Taylor Swift generates $7 billion in retail impact during 'Eras' tour
Pop music icon Taylor Swift has been very good for retailing in North America.
Swift’s two-year "Eras" tour generated about $7 billion in total retail economic impact across North America, including roughly $5 billion in 2023 and $2 billion in 2024.
For the entire two-year tour, the study indicates the following breakdown on total North American concertgoer expenditures in categories including:
- Tickets: $2.09 billion
- Travel & lodging: $1.95 billion
- Apparel: $1.05 billion
- Food & beverage: $544 million
In 2024, QuestionPro analysis indicates North American concertgoers spent about $1,572 per show for the full experience, including tickets, travel/lodging, costumes, merchandise, food/beverage and other event-related expenses.
This is up roughly 21% from an average of $1,303.41 during the 2023 North American leg of the “Eras” tour. Across the entire 2024 North American tour, this represents nearly $2 billion in economic impact.
In addition, the average price that concertgoers paid for Taylor Swift tickets in 2024 jumped 34% year-over-year, equivalent to an additional $138.50 per ticket.
"We’ve just witnessed and experienced perhaps the single most impressive display of stardom in the history of entertainment," said Dan Fleetwood, president of QuestionPro research and insights. "The economic impact alone is unlikely to be matched by any single individual ever again, until perhaps she tours again."
[READ MORE: How retailers should respond to the ‘Barbie’ and Taylor Swift effect]
This benchmarking study was conducted through online surveys in May 2023, August 2023 and November 2024, by QuestionPro, with 2,380 respondents participating in the survey, all of whom attended at least one concert during Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour.”
The Taylor Swift effect
Other data supports the finding that Taylor Swift has become a significant influencer on shopping behavior. A survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers who attended any of Taylor Swift’s "Eras Tour" concerts or concert movie in 2023 from Inmar Intelligence indicates 64% of respondents said the experience(s) prompted them to make purchases related to the concert such as apparel, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, and/or arts/crafts (like glitter, materials for signage, handmade accessories).
Target began offering two exclusive Taylor Swift releases, an official "Taylor Swift/The Eras Tour" book and a special edition of "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology" album on vinyl and CD, on Black Friday 2024 and has set sales records in the 10 days since.
Meanwhile, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. has offered interactive events specifically aimed at "Swifties." And in May 2023, Jeffries analysts looked at the 2.4 million "Eras" concert tickets that had been sold at that time and predicted Boot Barn stores could see a significant bump in sales of items such as cowboy hats, sequins and Western boots fans wanted to wear to her shows.
