Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

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

Holiday Sectors to Watch

by 
Ethan Chernofsky
 on 
October 29, 2020
Holiday Sectors to Watch

The holiday season is upon us, and it may be among the strangest and most different in a long time. So, we tried to make sense of it, by highlighting a few sectors and brands that we believe will stand out in this unique period.

Wholesale Leaders

Two key trends are lining up to give wholesale clubs a boost this holiday season. Firstly, mission-driven shopping is orienting visitors to try and accomplish as much as they can with as few visits as possible. Secondly, value-oriented offerings are being prioritized in a period that has been heavily impacted by economic uncertainty. And this works brilliantly for wholesale clubs.

Wholesale clubs provide a lot of value, the ability to do a lot of shopping at one time, and to focus on a longer period of time with each shop. And while they are there it will be hard to miss out on the huge sections that are oriented to gifts, outdoor furniture, electronics, and even jewelry. Essentially, these brands are uniquely well-positioned to drive visits and could see a major boost in the types of inventory they are able to offload in this particular holiday season. Now add in the desire to stock up ahead of the winter and the addition of key grocery shopping periods like Turkey Wednesday and pre-Christmas, and the 2020 holiday season feels like a recipe for wholesale success.

Home Goods

We may not be going out on too much of a limb with this one, but ignoring the home goods surge would be crazy. Brands like IKEA, Bed Bath & Beyond, and HomeGoods were all seeing steadily improving traffic deep into the fall. And even some brands with negative trends were succeeding. At Home, a chain that has enjoyed huge traffic growth over recent months saw its year-over-year growth dip to just 14.8% up year over year, a huge testament to just how strong this period has been for them considering this was a low point.

And it is likely that the situation could get even better for players in the space. The holiday season often provides a peak for this sector, key competitors are liquidating, and we are likely to be stuck indoors even more because of the winter season. However you analyze the space, it is hard to see any that is better positioned for the coming holiday season.

Malls

If home goods marked a bit of an obvious choice, forecasting a better than expected season for indoor malls may be a bolder selection. While the sector has clearly been faced with a unique set of obstacles the ability to align with mission-driven shopping during a wintry holiday season should help their locations provide respite for visitors looking to accomplish more with each visit while avoiding the elements. 

Why the confidence? Because indoor malls have a fairly high floor with an even higher ceiling. If these locations are only capable of maintaining their current pace of return while stealing some of the traffic currently heading to outlet centers, the high conversion rates being seen throughout the retail sector should translate to a positive end to an especially difficult year. Yet, if these locations can prove capable of driving smaller bursts of urgency and demand across a longer season where being indoor becomes an advantage, the results could be very impressive. And this is especially true for those malls that are home to well-positioned brands like Lululemon, Bath & Body Works, and the range of luxury players. Importantly, travel is also likely to be curbed significantly meaning that many of these malls could see an added benefit to their suburban and outside of the big city orientation. 

Coffee

If you’re like me, you still love coffee during the summer, but can’t imagine living life without it during the colder months. And this something that has historically given a huge boost to big coffee brands. In fact, Black Friday served as the biggest single-day for visits nationwide for Starbucks in 2019.

And while the loss of that one-day surge will likely happen, the benefits of an extended holiday shopping period could provide a huge gain. This is especially true for brands that have proven effective at creating their own holidays when needed.

Big Box

Yes, the positioning for top-tier retail giants like Walmart and Target may be obvious but, it is also hugely significant. So, include them we shall. Not only do these brands dominate in the age of mission-driven shopping, but they are among the few who have classically seen more strength pre-Christmas than Black Friday weekend. Why does this matter? It shows that they are essentially Black Friday-proof, so the removal of any single component from the holiday mix doesn’t impact their ability to recreate that value elsewhere.

This is even more true when considering their wide mix of products allows them to drive visits in major grocery spikes pre-Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas. Essentially, these brands possess a unique power that is put on even greater display in the current environment. The wide product range means many visit types can begin at these locations while also allowing shoppers to check other things off their list. And in 2020, that makes an even bigger difference.

Will these expectations ring true? Visit Placer.ai to find out.

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.
The CAVA Craze: A Location Intelligence Perspective on the Mediterranean Marvel
How Will Primark’s US Expansion Impact Target?
All Eyes on Eyewear
Northwestern U.S. Grocery Dive
Return of the Lunch: Salad Chains Are Thriving
Retail Media Networks – Off the Beaten Track
Bet Your Bottom Dollar: Discount and Dollar Stores Drive Foot Traffic
Ulta & Lululemon: Discretionary Spending On The Up
The Score After Q1: Sporting Goods Chains
Who Uses NYC Airports: Biting Into The Big Apple’s Main Transport Hubs
Off Price: Strength in The Face of Retail Challenges
Visits Improve for Home Improvement
Walmart, Target & Wholesalers in Q1 2023 – The Return of Mission-Driven Shopping?
Department Store Roundup: Q1 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: April 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index, April 2023 – A Rebound on the Horizon?
How Will Bed Bath & Beyond’s Bankruptcy Impact the Retail Space?
Buffet Restaurants: Filling Up on Foot Traffic
Thrift Stores: Vintage Visits Drive New Age in Apparel
The Windy City: A Hub of Post-Pandemic Opportunity
Diving into Dining Traffic - Q1 2023
Bring On The Joe
A Dollar (or more) For Your Thoughts: Five Below and pOpshelf
Dining Out With The Cheesecake Factory
Retail Foot Traffic Recap – March 2023
Digging Into 2023: McDonald’s and Chipotle Update
Placer.ai Office Index: March 2023 Recap
How Did Key Retail Categories Perform in Q1 2023?
Northeastern USA Grocery Dive
Movie Theaters Storylines for 2023
Ollie's Bargain Outlet: Discounters are Evolving
Leveraging Brick-and-Mortar Retail in 2023
America’s Evolving Work Patterns: A Deep-Dive into New York and Chicago
Placer.ai Mall Index March 2023
Tuning Into Record Stores
Five Franchises To Watch in 2023
What’s Next For Domestic Tourism?
It’s Showtime! Movie Theaters in the Spotlight
5 Limited Time Offers (LTOs) Driving Restaurant Traffic
Department Store Deep-Dive: Belk
Regional Grocery Chains Staying Ahead of the Competition
Five Chains that Rightsized for Success
Unlocking the Potential of Offline Retail Media Networks
Dining Out With Darden
What’s in Store for Self-Storage?
Nike & lululemon Update: Strong Performance Amid Expansion Plans
Many Ways to Win: Midwest Grocery Deep Dive
Retail, Reinvented: The Rise of the Pop-Up Shop
Navigating a New Normal in Business Travel & Commutes
Placer.ai Office Index: February 2023 Recap
Retail Categories Staying Strong in Volatile Environment
Ulta Beauty: Poised for Success into 2023
Placer.ai Mall Index February 2023: Reasons for Continued Optimism
Catching Up With DICK’s & Hibbett
The Miami-Dade Arena: An Advertising Slam Dunk
Car Washes Revving Up Visits
Tuesday Morning and Sunrises in Home Furnishing
Dining & Valentine’s Day Recap
2023: The Year of the Discount Store
Aldi’s Success Highlights Growing Demand for Value Groceries
5 Retail & Service Categories Holding onto Pandemic Gains in 2023
Visitor Insights from Super Bowl 2023
2023 First Look: Home Improvement Update
How Are Target, Walmart, and Wholesale Clubs Faring in 2023?
Department Store Deep-Dive: Nordstrom
Off-Price: Taking Off in Uncertain Times
Checking in On Middle-Class Hubs
Who Attends the Super Bowl?
Placer.ai Office Index: January 2023 Recap
Focusing On Fitness: Q4 and January Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: January 2023 – Returning Mall Normalcy?
Location Intelligence Insights Into Concert Attendance
Winning Dining Strategies for 2023
In-N-Out Burger: What to Expect as the Brand Moves East
Location Intelligence Breakdown: Coffee Caps-Off 2022
Digitally Native Brands Lean Into Brick & Mortar
Washington, D.C. Population Changes & Migration Trends
A Location Intelligence Perspective on Macy’s Rightsizing
Amazon-Powered Shopping: The Future of Brick-and-Mortar Grocery?
Cold Weather, Hot Visits: Diving into Winter Resorts
Wawa and 7-Eleven: Leaning Into the “Slurpee Effect”
2022 and Beyond: Catching Up With McDonald’s & Chipotle
Let’s Have Some Fun! Going Out Is In
Placer.ai’s Q4 2022 Quarterly Index
Placer.ai Adds Industry Executives to Leadership Team To Drive Company's Next Phase of Growth
5 Emerging Retail Formats: 2023’s Brick-and-Mortar Evolution
Grocery Update: Zooming in on the Lone Star State
2022 Office Recap: The Year of the TGIF Work Week
What Lies Ahead for Brick-and-Mortar Luxury in 2023
Placer.ai Mall Indexes: December 2022 Recap
Looking Back on 2022’s Holiday Shopping Season
Post-Pandemic Migration Trends in New York
Top Retailers for 2023
The Live Sports Advertising Opportunity
Domestic Migration to the Mountain States: Small Shifts with Big Implications
New Year, New Food: 5 Dining Trends For 2023
Announcing Placer.ai’s COVID RECOVERY DASHBOARD
This is Why Shop-in-Shops Are Everywhere
Super Saturday 2022 Recap
The San Francisco Shift