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City’s place-data, gift-card balances and restaurant survey show mixed signals for downtown recovery
Summary
Commissioners heard city marketing and data updates showing strong pedestrian impressions on Pearl Street, $485,000 in outstanding gift-card balances, and a restaurant survey indicating steady or modestly lower income paired with rising costs.
City staff presented multiple data points Jan. 14 intended to guide downtown marketing and business outreach: PlaceR AI and pedestrian counts, a new downtown guide, gift-card sales and outstanding balances, and an industry survey with results staff say can shape promotions.
PlaceR AI and pedestrian counts: Staff said PlaceR AI recorded roughly 1.6 million visits to Pearl Street Mall in the prior year and that average dwell time was about one hour, 16 minutes. Staff noted pedestrian counts differ from PlaceR AI impressions because pedestrian counters record people on foot at a location while PlaceR AI provides richer aggregated impressions, including repeat passes.
Gift cards: staff reported $485,000 in outstanding gift-card balances. They said the city sold $88,000 in gift cards in December and will switch vendors in summer to offer a digital wallet option that integrates with Apple Pay; staff said the change will also eliminate manual fulfillment work currently done by city staff.
Restaurant survey: staff and Visit Boulder conducted a citywide restaurant survey that yielded 109 responses. Staff said most respondents reported year-to-date income “about the same” or down less than 10 percent versus 2023, while costs have risen; staff summarized the main concerns as rising labor costs (minimum wage increases), operating expense rises and seasonal demand fluctuations. Respondents expressed interest in promotional programs (citywide restaurant weeks or dining campaigns), and staff said they are exploring partnerships to revive events such as First Bite or alternative promotions to support dining businesses.
Marketing: staff said fall and winter creative campaigns had strong click-through rates and that the downtown guide (25,000 copies) was distributed to visitor centers, hotels and via a Colorado Tourism partnership. Staff said marketing dollars are focused locally and in Metro Denver, with Visit Boulder handling broader state-level promotion.
Why it matters: staff framed these data as the basis for targeted activation, sponsor recruitment and marketing decisions meant to boost foot traffic and spending. Commissioners asked for clearer indicators and for case studies that show how permitting or program changes have shortened timelines for businesses.
Staff plan a vendor change for gift cards in summer to enable digital wallet delivery and reduce staff fulfillment time; they will continue marketing campaigns and consider restaurant promotions to support businesses reporting higher costs.
