The Beyoncé Bump
Yelp Data Shows First Renaissance US Tour Stop Is Already Driving Strong Economic Growth For Local Businesses
July 19, 2023
AT A GLANCE
Beyoncé Concert’s Impact on Philadelphia’s Local Economy
Beyoncé’s global impact on pop culture is without question, but the entertainer is also giving a boost to local shops and businesses thanks to her U.S. tour, according to Yelp data.
Search trends on Yelp the week leading up to Beyoncé’s first Renaissance U.S. tour stop in Philadelphia (week of July 6-12), point to notable increases in people seeking out businesses and services across multiple categories, including hotels (searches up 21%), shopping (up 10%), and beauty services such as hair stylists and nail technicians (up 9%), compared to the weekly average in the previous year. In addition to selling out concert venues, Beyoncé is also making restaurant reservations harder to come by, as diners seated via Yelp on the date of her tour stop in Philadelphia rose more than 30% vs. July 5th the week prior.
Yelp data reveals that Beyoncé fans are seeking diverse businesses. Black-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQ-owned shops saw significant increases in consumer interest during the week before her Philadelphia show (July 6-12), compared to the weekly average in the previous year. In fact, Black-owned businesses saw notable increases in consumer interest for beauty (up 14%) and food businesses (up 4%), while women-owned shops experienced increases in shopping (up 21%) and beauty categories (up 13%). LGBTQ-owned shops saw the biggest increase for shopping categories, jumping 194%. Yelp defines consumer interest by analyzing the variety of actions people take to connect with businesses on Yelp, including viewing and searching business pages, posting photos, business reviews and more.
Glammed Up: Searches for Nail Technicians, Hair Stylists and Hair Extensions Spike
Beauty businesses at future concert dates should plan for busy days leading into the show. Yelp data reveals searches for many beauty services surged, with nail technicians experiencing one of the largest increases, soaring 193% compared to the weekly average in the previous year. Searches for hairstylists spiked by 73%, along with specific searches for wigs (up 81%) and hair extensions (up 23%). Men’s hair styling searches also rose 38%.
Beyoncé is a force, and it’s fascinating to see the level of excitement and tangible interest generated for the local shops and businesses as her tour kicks off. Whether it’s people looking for dining and nightlife options, getting glammed up or booking transportation, the ‘Beyoncé Bump’ is real, and it’s helping more people connect with local businesses in their communities.
— Tara Lewis, Yelp's Trend Expert
Driver, Roll Up the Partition, Please: Fans Arrive in Style as Limousine Searches Increase
Beyoncé fans planned their transportation options ahead of the concert, with many arriving in style, as searches for town car services (up 69%) and limousines (up 23%) rose in the week of the Philadelphia concert, compared to the weekly average the previous year.
The After Party: Late Night Food and Nightlife Searches Rise
According to Yelp data, celebrations likely continued post-concert, as late-night restaurants and nightlife businesses saw search increases across multiple categories, including bartenders (up 87%), country dance halls (up 61%), street food vendors (up 44%), Philly cheesesteaks (up 8%) and dance clubs (up 6%). Yelp data also suggests some parents were planning to enjoy Beyoncé’s concert kid-free, as consumer interest in childcare saw an increase of 5%.
BEYONCÉ BY THE NUMBERS
Yelp Data Shows Increases in Consumer Searches Leading Into Beyoncé’s Philadelphia Show
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Methodology
Consumer Searches
Yelp identified trends within consumer searches by comparing the number of total searches from July 6 - July 12, 2023 vs. the weekly average of total searches in the previous year (July 2023 to July 2022) in Philadelphia, PA. “Searches” were based on consumer search queries and queries when they clicked on a suggested category.
Diners Seated via Yelp
Diners Seated via Yelp includes diners seated from via the Yelp app, Yelp on web or widgets on restaurant websites, it excludes diners seated via walk-in diners, phone calls and other host adds. Changes in reservations and waitlist were measured by comparing Diners Seated in Philadelphia on July 5 vs. July 12.
Consumer Interest
Yelp measures consumer interest by looking at select actions users take in connection with businesses on Yelp: such as viewing business pages, or posting photos or reviews. In this report, Yelp analyzed changes in consumer interest for businesses with a Black, LGBTQ+, or Women-owned attribute by comparing consumer interest from July 6 - July 12, 2023 vs. the weekly average of consumer interest in the previous year in Philadelphia, focusing on each category’s share of all consumer actions in its root category or child category.
Identity Attributes on Yelp
Business owners can select identity attributes to display on their business page by logging into their Yelp for Business account. This includes self-identifying as Asian-owned, Black-owned, Latinx-owned, LGBTQ-owned, veteran-owned or women-owned, as well as our Open to All attribute, which allows businesses to identify as a safe and welcoming place to everyone—regardless of ethnicity, race, sex, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Users can find these businesses when searching by these attributes. These business attributes are opt-in only and can only be added by the business.
Downloadable static graphics can be found here.
See Yelp's previous Coronavirus Economic Impact Reports at our Data Science Medium, Locally Optimal.
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