A Canadian major, national retail store representative once stated to Council that:
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Cyclists spent less than drivers on the average per trip to their stores
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Cyclists come more often to their stores than drivers
Cyclists at Cambie St. & 7th Ave. large retail store. Retailer provides an air pump just by the bike rack. Oct. 2010. Photo by HJEH Becker
This means for retailers:
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more opportunities for impulse purchases
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a retailer’s dream
Bike lanes on both sides of road by this busy corner at a major national retail store outlet. Vancouver BC Oct. 2010. Photo by HJEH Becker
So why are retailers complaining when bike lanes are going into their streets?
- Why are their stores not drawing in cycling customers?
- Is it because of:
- No bike lanes, separated bike lanes, or bike paths leading to their retail stores?
- No bike parking in front of their stores or in their stores?
- Or is it the product lines that these retailers are selling?
Maybe these retailers should do a scouting trip to Cambie and 7th Ave with its bike lane and watch the action on a Saturday as a continuous stream of cyclists come and go, doing their shopping.
If one follows the line of the retailers that bike lanes will reduce the sales revenue of their stores, then the question may come up of where do cyclists go
Cambie St. near 7th Ave. Vancouver BC Oct. 2010. Photo by HJEH Becker
to spend their money. The concept that cyclists are thriftier and hoard their money will most likely not play well in the world of reality. So, where do these cyclists go and why not to the stores of the merchants who fear bike lanes on their doorstep? After all, cyclists are not a homogenous group of people. They are young and old. They are single, in couple relationships, and with children of all ages. They are of all income levels. They are of a broad spectrum of taste. They buy a broad spectrum of goods. So, what is lacking with these retailers’ stores?
Related Articles:
Becker, HJEH. Bike Helmets on Customers Expose Unnoticed Business For Retailers. Jan. 11, 2010.
Chong, Jean. Cycling is for Foodies and All: Getting the Retail Connection Right. Jun. 2, 2010.
Becker, HJEH. European Retailers Prosper from People Streets, Downtown Vancouver Retailers Trudge Along with 1960’s Retailing Models. Sept. 12, 2010.
Comment posted Oct. 24, 2010 when this article was originally posted via VACC-yahoo discussion email groups:
From: vacc@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vacc@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Gary Woloski
Sent: October 24, 2010 2:33 PM
To: vacc gro
Subject: RE: [VACC] Cyclists, the Retailers’ Customers
One of the benefits I get from being on this discussion list is learning that I have been doing things for decades that I never realized that I was doing at all! Most of the time this relates to safe cycling techniques that I’ve unconsciously adopted over time – someone posts a comment and I suddenly realize “Holy Moly, I do that and I didn’t even know it!”.
In the article below, the sentence “Cyclists come more often to their stores than drivers” certainly applies to me, especially to groceries. On every trip I generally fill one of those large hand-baskets (whether I need to or not) because that’s what I can conveniently get home on the bike. Fresh air and exercise enhances the appetite, increasing the danger of impulse goodie-buying.
Given that this is another revelation to me, a long-time biker, I think the point of the article that H-J Becker forwarded below has not been expressed strongly enough to merchants.
Gary W.