Summer – the season of longer days, warmer temperatures, and for many Americans it is vacation time! The festivity of summer changes the pace of foot traffic patterns across retail, dining, entertainment and travel in Q3. Using the power of location technology, Foursquare analyzed consumer behavior to predict where and what Americans will be up to this summer.
Here are the key learnings and trends we learned to prepare for summer 2023:
Late July is peak time for summer travel
With great weather, summer is the time to travel! Airports, gas stations and rental car locations will see a peak Q3 visitation in late July. Additionally with more travel, hotels will be packed and experience a peak in traffic during Fourth of July weekend until late July.
Americans go for casual dining
Last year, casual dining restaurants saw a greater lift in visitation than QSRs and grocery stores between early July – late August. We can expect the same lift in traffic this summer as Americans opt for casual dining during the summer months.
Back-to-school shopping in Early August
August is the last month of summer, which means the start of school is just around the corner. Students and parents are gearing up for the school year in Early August, as retail categories will see the greatest lift in visitation then, while office supply stores should expect peak visitation in late August for last-minute shopping.
Frequent visit to sports stadiums
Not only is summer perfect for travel, but it’s also the time for sports. Throughout Q3, sports stadiums are seeing greater visit frequency from fans year-over-year. Stadiums for several types of sports, such as track, baseball, and soccer, saw as much as a +9% increase in visit frequency in Q3 2022, compared to the previous year. We anticipate this visit frequency to continue to increase this year, as more sports fans visit stadiums to watch their favorite teams.
Fourth of July festivities
Independence day is known for its BBQs, so it’s not surprising that it is also the busiest time for grocery shopping! Last summer, grocery store visitation rose +5% higher than the Q3 benchmark during Fourth of July weekend. This summer, grocery stores will experience a great lift in visitation as Americans are looking forward to celebrating independence day.
Movie-goers flock theaters during Labor Day weekend
Labor Day weekend is always an anticipated long weekend for Americans. Last year, movie theaters saw a +46% increase in visitation compared to the three weekends prior. In 2023, expect no less as theaters will be packed as Americans look to spend their long weekend watching movies.