RetailNext, recognized as "the pulse of the store" with its leading in-store analytics used by  450+ top retail brands, today shared initial traffic insights from Super Bowl Week 2024

Despite predictions of an influx of 330,000+ visitors to Super Bowl LVIII and associated events in Las Vegas, retail traffic between February 3 - 10 was down 1.6% compared to the year prior, suggesting that fans were looking for any opportunity to save after paying an average of $8,600 per ticket, with individual days in the last week leading up to the game ranging from -12% to +4%. 

Super Bowl week 2024 resulted in the second-largest YoY decline in consumer traffic over the last six weeks, although trends were in line with the few weeks leading up to the Super Bowl in Vegas, when traffic declined, on average, by -1.4%. 

Las Vegas Weekly YoY Traffic Trends

• Dec. 31 to Jan. 6 
  • 2.6%
• Jan. 7 to Jan. 13
  • -1.0%
• Jan. 14 to Jan. 20
  • -1.1%
• Jan. 21 to Jan. 27
  • -3.3%
• Jan. 28 to Feb. 3
  • -0.1%
• Feb. 3 to Feb. 10
  • -1.6%

“Likely because of the high costs associated with attending the game—expensive tickets, hotels, dining, and related Las Vegas experiential opportunities—shopping was not a top priority for many visitors,” said Joe Shasteen, Global Manager, Advanced Analytics. “These findings starkly contrast the trends RetailNext observed last year while analyzing the impact of Taylor Swift's tour on cities that hosted her concerts. This chasm may be due to the difference in audience demographics or the relative costs associated with attending these events. Still, it’s clear not all significant cultural events have the same effect on retail foot traffic, especially when these big events are likely substituting retail traffic rather than complementing it."

Looking granularly at single-day traffic trends, Super Bowl Sunday 2024 showed a -19.9% YoY decline, with the early days of February leading up to the game tracking negatively YoY despite this year’s pull in Las Vegas to attract new visitors. Saturday showed a slight increase, where it’s likely shoppers went on the hunt for team apparel just before the game. Sunday, Allegiant Stadium opened its gates at 11:30 am, with people lining up long before, unable to leave their spot to shop. Those not at the stadium likely claimed spots at bars, tailgates, and house parties early in the day, with no free time to traffic nearby retailers in the area.

Las Vegas Daily Super Bowl Week YoY Traffic Trends

• Feb. 3, 2024
  • 6.4%
• Feb. 4, 2024
  • 3.6%
• Feb. 5, 2024
  • -12.7%
• Feb. 6, 2024
  • -4.5%
• Feb. 7, 2024
  • 2.8%
• Feb. 8, 2024
  • -0.1%
• Feb. 9, 2024
  • -5.7%
• Feb. 10, 2024
  • 1.70%
• Feb. 11, 2024
  • -19.9%

Knowing the limitations a large event could bring to a city, retailers can use this data to better understand how such events influence shopping patterns and adjust their strategies accordingly.

For more information on RetailNext and the company’s recent data trends, visit here.

Methodology

This Data was collected at U.S. stores located in Las Vegas, within approximately 5 miles of Allegiant Stadium, operating on the RetailNext smart store platform. The data reflects in-store trends across a wide variety of retail segments, from major big-box brands to standalone and specialty retail operations. The data reflects stores open both last year, February 2023, and this year, February 2024. Percent changes are based on traffic for those stores this year compared to those same stores last year.