Downtown Boulder User Survey 2012 November 2012
Presentation Overview o Methodology o Key findings and highlights o Visitor Profile o Marketing & Media o Spending Patters o Transportation & Parking o Impact of Transient Behavior o Satisfaction/Motivation to Visit o Special Events o Competition o Additional Feedback
Methodology o 750 completed interviews collected between late July and mid-september 2012 o Random intercept surveys conducted on the four blocks of Pearl Street Mall plus one block east and west of the mall proper o Surveys conducted between 9:30am and 7:30pm o Similar methodology to past years, allowing for comparison over time
Key Findings & Highlights o Similar visitor profile to that of years past (roughly one-third Boulder residents and one-quarter out-ofstate visitors) o Slight decline in percentage of visitors spending money, but average spending amount increased o Levels of satisfaction generally very high o Presence of transients has overall negative impact on visitor experience
Key Findings & Highlights o Satisfaction with parking is good overall, but higher among out-of-state visitors o Demographic data points to a healthy, diverse mix of users o Farmer s Market, Boulder Creek Festival, Bands on the Bricks, and Art Fair most popular special events o Primary motivation for visiting is enjoying the setting/people watching/hanging out, followed by a meal, employment, and shopping
User Type o City of Boulder residents: 32% o Downtown Boulder: 27% o North Boulder: 23% o Central/West Boulder: 21% o South Boulder: 12% Out-of-state visitors: 27% o Out-of-state visitors: 27% o Colorado outside Boulder County: 21% o Boulder County outside city of Boulder: 11% o International & part-time/summer residents: 8%
Visitor Profile by Year Percent Responding 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% Full time resident of City of Boulder 32% 29% 37% 35% 37% US resident outside Colorado 27% 25% 25% 26% 32% Colorado outside of Boulder County 21% 21% 23% 19% 16% Boulder County outside City of Boulder Part time/summer resident/student 5% 3% 2% 2% 3% 11% 13% 10% 14% 14% 2012 2010 2008 2007 2006 International 3% 2% 2% 5% 3%
Overnight Visitors o 47% of visitors who live outside Boulder County were spending the night o About half were staying with family/friends and half staying in commercial lodging o Average length of stay approximately five nights o Average party size of 2.4 people; single-person parties more common this year than in years past o Visiting family or friends (37%) and general recreation/ vacation (30%) top two reasons for trip
User Demographics o Average age: 42.3 years, most between 25 and 64 o Healthy mix of family types: 28% single no kids, 15% couple no kids, 28% household with kids, 22% empty nesters o 52% male and 48% female o Range of HHI: Most between $25k and $200k o 7% of users students
Marketing & Media o The Internet (42%) and word of mouth (40%) were the top two sources of information for trip planning among overnight visitors o 20% of users were aware of advertising prior to their visit to Downtown Boulder o Of those who were aware of Downtown Boulder advertising, newspaper (38%), boulderdowntown.com (12%), other websites (11%), and radio (6%) were the most common sources of information
Advertising Awareness by Year Percent Responding 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 80% 85% 74%75% 78% No 2012 2010 2008 2007 2006 17% 21% 13% 16% 16% Yes, general Downtown Boulder ad/info 3% 3% 10% 5% 7% Yes, specific merchant ad/info
Spending Patterns o 84% made or will make a purchase o Average per person spending is $60.23, above every year prior o $28.90 in retail stores/art galleries o $27.69 at restaurants/bars o $3.64 on other purchases o Slight decline in overall purchase frequency, increase in average spending per person, rebound in spending patterns for restaurants/bars from 2010 levels
Spending Patterns Average Spending by Year, by Category Year of Survey Spending Patterns 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2012 % Making Purchase Today 89% 88% 89% 84% 89% 84% Restaurant/Bar $19.46 $24.62 $21.88 $27.82 $22.13 $27.69 Retail Store/Art Gallery $27.54 $25.84 $28.38 $26.55 $28.59 $28.90 Other $1.67 $0.80 $1.32 $1.16 $1.41 $3.64 Total $48.67 $51.26 $51.58 $55.53 $52.12 $60.23
Spending Patterns Average Spending by Visitor Type $100 $90 $80 $70 $60 $50 $40 $30 $20 $10 $0 City of Boulder Resident (Non-student) City of Boulder Resident (Student) Boulder Co. Resident CO Resident outside BoCo Visitor living outside CO Average Expenditures Downtown Today $39.46 $42.55 $32.10 $65.22 $87.75 $21.72 $20.00 $16.41 $28.86 $37.55 $14.20 $19.75 $13.75 $32.34 $45.89 $3.54 $2.79 $1.94 $4.02 $4.31 Total Restaurant Retail Other
$87.75 $70.32 $83.07 $80.60 $86.91 $60.23 $52.12 $55.53 $ 51.58 $51.26 Spending Patterns Average Total Spending by Year, by Visitor Type $120 $100 2012 2010 2008 2007 2006 $80 $60 $40 Average Total Spending ($) $39.46 $34.61 $35.57 $29.71 $32.03 $42.55 $24.76 $33.94 $33.97 $31.48 $32.10 $44..28 $45.43 $29.90 $36.222 $65.22 $55.44 $58.14 $61.93 $53.81 $20 $0 City of Boulder Resident (Nonstudent) City of Boulder Resident (Student) Boulder Co. Resident Visitor Type CO Resident outside BoCo Visitor living outside CO Total
Transportation & Parking o 64% drove or were dropped off, 18% walked, 10% rode a bus, 7% rode a bike o Alternative modes of transportation highest among students (75%) and non-student residents (58%) o 42% pay for on-street parking at pay stations and 24% use parking garages o Overall decrease in garage usage from 30% in 2008 o Parking satisfaction generally high, but noticeably higher for out-of-state visitors, and relatively low among city residents
Transportation & Parking Mode of Transportation, by Visitor Type Percent Responding 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Private/ rental vehicle 25% 42% 61% 75% 86% Walk 4% 5% 20% 27% 31% City of Boulder Resident (Non-student) Bicycle 4% 7% 12% 21% 15% City of Boulder Resident (Student) Boulder Co. Resident CO Resident outside BoCo Bus 4% 2% 4% 15% 15% Visitor living outside CO Dropped off 3% 2% 3% 7% 8%
Transportation & Parking Ratings of Parking Experience, by Year Average score 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 Sense of Safety in Parking Garages Overall Ease of Use of Pay Stations Overall Ease of Finding a Space Overall Satisfaction with Parking 4.1 4.2 4.1 4.0 4.0 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.5 4.6 4.7 2012 2010 2008
Transportation & Parking Ratings of Parking Experience, by Year Average score 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 City of Boulder Resident (Non-student) City of Boulder Resident (Student) Boulder Co. Resident CO Resident outside BoCo Visitor living outside CO Sense of Safety in Parking Garages Overall Ease of Use of Pay Stations Overall Ease of Finding a Space Overall Satisfaction with Parking 3.2 4.1 3.8 3.7 4.0 4.3 4.4 3.8 3.5 3.6 3.9 4.1 4.0 3.9 4.2 4.3 4.5 4.8 4.6 4.7
Transient Behavior o Half of respondents indicate that transient activities/behaviors have no impact on downtown experience o 39% said transient behavior has a negative impact, while 11% said it has a positive impact o Overall opinion shows a more negative impact on experience o City residents most likely to feel negatively impacted (52%), followed by county residents (45%)
Transient Behavior 80% Percent Responding 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 11% 7% 19% 14% 15% 8% 4% 28% 18% 33% 31% 30% 28% 22% 50% 65% 42% 43% 48% 47% 62% 8% 7% 5% 8% 6% 2012 - Overall 2010 - Overall City of Boulder Resident (Non-student) City of Boulder Resident (Student) Boulder Co. Resident CO Resident outside BoCo Visitor living outside CO 14% 7% 3% 3% 0% 5% 1% 3% 4% 1 -Strong Negative Impact 2 3 -No Impact 4 5 -Strong Positive Impact
Satisfaction o When asked about opinions on the general direction of downtown experience, most respondents indicated it was improving (35%) or staying the same (44%) o General satisfaction very high o Highest rated aspects of the experience: o Sense of security/safety o Overall cleanliness and maintenance o Family orientation/kids play areas o Although most satisfaction levels down slightly, restaurants receive consistently high ratings
Satisfaction Mean Rating (1 = Poor / 2 = Below Average / 3 = Average / 4 = Good / 5 = Very Good) 3.0 3.5 4.0 3.9 4 4.1.0 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.5 5.0 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.6 Directory Information & Signs Variety of Retail Shops/ Art Galleries Special Events/ Festivals 2012 2010 2008 2007 2006 Customer Service in Retail Stores Downtown Information Center Family Orientation/ Kids Play Areas Variety of Restaurants Overall Cleanliness & Maintenance Feeling of Security/ Safety
Motivation to Visit o Primary reason for coming downtown o Enjoy the setting/people watching/hanging out (26%) o Eating a meal (15%) o Employment reasons (15%) o Shopping (13%) o Top secondary reasons o Eating a meal (49%) o Hanging out (49%) o Coffee/ice cream/snack (46%) o Shopping (34%) o Watching street entertainment (23%)
Primary Reason for Visit (1 of 2) 45% 40% 40% City of Boulder Resident (Non-student) City of Boulder Resident (Student) Responding Percent 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 15% 12% 25% 26% 21% 12% 21% 18% 16% 20% 15% 13% 14% Boulder Co. Resident CO Resident outside BoCo Visitor living outside CO 9% 9% 9% 11% 21% 15% 18% 9% 10% 10% 11% 9% 6% 13% 5% 4% 4% 0% Hanging out/ enjoying the setting/ people watching Employment/job Meal -sit down or related/job search take out Shopping Other Special event
Primary Reason for Visit (2 of 2) 45% 40% Percent Responding 35% 30% 25% 20% City of Boulder Resident (Non-student) City of Boulder Resident (Student) Boulder Co. Resident CO Resident outside BoCo Visitor living outside CO 15% 10% 5% 0% 4% 2% 2% 1% 2% Personal services 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% Coffee/ice cream/snack (not a full meal) 2% 0% 1% 2% Professional services 4% 1% 1% 3% 2% 1% Night entertainment 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% Watching street entertainment
Special Events o Farmer s Market is the most popular event (50% of residents have attended in past year), followed by the Boulder Creek Festival (31%) o Bands on the Bricks (18%) and Art Fair/special arts and craft fairs (17%) also drawing in relatively high attendance o Increasing percentage has attended events in other surrounding communities (54%, compared to 33% in 2010)
Special Events 50% 31% 31% 49% 38% 25% 29% 27% 41% 28% % 62% 55% 32% 33% % 43% 44% 31% 28% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% cent Responding 2012 2010 2008 2007 2006 20% 18% 17% 9% 6% 6% 4% 4% 12% 7% 11% 22% 19% 14% 11% 11% 10% 6% 14% 9% 22% 9% 20% 18% 14% 11% 0% 10% 20% Perc
Competition o Average city/county resident has visited downtown 15.4 times in the past two months o 29 th Street Mall also a popular destination (4.8 times) o Downtown Denver averages 1.8 visits o Louisville, Lafayette, Niwot averaged 2.3 visits
Competition Average Visits by Location, Past 2 Months 18 12.0 15.4 13.6 15.0 14.7 16 14 12 2012 2010 2008 2007 2006 10 8 Visits 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.0 0.2 1.8 1.6 2.3 1.4 2.6 2.1 1.9 1.5 1.3 2.6 2.9 2.6 2.1 4.8 4.2 5.5 6 4 2 0 Downtown Boulder 29th Street Downtown Denver Louisville, Lafayette, Niwot Main St/ Old Town Flatiron Crossing Cherry Creek Other Orchard Town Ctr Average Number of
Competition o Downtown Boulder users have visited other communities for special events, festivals, etc. o Downtown Denver (20%) o 29 th Street (10%) o Louisville (10%) o Niwot (7%) o Longmont (6%)
B-Cycle Yes, 17% Awareness No, 83% Yes, 38% Usage No, 62%
Additional Stores Desired o Apple store o Banana Republic o Bookstore o H&M J Crew o J Crew o Non-franchise stores/ less chains o Thrift store o Pottery Barn
Additional Restaurants Desired o Authentic Mexican o Breweries (Avery, Upslope, Oskar Blues) o Greek o Locally owned/ less chains o Mongolian BBQ o Pizzeria (Woody s, Rusty s, Louisville Lucky Pie) o Sushi Den
Additional Comments o The meters aren t clear o Add more signs- because of traffic it is difficult to navigate o Discourage smoking o Would like to be able to walk my dog The homeless drives public away o The homeless drives public away o There s not a lot of moderately priced places to go o Open container law would be nice to carry beer on street
Observations/Conclusions o Satisfaction remains high, particularly among out-ofstate visitors o Downtown attracts a healthy, diverse mix of visitors o Average spending up o Potential growth/higher penetration among South Boulder and Boulder County residents o Threats exist from other shopping centers and other communities o Transient behavior has overall negative impact on visitor experience
Thank you! Discussion & Questions