Placer.ai: Retail visits spiked for two days ahead of Winter Storm Fern
The recent Winter Storm Fern that impacted large swaths of the United States had a significant impact on retail foot traffic.
According to retail data firm Placer.ai, retailers saw a large boost in traffic from Jan. 22 and 23, the two days before the storm intensified with frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall. Home improvement & furnishings retailers saw the largest visit spikes on both days as consumers focused on preparing their homes ahead of the storm. Visits were already 20.2% above the year-to-date (Jan. 1 - 23) daily average on Jan. 22 and rose to 41.7% above average the following day.
Grocery stores recorded the second-largest increases, reflecting consumers’ efforts to stock up on food and beverages in anticipation of staying home, according to Placer.ai. Visits were up 14.2% on Jan. 22 and increased 28.4% on Jan. 23 compared to the year-to-date daily average.
Value-oriented and necessity-driven categories also saw demand increase prior to Winter Storm Fern. Discount & dollar stores experienced a modest 6.2% increase on Jan. 22 and a 25.5% increase on Jan. 23. Drug stores & pharmacies saw visits climb from 9.8% to 21.0%, while superstores rose from 7.5% to 19.9% over the same period.
[READ MORE: Placer.ai: Thrift stores, discount retailers, open-air malls lead 2025 holiday season]
Pet stores & services stood out for their late-breaking surge, according to the data. After seeing virtually flat traffic on Jan. 22nd (0.2%), visits jumped to 18.5% above average on Jan. 23, suggesting that many consumers delayed pet-related preparedness until just before conditions worsened.
“AI-driven location analytics reveals that storm-driven retail demand is not only intense but highly compressed, with visits surging in the brief window just before conditions deteriorate locally and fading quickly once preparation trips are complete,” said Shira Petrack, head of content at Placer.ai. “For retailers, capturing weather-driven demand seems to depend less on the size of the storm and more on aligning operations to where – and when – urgency is about to peak.”
