Sports leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB generate billion-dollar revenues, and the venues where these games take place hold significant commercial potential. Many stadiums not only host sporting events but also concerts and other shows, accommodating tens of thousands of spectators at once. This creates enormous opportunities for a mix of uses including retail, dining, and advertising.
Placer.ai explored location intelligence metrics for some of the largest stadiums across the country, uncovering the commercial potential beyond ticketing revenue alone. It examined where visitors to different stadiums prefer to shop, how specific sporting and cultural events influence nearby restaurant scenes differently, and how stadium operators, local businesses, and advertisers customize their offerings to cater to a stadium’s specific audience throughout the year.
Sports fans are known to be passionate, engaged, and willing to spend money on their team – but stadium visitors also shop for non-sports related goods and services. Retailers and advertisers can draw on location analytics to uncover the consumer preferences of stadium visitors and tailor campaigns, sponsorships, and collaborations accordingly.
Data on visitation to the top five most visited MLB stadiums in 2023 revealed variations in the apparel and sporting goods shopping preferences among attendees. While 39.4% of Atlanta’s Truist Park visitors also patronized DICK’s during 2023, only 30.8% of those at New York’s Yankee Stadium did the same. Similarly, while 29.9% of Yankee Stadium visitors frequented Kohl’s, the figure rose to 47.3% for St. Louis’ Busch Stadium attendees.
