Exploring local high street usage through mobility data: Is there a trend towards more weekend visits?

In Part 3 of our blog series on Huq’s Local High Streets Report we look at the use of rural and urban high streets on different days of the week. Did visitor engagement change during Covid-19? Can we identify any trends?

To explore Huq’s unique insights into pandemic trends and their impact on the future of local high streets, download the full Local High Streets Report 2022.

Evidence of high street use by day of the week

Using CommunityVision^® mobility data, Huq’s Report shows clear changes in the days of the week that attracted the longest visits in 2020 and 2021. Early data for 2022 suggests a continuation of this trend.

Weekends show a strong increase

Saturdays and Sundays have attracted the most significant increases in dwell-time, rising 47% and 64% respectively in 2021 compared to January 2020. This could be due to residents making use of their local high streets at weekends rather than travelling to cities or going on holidays

Mondays and Tuesdays attract longer visits

Mondays and Tuesdays now also attract longer visits, up 40% and 36% respectively. This could be linked to people working from home and therefore able to visit their local high street during the day more easily.

Further mobility data insights provide more evidence

Now that councils can see and interrogate mobility data insights through CommunityVision®, they can use different filters and modules to further identify what is driving change. For example, Huq’s Report digs deeper into which local high streets have seen the best recovery (there is an outstanding leader – what are they doing right?). Download the full Local High Streets Report to find out more.

Does mobility data show use of your local high street is changing?

Find evidence of weekday and weekend trends in your community so that you can base your decisions on hard data. Contact us now to see how we can help your local high street.