Dare we
attempt to analyse why our customers turn out in force on certain days?
You know
the stories - "Business was good today because the weather was fine and
families came out for the day." or the equally believable "Business
was good today because it rained and customers needed to find undercover
destinations like our market".
Attempting
to analyse why business fluctuates as it does can lead the best retail analyst
(and that includes all of us) up the proverbial garden path. And yet logic
dictates that there are reasons why customers behave the way they do. It is
just that those reasons can be incredibly complex and they demand sophisticated
analysis.
I don't
have an easy answer to doing that analysis but I can throw another theory into
the mix. Sport is a very important ingredient in attracting tourists to
Melbourne. We are a world leader in sport appreciation. The rugby league State
of Origin match a few weeks back drew excellent crowds to Melbourne and the
market benefitted. The Liverpool / Victory match was an MCG sellout on
Wednesday night and I am told that business at the market on Thursday was very
encouraging. The Liverpool /Victory match had an international flavour although
press reports indicated that the bulk if the crowd was local and interstate.
The State of Origin match certainly drew a heavy interstate contingent.
In
between those two events was the English & Irish Lions rugby match which
also drew record crowds but was dominated by over 30,000 international
visitors. Market business over that week was very poor and drew memories of
Grand Prix week when international visitors dominate and business suffers. Can
we determine that sporting events can be great for QVM business but only if
there is a strong interstate element?
Then
again, a trader told me the other day that if he stands on one foot, closes one
eye, and sticks out his tongue he almost always gets a customer. Perhaps that
is the answer.
COMMENTS:
27/07/2013 16:28:16 Market Trading Sporting events are quite good but also quite a good result from the recent Pink Concert JR E Shed
27/07/2013 16:28:16 Market Trading Sporting events are quite good but also quite a good result from the recent Pink Concert JR E Shed
