The effect of COVID-19 on customer traffic: A case study of Food and Beverage stores in Erie County, New York

Abstract

The declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns brought focus on the importance of the retail sector for community well-being. The restrictive government policies that were put into place to curb the spread of COVID-19 added pressure on retailers to adapt to the subsequent changes in consumption. This research, using a case study of Erie County in the State of New York (NY), investigates these changes in visitation patterns for a commercial service sector that was deemed ‘essential’ - food and beverage. This study uses mobile location data to identify variations in shopping patterns for independent and chain stores. The study finds that by comparing the pre-pandemic to pandemic, there were changes to visitation patterns over time and between retail types. While the study highlights the potential to use mobile data to study shifts in consumption behaviours, the paper also reveals several challenges in using such data.