At the end of each month, the AGS team looks back at articles and blog posts that we saw this month that stood out to us. Some are from news agencies, and many come from our partners, but not all use our data. Here is the round-up from January 2024.

Partner Blogs

Placer.ai

Do you go out to eat on Christmas Day? If you do, your choices are limited (as Ted Allen’s character found out when he burned the turkey on Christmas Eve in The Santa Clause). Who gets the lion’s share of diners on Christmas Day?

Christmas Day Dining Recap – Placer.ai Blog

Kalibrate

Macy’s has been in the news this month with layoffs and store closures. Can anything save them? Dave Huntoon at Kalibrate has some insights.

Will small format stores be the savior of Macy’s? | Kalibrate Global

NRF Big Show

The National Retail Federation 2024 Big Show happened this month, and the takeaways are very positive for our industry.

NRF 2024 – The Return of Optimism to the World of Retail and Commerce | LinkedIn

 

Industry News

In the last month or so, there has been a trend in our industry for consolidation. In case you missed it, here are some of the big moves.

Placer/ESRI Partnership

Placer.ai and Esri Partner to Deliver Geospatial Analytics – Placer.ai Blog

Buxton acquires Elevar

This strategic acquisition marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of data-driven insights and shapes the future of customer engagement across all channels.   (buxtonco.com)

Gravy Analytics merges with Unacast

From TimeRazor, to Gravy, to Gravy Analytics—now, with Unacast – Gravy Analytics

 

News Articles

Wall Street Journal

Do you live in the Midwest? Turns out, lots of people think they live in the Midwest, but who actually does?

It’s Amazing How Many Americans Think They Live in the Midwest When They Don’t – WSJ

BankRate

New job creation is predicted to slow down this year, but perhaps not as drastically as once predicted. By the end of the year, economists predict that unemployment will be 4.3%.

Survey: Economists Project A Milder Hiring Slowdown For 2024 | Bankrate

U-Haul

The team at U-Haul has once again released their list of destinations for movers in one-way rentals last year.

U-Haul Announces Top U.S. Growth Cities of 2023 | U-Haul (uhaul.com)

Fox Business

Down to just 25% occupancy, the largest mall in San Francisco continues to lose big retailers as it’s future remains unknown.

San Francisco’s largest mall loses more retailers as exodus continues | Fox Business

LA Times

Have you left California? The LA Times editorial staff has a message for you: be nice about it.

Commentary: Leave, but don’t insult California on the way out – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)