“How about this weather we’re having”, is often used as an ice breaker to start a conversation. Other than that, there hasn’t been much else to think about when it comes to the weather, we just plan on how to deal with it. But now things are starting to change.
Weather has had an impact on human activity for as long as there have been people. In 1904 Edwin Grant Dexter published extensively on the subject, he was a bio meteorologist with a keen interest in weather related behavior. More recently reports from GroundTruth that were published on The Drum found that Americans are happiest when the temperature is between 61 and 75 degrees.
With all this weather data being available at an instant, some are realizing that it can be used as a tool for marketing. Those times mentioned before when Americans are happiest also signify a sharp increase in retail foot traffic. In California for example, in the months with the 61 to 75-degree temperatures, an increase of 15% in retail foot traffic has been noted. Months with temperatures above or below the ideal temperatures experience a drop of 10%. In California, 32% of the people are more likely to go to a movie theater on rainy days. The examples go on and vary depending on the region of the country.
Weather influences not only what people buy, but what they listen to. Accuweather has partnered with Spotify to launch Climatune, a music site that features playlists of popular song selections in various cities during certain types of weather.
It is obvious that weather affects us in many ways including what we buy and when we buy it. It’s no wonder that more marketing companies are figuring out ways to predict buying patterns and trends based on weather data. This is just one more example of how quickly the world is changing because of technology and the ease at which we can gather data.
