Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Boston Seaport Becoming Must Visit

by 
Ethan Chernofsky
 on 
October 3, 2019
Boston Seaport Becoming Must Visit

When Retail Dive published a glowing review of the Boston Seaport, it caught our attention for several reasons. Firstly, the perception of a rise in attention for the shopping destination certainly begs for checking up with data. Secondly, the makeup of the Seaport’s retail mix is incredibly important to analyze as it combines a group of ‘new to physical retail’ DTC brands and experiential elements that could define the future of shopping centers.

So how is the location performing?

Growth to the Seaport

Since the start of 2017, the Boston Seaport has seen strong growth with visits that rose from a daily average of nearly 34,000 to well over 40,000 daily average visits in 2018 and 2019. July and August of 2017 were 12.6% and 5.4% above the baseline for the period respectively while these numbers jumped to 28.7% and 34.1% for those same months in 2018 and 22.2% and 27.4% in 2019.

Though there has been a small decrease in the summer peak from 2018 to 2019, the overall sustainability may actually be improving. The period from December 2018 through February 2019 saw a 14.5% increase in visits from the same period a year prior. This is especially important as the most significant dip in visits comes just as the New England weather gets especially bad.

This creates an added opportunity to attempt to leverage a holiday season that is not currently a primary driver for Seaport visits - something seen clearly when breaking traffic down to weekly visits. The average shopping center tends to see major peaks in the holiday season around Black Friday and the week before Christmas. Yet, the lack of those peaks - the Seaport’s regular bumps tends to come in February and August instead - creates a potentially huge opportunity for continued growth.


Long Term Appeal

And the combination of the right retailers and the right experiences isn’t just driving visits, but meaningful ones. The average visit duration is over four hours with 47.3% of visitors spending over 150 minutes.

This is further reinforced by the huge size of the Boston Seaport’s True Trade Area which boasts an enormous reach even when filtering for visitors who have been there 3 times or more during this period. In fact, over 79% of visitors come from over 5 miles to visit. These traits all come together to help the Boston Seaport rank in the top 1% for its category nationwide.


Conclusion

The Boston Seaport has established itself as one of the most exciting shopping centers in the country with a unique ability to drive visits over time and sustain the interest of those visitors. As locations like this grow in popularity, there will be an inevitable increase in other sites looking to recreate that magic.

What might this mean for the wider retail landscape? Firstly, experiences play a critical role in the rise of new shopping centers, and these elements are going to increasingly come into focus for the wider benefits they provide. Secondly, new retailers are rising and this trend could fill the gap left by some of the larger retailers experiencing large scale closures. The entry of new players into the offline retail landscape offers a powerful opportunity to reinvigorate shopping centers, but will also set an example for other small to medium retailers on this potential pathway to creating impact.

Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter

Great! Prepare your inbox for data-driven insights...
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Checking in With Nike and Lululemon
Black Friday 2023 Retail Recap
Starbucks’ 2023 Holiday Menu & Red Cup Day Performance
Turkey Wednesday 2023
Who Attended the 2023 Pickleball Championship? 
Three Surprising Holiday Shopping Trends
What’s in Store for Ulta Beauty This Holiday Season?
Best Buy and Department Stores: A Holiday Deep Dive
Discount & Dollar Stores: Strength Toward The End of the Year
The State of Off-Price Retail: Discounts Seal The Deal
Placer Mall Index Recap: October 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: October 2023 Recap
Retail Corridors Ahead of the 2023 Holiday Season
California, Here Gap Comes
Checking in With Home Improvement
Getting Into the Glasses Game: Warby Parker Takes Over
Fitness Positioned for a Strong 2023 Finish
White Paper Recap: October 2023
Coffee Giants Brewing Up Business
Popeyes and Burger King Lead the Way
Diving into Yum!
Looking Ahead to Black Friday 2023
Blockbusters Drive Movie Theater Comeback
Crocs and Boot Barn: Shoe-Ins for Success
McDonald’s and Chipotle's Winning Recipe
The State Of Steak: Checking in With Texas Roadhouse
Pleasant Pastimes: Pickleball Potential Proves Potent
Who’s Driving Downtown Manhattan’s Weekend Revival?
Diving into Downtown Manhattan Foot Traffic Trends
Rite Aid: Rightsizing Right
Major League Soccer: Its Die-Hard and Casual Fans
The Anchor Recap: September 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: September 2023 Recap
Placer Mall Index Recap: September 2023
September White Paper Recap
The Consumer Habits of College Students
JCPenney: Rightsizing and Revitalizing
Pent-Up Demand Ahead of October Sales Events
4 Strategies Retailers are Using to Drive Traffic to Their Venues
5 Key Regional Grocery Players Impressing in 2023
Upscale Kitchenware Trending Up
Costco Finds More Room for Growth
Four C-Store Chains Making an A-Grade
National Parks + Outdoor Summer Activities
Diving Into Darden: Summer 2023 Update
The Summer Event Effect
Messi: Massive in Miami
Looking Back on Back to School 2023
The Anchor Recap: August 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: August 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: August 2023 Recap
Placer.ai White Paper Recap: August 2023
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Strikes Again
Big Scoop: We All Scream For Ice Cream
Sports Away: Lululemon & Nike’s Momentum Continues
Summer Visits Heat Up For Recreation and Outdoor Gear Chains
No CSS overwrite - July 2023 Office Index Recap
Staging - August 2023 Mall Indec
Mid-Atlantic Grocery Deep Dive
Experiential Chains Heating Up This Summer
Petco Goes Big by Going Small
Ulta Beauty: Leading the Discretionary Pack
Discount and Dollar Chains Continue to Thrive
Summer of Sports: DICK’s Sporting Goods and Hibbett Sports
Off-Price: Succeeding Into Summer
The Anchor Recap: July 2023
Superstores Maintaining Pandemic Gains Amidst Economic Headwinds
2023: Home Improvement at the Halfway Point
July 2023 Office Index Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: July 2023 Recap
The Taylor Swift Visit Lift
Southwestern Grocery Dive
July 2023 White Paper Recap: Halfway Point Review & Quarterly Index
Yum! Brands: Driving Dining Visits
Slurpees and Summer Movies Stimulate Consumer Foot Traffic
Cool Beans: Summer Coffee Update
Checking In on Back to School 2023
Crocs and New Balance Tip The Scales
Burger Bliss: Shake Shack and In-N-Out Stacking Visits
Chipotle & McDonald's Continue to Reign Supreme
Vibenomics and Placer.ai Partner to Enhance Retail Media In-Store Measurement
California Grocers Here We Come!
Marriott’s Different Audiences
Bonchon and Kura Sushi Thrive in the Fast-Casual Scene
A Shoe In: Footwear Climbs to the Top
Cheers! Raising a Glass to Beverage Retail
Placer.ai Office Index: June 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index June 2023 Recap – A Turn of the Tide and a Dive into Open-Air Lifestyle Centers
Local Kitchens: Redefining the Restaurant
Unlocking Urban Insights: The Value in Manhattan’s Employees
Ohio State Parks On The Rise
How is Inflation Impacting the High-Income Shoppers?
Five Fast-Growing Dining Chains
What To Expect From Prime Day and July Sales Events in 2023
The State Of Fashion: How Are Apparel Retailers Faring in 2023?
2023’s Latest Dining Success Story: GEN Korean BBQ House
The NBA Finals: A Location Intelligence Perspective
Moving the Market: The Impact of Domestic Migration on Housing Costs
Post-Pandemic Museum Update
The Darden-est Things