Telling Your City’s Retail Story Through Data

Why Data Is Your Strongest Marketing Tool

Retail recruitment is more competitive than ever—and increasingly analytical. National brands and developers are flooded with pitches, many offering similar incentives and platitudes about growth. What separates compelling cities from forgettable ones is how they use data to communicate why their market makes sense.

Done right, data doesn’t just validate—it persuades. It gives your audience the confidence that your city isn’t just growing, but strategically aligned with their success.

Your City Has a Story—But Is It Being Heard?

You know your city’s strengths: a revitalized downtown, a growing residential base, strong local spending. But unless you’re turning those traits into clear, measurable insights, you may be talking past your audience.

Retailers, especially national or regional brands, aren’t just asking what’s happening—they’re asking:

• Who are your shoppers?
• Where do they come from?
• What unmet demand exists?
• How do you compare to other trade areas?

In some regions, several municipalities are pitching to the same retailer. The city that leads with a confident, data-backed story—one that mirrors how the retailer evaluates markets—is often the one that wins the conversation.

Building a Data-Driven Retail Narrative

A successful retail pitch tells a story that is both aspirational and practical. Here's how to structure it.

1. Start with the People

Demographics set the stage. They explain who lives in your market and hint at what they want to buy.

At a minimum, focus on:

• Population growth (5- and 10-year trends)
• Median household income
• Age and household composition
• Educational attainment

But also look for differentiators. Is your area growing younger? Does it have a high concentration of families? Is there a strong daytime population from local employers?

Demographics should answer the first question any retailer asks: “Is our customer here?”

2. Redefine the Trade Area

City boundaries rarely match the true footprint of retail demand. A 10-minute drive-time map may pull from multiple ZIP codes or adjacent communities—especially in suburban and exurban areas.

Help your audience see the real market opportunity by:

• Showing where your customers come from, not just where they live
• Highlighting commuting patterns and regional draws
• Emphasizing your role in a retail corridor or as a hub city

In one midwestern community, using mobile location data shifted the conversation from a city of 30,000 to a trade area of over 100,000. That reframed the market in a way that was meaningful to national tenants.

3. Quantify Unmet Demand

Retailers don’t just want to know who lives nearby—they want to know what’s missing. This is where demand and gap analysis come in.

If you can point to spending that’s leaving your trade area—whether it’s for groceries, home goods, or dining—it gives them a reason to believe there’s an opportunity. And if you can tie that gap to a specific parcel or corridor, even better.

You don’t need to predict success. But if you can say, “there’s $8 million in unmet annual demand for hardware and home improvement within a 15-minute drive,” that’s a meaningful lead-in for brands in that category.

4. Tell a Visual Story

The strongest pitches show the opportunity—not just explain it.

That means:

• Using trade area maps, drive-time rings, and parcel overlays
• Including foot traffic trends or spending patterns where possible
• Presenting the data in a way that’s quick to grasp and easy to share

Some cities have had success sharing branded one-pagers tailored to specific retailer types: “Here’s why your grocery concept makes sense here,” or “Here’s how our corridor matches your site selection model.”

You don’t need to invest in new platforms to start doing this—just prioritize clarity and relevance over volume.

Beyond Data: What Retailers Want to Feel

While data is essential, remember: retailers are also looking for partners. If you can combine analytical strength with responsiveness, transparency, and a clear vision, you’ll stand out.

Cities that succeed in retail attraction:

• Speak the language of retailers (traffic counts, NOI, trade areas)
• Show they understand retail timelines and entitlements
• Avoid overselling and instead present grounded, actionable insights

And when you say, “We’ve already pre-cleared this site for retail,” or “We’ve had community engagement sessions that support this type of development,” you’re de-risking the decision even further.

Final Thoughts

Your city is more than a set of numbers. But when it comes to retail attraction, numbers help your story land.

Lead with a clear understanding of your trade area. Support it with credible data on demographics and spending. Frame it visually and align it with what retailers care about.

You don’t need to be the biggest city in your region. You just need to be the most compelling one to do business with.

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Ready to Elevate Your Pitch?

If you're working to attract retailers or build a stronger case for investment, we can help.

Schedule a consultation with our team to review your existing materials, identify data gaps, and outline the strongest possible retail story for your city.

👉 Request a Strategy Consultation

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