brand should not be underestimated. Gazelles and Sambas are still highly coveted, and a partnership with Messi x Bad Bunny racked up over a million likes. Consumers are favoring classic silhouettes across both shoes and clothing, and nothing says classic like those three stripes.
Gap, and its family of brands including Old Navy and Banana Republic, are synonymous with American apparel retail. The namesake brand has always been at the center of comfort, value and style, but over time lost its way with consumers. However, over the past year and a half, the reinvigoration of the Gap family of brands has started to take shape under the direction of CEO Richard Dickson.
New designs, collaborations, splashy marketing campaigns and store layouts have taken shape across the portfolio. While we haven’t seen a lot of change in visitation to stores over the past year, trends are certainly moving in the right direction and outpacing many other brands in the apparel space. Gap has also reinserted itself into the fabric of American fashion this past year with designs for the Met Gala.
The benefit of Gap Inc.’s portfolio is that each brand has a distinct and unique audience of consumers that it draws from. This allows each brand to focus on meeting the needs of its visitors directly instead of trying to be all things for a broader group of consumers. Old Navy in particular has a strong opportunity with consumers as value continues to be a key motivator.
Gap has done all of the right things to not only catch up to consumers’ expectations but to rise beyond them. Even as legacy store-based retail brands have seen more disruption over the past few years, Gap is ready to step back into the spotlight.
The diversity of brands featured in this report highlight the variety of categories and strategic initiatives that can drive retail and dining success in 2025.
Sprouts’ focus on quality products and small-format stores, CAVA’s rise as a suburban dining powerhouse, and Nordstrom’s commitment to customer experience all highlight how understanding and responding to consumer needs can drive success. Brands like Ashley Furniture, Sam’s Club, H Mart, and Life Time have shown how offering a unique value proposition within a crowded segment, leveraging loyalty, and creating memorable experiences can fuel growth. And Raising Cane’s demonstrates the power of simplicity and operational efficiency in building momentum.
At the same time, niche players like Bluemercury are excelling by catering to specific audiences with authenticity and expertise. And while Starbucks, Adidas, and Gap Inc. face challenges, the three companies’ brand equity and revitalization efforts suggest potential for a significant comeback.
