The Eras Tour is officially over in Toronto and the numbers are rolling in. According to data from Canadian commerce provider Moneris, during the 10 days surrounding Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour performances at the Rogers Centre (Nov. 14-16 and 21-23), spending in downtown Toronto increased by 45 per cent week-over-week, with a 49 per cent increase in spending at clothing stores and a102 per cent increase for specialty and accessory stores.
“A big part of the economic impact is the spillover effect, where those in town spend on more than just the show itself,” Sean McCormick, VP of Business Development and Data Services at Moneris, said in a news statement on Thursday. “Moneris’ data shows a significant week-over-week increase in international spend across a variety of categories. Tourists extending their stay may have added shopping to their itinerary as spending at accessory stores more than doubled, and clothing stores were up over 80 per cent.”
The restaurant industry also greatly benefitted. According to data from the online restaurant reservation platform OpenTable, there was a significant increase in dining across the city. Compared to Nov. 7 to Nov. 9 when Swift wasn’t performing, Nov.14th to Nov. 16 saw an increase in dining of 14 per cent and Nov. 21 to Nov. 23 saw an increase in dining of 21 percent!
“Cultural events can impact dining trends, as dining saw an increase when the return of a certain iconic pop star came to Toronto in November, according to dining OpenTable data,” Matt Davis, Country Director for OpenTable Canada, said in a statement. “Restaurants embraced cultural impact by introducing special menus and themed cocktails, transforming the city into a vibrant hub and enhancing the dining experience for everyone.”
Food “Eras” trends
OpenTable also conducted a consumer research study on Food Eras trends in Canada. They found that 22 per cent of Canadians polled would travel across the country to see their favourite music act perform a live concert, 16 % would go as far leave the country, and a loyal 10 per cent of fans who would go anywhere in the world to watch their fav star perform!
About 50 per cent of Canadians polled would spend more than they usually would at a restaurant if they were dining out as part of a music concert experience, 46 % would spend more than $40 per person, and 27 per cent would spend more than $50 per person.
For food preferences — 25 per cent of respondents would opt for main courses to fuel their dancing for a night and a further 21 per cent would share small plates as they’d be too excited for the concert to have a big meal.
About 66 per cent of respondents look out for proximity to the venue when deciding where to go for a bite to eat before or after a concert, followed by menu/cuisine offering (65 per cent) and price point (60 per cent).
If you’re into BuzzFeed-type quizzes, the platform also created a cool “Discover which dining era you’re in” quiz to help you discover your Swift Food Era and give you the best dining recommendations. For example, 28 per cent of Canadians are currently in their “Savvy Era” (showing a preference for restaurants with more affordable food), 16 % of Canadians are in their “Experiential Era” (i.e., they desire a bit more from their dining experiences); and 15 % are in their “Wellness Era”, so they opt for healthier dishes at restaurants.
Click here to check out the quiz and here for a wrap-up of the T-Swift concerts.
