World Cup Boost For Retailers, Study Finds

The FIFA World Cup is still expected to provide a welcome boost to retailers, as 47% intend to watch the football tournament despite Ireland's failure to qualify. Research published today by ecommerce partner Webloyalty found that retailers with snacks could see a sales boost of 19%, and an 18% boost for retailers offering pizza and other fast food items. Only 7% say that they will purchase alcohol for home consumption during the games, compared to 11% who will purchase non-alcoholic drinks for home viewing. Ireland's failure to qualify has seemingly deterred many from tuning into the sporting event however, and the World Cup is not expected to have as big an impact on retailers as previous years. Of the 53% that said they will not watch the tournament, 31% said they will actively go out of their way to avoid watching it. Guy Chiswick, Webloyalty said; “The FIFA World Cup is normally a huge boost for retailers of all types. However Ireland’s failure to qualify means retailers will have to work harder to tap into World Cup fever. It’s not a total loss though as snacks, pizzas, fast food and drinks will still get a boost.” The tournament is not expected to delivery a a significant boost to the bars and pubs trade in Ireland either. Only 19% said that they will be screening as much of the World Cup as possible, and under a quarter (24%) of people say they will watch some of the games at a pub. Neil Saunders, managing director, Conlumino said “Things are far from robust and retailers remain under significant pressure. […] Events such as the World Cup are a welcome distraction for consumers and retailers need to capitalize on them to generate trade.”