What is Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM)?

Marketing mix modelling (MMM) is a statistical tool that helps organisations understand and quantify the impact of marketing activities on consumers’ behaviours, sales, return on investment (ROI) and more. It breaks down an organisation’s performance by channel, incorporating various types of data to evaluate effectiveness and determine which marketing activities are most heavily influencing the organisation’s business outcomes, which we explore further in our blog on marketing mix modelling.  

Based on a series of steps, MMM begins with data collection of marketing variables, followed by an analysis of the data collected to identify relationships or patterns and building a customised model to showcase actions and results. Finally, scenario testing can be conducted to gauge possible outcomes, leveraging the results to optimise marketing strategies and bolster decision-making. 

What is multi-touch attribution (MTA)?

Multi-touch attribution values each customer touchpoint leading to conversion, with its goal being to decipher the marketing channels or campaigns that should be credited with the conversion. The intention of this is to measure the effectiveness of each channel or touchpoint so that marketers are aware of where they should focus efforts and resources and allocate future spend in the most effective ways possible to enhance customer acquisition efforts.  

Through multi-touch attribution, a more comprehensive view into customer journeys can be gained, enabling organisations to create better strategies or optimise their ad spend in line with market shifts. The ability to see how each touchpoint impacts a sale is what allows organisations to dissect customer journeys and allocate budgets accordingly.

What are the differences between multi-touch attribution (MTA) vs marketing mix modelling (MMM)?

Aggregated versus disaggregated data

Aggregated data is statistical data used in MMM that is grouped into channels, regions or times to assess trends in terms of how channels contribute to sales. Disaggregated data, on the other hand, is behavioural data that is used in MTA to gain the most detailed insights possible at user or individual level.  

Organisations require aggregate information for visibility into external trends that may be affecting marketing efforts and conversions. In comparison, the precise level of detail available through disaggregated data is critical in MTA as it is required for assigning multiple touchpoints within a customer journey.

Objective and impact assessment

MTA uses trackable customer interactions to understand the importance of each touchpoint. As a result, one of the most substantial differences between these two is their objective. MTA focuses on the impact of specific, individual touch points and their sale or conversions impact, whereas MMM focuses on the overall impact of your marketing mix and how that combination influences sales or other outcomes.

Choosing the right approach for your company

MMM’s main goal is to help organisations deduce overall business outcomes and MTA helps organisations understand the contributions of individual touchpoints to conversions or actions. MMM includes both online and offline channels, whereas MTA only includes digital channels that track individual user behaviours. 

While MTA may not be easy to implement due to ever-changing customer journeys paired with uniting all touchpoints across various devices, channels and platforms, it does enable flexibility and offers a more granular understanding of what does and does not work within marketing initiatives. This flexibility and granularity equips organisations with insights that allow for informed, data-driven decision-making for digital marketing campaigns.

When to use multi-touch attribution modelling (MTA)

Multi-touch attribution has become a staple for organisations requiring tactical insights and are focused on short-term optimisation by measuring and quantifying the impact that their digital marketing campaigns are having. The visibility that multi-touch attribution modelling provides into the success of touchpoints across a customer’s journey is unparalleled. This insight is critical for organisations to consider amidst consumers’ increasing wariness of marketing messaging. Through this, the right audiences and their respective marketing preferences can be identified across channels, enabling customised messaging to be created and the right consumers on the right channels at the right times to be reached. 

Maximising ROI can also be made possible through multi-attribution modelling by engaging with consumers in fewer though more frequent and impactful marketing messages that ultimately shorten sales cycles. 

When to use marketing mix modelling (MMM)

Marketing mix modelling should be used when needing to understand the combined impact of advertising spending, promotions, pricing and distribution channels. It can be particularly impactful for organisations that are well-established and have a plethora of data over the course of many years to work with. From media activities to external variables including macroeconomic factors and competitors’ activities and internal variables like product distribution, product changes and price changes, countless categories can be monitored for organisations to analyse data and understand the relationship between sales and these elements. Its [immunity to the everchanging privacy landscape] is also a key advantage.

How to use both approaches together

Both MTA and marketing mix modelling MMM are key approaches in the realm of marketing analytics. When used together, MMM can offer macro-level views into marketing impact on revenue, while MTA can supply granular insights into the effectiveness of specific marketing channels. Organisations that understand when and how to use both approaches will find themselves transforming their marketing strategies and maximising their ROI.  

Combining these two approaches when building an attribution strategy is often recommended. However, MMM will ultimately be most effective for gaining long-term, strategic insights that can bolster planning and financial outcomes, whereas MTA is best suited for short-term, tactical insights that can enhance day-to-day optimisation, campaigns and decision-making. 

How CACI can help

CACI supports businesses in their delivery of optimised marketing efficiency by:  

• Determining the value and performance of activity through evolved multi-touch & econometric modelling
• Producing results to sustain & increase growth through targeted investment & improved marketing performance
• Delivering improved accuracy, consistency and availability of marketing performance insights
• Enhancing capability by evolving data, technology & process
• Supporting the provision of ongoing strategic & delivery resource.

Find out more about the impact that digital attribution modelling can have on your business by contacting us today. 

Watch a session from our recently event on how to optimise marketing performance through Commercial Mix Modelling.

Sources:

• https://segment.com/academy/advanced-analytics/an-introduction-to-multi-touch-attribution/
• https://funnel.io/blog/mta-vs-mmm#:~:text=Marketing%20mix%20modeling%20(MMM)%20and,effectiveness%20of%20specific%20marketing%20channels
• https://www.marketingevolution.com/marketing-essentials/multi-touch-attribution
• https://segment.com/academy/advanced-analytics/an-introduction-to-multi-touch-attribution/
• https://www.marketingevolution.com/marketing-essentials/multi-touch-attribution

As businesses grow, so do the expectations of their customer experiences and those delivering it. Acquiring more customers, more products and, therefore, more data comes with increased complexity and an increasing demand on those in marketing, data and IT to enable growth.  

A successful growth agenda must consider not just the business goals, but the actionable steps to achieve them. These steps should include understanding the data, the insights it will deliver and the technical capabilities of how to scale. This can be a daunting challenge given the complexity and scope of the market.  

In this blog, we will explore how an enhanced customer experience can be delivered alongside business growth and the common issues businesses face, from operating at scale and delivering high-value experiences with limited technical resource to optimising technology for growth.   

The challenges of operating at scale

Businesses experiencing rapid growth on the journey from start-up to breaking into the mid-market and beyond find themselves in a complex landscape. With growing volumes of customer data, pressure to deliver an effective customer experience and legacy technology from early in the business’ trajectory, the challenge of maintaining that growth can be significant.  

These challenges can be broken out across the pillars of Data, Technology and People and Process. However, these are fundamentally reliant on each other, with each requiring attention to enable an impactful customer experience. 

Data is critical for understanding your customers and provides the foundation for your customer experience. Leveraging your customer understanding enables personalisation and brings you closer to a 1:1 relationship. The challenge is drawing insight from your customer data, considering things like segmentation and modelling to understand behaviour, then making that understanding actionable and available to be used for personalisation.  

This brings us to Technology. Underlying martech is the engine for customer experience, fuelled by data. Businesses often hold on to legacy systems and processes, which can become limiting factors when experiencing growth. Scaling existing technology can create bloat and operational inefficiencies as the aspirations are built on unsteady foundations.  

With Data and Technology in place, there is still the strategic element to consider. Mature, data-led businesses treat their customer experience as an iterative process. By monitoring campaign performance and understanding their customers, their communications are personalised across content, timing and channel, and they are constantly assessing how they can be more relevant and engaging for their customer. 

Enabling this iterative cycle requires a nimble customer experience, paired with the breaking down of silos between marketing, data and IT functions to enable your team to work efficiently and keep up with consumer demands.  

By putting customer understanding and activation along with the right tools in the hands of the marketer, they can identify and deliver high-value activities across customer acquisition, retention and win-back.   

Delivering high impact solutions with limited technical resources

The answer to the question: “What are the high-value activities of our brand?” is often hidden within the data. Focused insight gathering and customer understanding can reveal where in the process customers churn, what marketing is effective and what could be done better.  

Often the challenge here is again one of resource: finding someone with the right skills and resources to draw insight from data, present it clearly for marketers, data experts and C-suite, and then use this to inform the customer experience.  

This process is ongoing and iterative. A one-off solve will always be limited as customer needs, products and demographics evolve over time. Therefore, effective growth requires a dedicated measurement framework to ensure the customer experience is driving results.  

By taking a customer-first approach and prioritising your high-value activity, you can articulate what you need to deliver the experience effectively, whether that is more understanding of who your customers are, better capacity to automate and personalise, or more substantial reporting to continue iterating to grow closer to your customer.  

Optimising technology for business growth

High-value activities depend on the right technology. Legacy systems often hinder growth by limiting access to real-time data and advanced capabilities required for superior customer experiences. 

Growing businesses often outgrow legacy platforms, which lack the sophistication needed for modern demands. Upgrading to advanced marketing platforms allows companies to enable personalised, multi-channel journeys, automate tasks at scale and leverage AI-powered insights, helping marketers meet evolving customer expectations with greater efficiency. 

Selecting and implementing the right technology can be a challenge, however. The martech space is incredibly crowded with, at time of writing, over 14,000 products (per Scott Brinker’s State of the MarTech report), all with their capability, functionality and requirements. To select the right tool, businesses must consider what their aspirational customer experience is, how the tool integrates with the rest of their stack and how they are going to deliver value quickly after embarking on implementation.  

What should brands do and how can CACI help?

To successfully scale up your business without compromising your customer experience, CACI suggests considering your data, technology and operational processes ahead of making major changes. The key to growth is working backwards from your aspirational state to construct an actionable maturity roadmap. This ensures you are dedicating time and effort to the immediate priorities that will bring value back to the business while working towards your goal state. 

Our tried-and-tested approach of bringing together experts on Data, Technology, People and Processes has delivered results for complex brands like EasyJet and ASOS. CACI’s data-led, customer-centric approach focuses on enabling the customer experience by understanding the overall business vision and customer needs, considering market positioning and the steps a brand can take to sustainably and effectively deliver on their ambition. 

If you are looking to accelerate customer data or technology changes by connecting and activating your insight, please get in touch to discuss what strategies and solutions that our team of experts can help you deliver.

Related case studies

• Transforming Bupa’s customer journeys
• Activating data for a flagship customer experience project for the RAC
• Enabling Legal and General to become data led, technology enabled and customer experience-focused

During a recent visit home, my family and I took a trip into Liverpool. As part of the day out, I had a wander around Liverpool ONE and— as feels mandatory for anyone who visits— popped into Liverpool ONE’s new-and-improved Zara store.

The elevated Zara is markedly an easier shop— more spacious, easy to navigate and more aesthetically appealing— transforming it into a showroom-style experience. While I didn’t purchase anything at the time, it did make me consider how a change in store format might inspire additional spend.

How a physical Zara store influences online spending

This updated Zara experience in Liverpool ONE isn’t just a boost for in- store shopping, its presence also inspires a substantial increase in online purchases too. Prior to the renovations, the store already contributed to a 25% increase in online sales locally. Zara now offers a hybrid shopping experience which inspires more customers to shop online, creating a blend of online and offline shopping.

The new-and-improved  store has further embraced hybrid technology to bridge the gap between physical and digital shopping, with innovative features like Store Mode. With Store Mode, shoppers can check real-time stock on the app or website, or even order items for same-day pickup in-store.

Other tech-focused improvements combat the infamous queues, including RFID trackers for quicker item processing in changing rooms, self-service kiosks and online booking for changing rooms. These features are a welcome upgrade that not only improve the in-store experience, but also provide a smoother transition between online and physical shopping.

Assessing the broader impact of in-store experiences

To understand the full impact of Zara’s presence, it’s essential to consider more than just in-store sales. Recent data from CACI’s “Voice of the Nation” survey reveals that a positive in-store experience can drive 36% more purchases, with a showroom-style layout adding another 19%. However, this effect varies by demographic— younger shoppers are drawn to interactive showroom features, while older customers respond positively to an overall pleasant in-store environment. 

For landlords, recognising the broader value of physical retail spaces is key. The halo effect of a well-designed store can enhance a brand’s online sales significantly, but this impact depends on factors such as the store’s type, location and shopper demographic. For example, a city centre location can drive 13pp more online spending for fashion retailers than a similar store in a Regional Mall. For a store generating £1 million in revenue, this difference could equate to £130,000 in additional online sales. 

How can CACI help?

As consumer behaviours shift towards a blended online and offline shopping experience, it is important that both landlords and tenants can quantify the online halo to understand the true value of a store in influencing online spend. 

CACI can quantify the online halo for over 41 million combinations of shoppers, locations and asset types, helping brands to maximise their retail impact. Further insight into the online halo will be shared in our upcoming blog series that will explore how and why major cities demonstrate the strongest online halo impact and the overall effect on sales, how the halo impact increases by the number of locations with overlapping catchments, the interlinking of the online halo with target demographics, and impact of proximity on outlet store versus concept store performance. 

Discover how the online halo can support your business strategies for the future, contact us today! 

In our previous blog in this series, we assessed the impact of the grey belt initiative on housing nationally. In this blog, we turn our attention to two regions: North West England and Scotland, assessing the potential impact of the grey belt initiative on both regions.

How will the grey belt initiative affect North West England?

The North West represents one of the biggest opportunities for the grey belt, where 69,820 new homes could be delivered across the 951 potential grey belt locations identified by VirginLand. While the North West is not, in fact, the region with the largest number of individual sites (Scotland has 5,960 sites and South East England has 3,207 identified locations), it is home to the largest sites, with each location able to accommodate 73 units on average across 2.4 hectares.

What makes the grey belt a good bet for the North West is not just the number and size of sites identified, but their location relative to potential movers. In fact, 58% of all home movers in the North West live within the grey belt catchment, comprising over 1 million movers.

Using CACI’s Paycheck and StreetValue datasets, the affordability levels within the catchment of the grey belt sites can be assessed to better understand the regional role that the grey belt can play. At five times the average household income, house-price-to-earning ratios within the catchment area of the grey belt are in line with the North West average (5.1 times income) and below the national average of 6.8 times income. At the same time, private rents sit at just 18.3% of the average earnings, against a regional backdrop of 21.1% and national averages of 27.6% of earnings. The requirements of the grey belt in the North West are not necessarily to deliver dramatically more affordable housing than is already available in the area, but to increase the overall supply of housing.

How will the grey belt initiative affect Scotland?

As with the North West, the grey belt is well located to serve the needs of many home movers in Scotland, with 54% of all movers living within easy reach of the 5,960 sites identified by VirginLand. Although numerous, the sites in Scotland are the smallest of any region, averaging at just 0.4 hectares that could accommodate 12 new dwellings.

Unlike the North West, there is a clear set of characteristics among catchment movers that provide clear guidance on the type of housing that is needed of Scotland’s grey belt. Of the 665,000 potential catchment movers, 44% are expected to move to flats (against a national average of 18%) and 28% to move to social rented accommodation (against a national average of 19%). CACI’s geodemographic segmentation of the UK, Acorn, provides further clarity, with high concentrations of people moving to “Hard Up Household”, “Cash Strapped Family”, “Constrained Pensioner” and “Challenged Circumstances” neighbourhoods.

These demographic groups are some of the most economically strained within our society, and audiences that we have demonstrated in previous articles have had relatively little new housing delivery in recent years. On a practical sense, it has proved hard for private enterprise to make truly affordable new housing projects for these groups commercially viable because of the prices that they can afford to pay relative to project costs. However, this is a challenge that will need to be overcome to unlock the full potential of the grey belt in Scotland, either through closer collaboration or the delivery of blended neighbourhoods.

What conclusions can be drawn from these two regions and applies to the grey belt initiative on a national scale?

Contained within these two regions are the following important conclusions that can be applied to the national picture:

How CACI can help?

To learn more about how you can ensure that your developments are meeting the demands of local movers, contact CACI.

Missed the previous blogs? Find the links to the series so far below:

How grey belt sites will help tackle the UK housing crisis

Grey belt sites: what they are, locations & impact on housing

Assessing the impact of the grey belt initiative on a National scale

In our previous blog in this series, we dove into what grey belt sites are, including their locations and projected impact on the future of housing. Today, we’ll examine the grey belt strategy on a national scale.

How can the grey belt initiative impact housing on a national scale?

As previously highlighted, the government aims to build 1.5 million homes in the next five years. If successfully implemented, the grey belt initiative could play a pivotal role in meeting this ambitious target. The former government set significant housebuilding goals—constructing 300,000 homes annually and achieving 1 million new homes over a parliamentary term. However, the figures for 2021-22 and 2022-23 fell short, with only around 235,000 homes built each year. With the new Labour government adopting even more aggressive targets, innovative strategies like repurposing grey belt land could be key to delivering homes on a larger scale.

VirginLand research has uncovered nearly 8,000 potential grey belt sites across England and a further 6,000 in Scotland. The 7,823 sites in England could collectively accommodate up to 450,000 new homes, while the 5,960 in Scotland could accommodate 74,000. With a total capacity of 524,000 new homes, the grey belt represents a substantial opportunity to address the housing shortage. In partnership, CACI has revealed that 36% of all home movers in these regions live within two miles of a potential grey belt site. To put this into perspective, nearly 5 million potential home movers are currently situated within the catchment areas of these sites. This emphasises the strategic importance of grey belt land, not only in providing housing, but in meeting demand where people are already seeking to relocate.

The fact that one in three movers live so close to these sites is a powerful indicator of the relevance of grey belt land in addressing the housing needs of a growing, mobile population. This proximity strengthens the case for rolling out the grey belt strategy on a national level, offering immediate and long-term benefits to communities in need of affordable housing solutions.

How undeserved & undersupplied groups will be supported by the grey belt initiative

The accompanying data illustrates the national picture of the new grey belt strategy, highlighting the importance of addressing the housing needs of underserved groups. Housing development has traditionally focused on a few demographic clusters, with the “Tenant Living” group (18%) receiving a large share of new housing deliveries. This reflects a growing focus on affordable housing and rental markets, which are crucial for tackling the UK’s housing crisis. However, the grey belt strategy seeks to broaden this scope, opening up underutilised land for development to benefit a wider range of demographics, including “Limited Budgets” (3.3%) and “Hard-Up Households” (2.8%).

Further research conducted by CACI highlights the potential of grey belt sites to serve undersupplied groups. Data reveals that people living within two miles of potential grey belt sites skew towards lower affluence groups, which have historically been underserved in new housing developments. Groups such as “Limited Budgets” (6.1%), “Hard-Up Households” (8.4%) and “Cash-Strapped Families” (7.3%) represent a significant proportion of grey belt movers compared to the profile of new homes delivered over the past five years.

This shift indicates that the grey belt holds immense potential to cater to these underserved demographics, offering new housing opportunities that align more closely with the needs of lower-income populations. By unlocking development in the grey belt, the government has the opportunity to meet its housing targets while addressing the imbalances in housing availability for a broader spectrum of society. This strategy is not just about numbers; it’s about making housing accessible and affordable for the people who need it most.

How CACI can help?

Stay tuned for the next blog in this series, where we’ll explore the potential that this grey belt initiative has on the North West and Scotland. In the meantime, contact CACI to find out how you can ensure that your developments are meeting the demands of local movers.

The UK has not been meeting its house building targets for some time. This is not new news, but it is worth reiterating the scale of shortfall. Over the past five years, we have consistently delivered 20% fewer homes than were targeted: a total miss of nearly 300,000 homes (or put another way, an entire year’s target). 

Couple this with projected population growth and we can see why house building has made its way up the political agenda. The population is expected to swell by 3.8 million people over the coming 10 years, and naturally, these people will need somewhere to live.  

In this blog series, CACI and Virgin Land will uncover key questions around the future of house building targets and how they can be addressed via grey belt sites, including their locations and desirability, whether they create suitable opportunities for inhabitants and how they vary by region.

Where should new house building targets be focused?

Population growth will concentrate around major towns and cities, especially given that 14 of the largest 15 towns and cities have projected growth rates that outstrip the UK average. However, cities are not always where the market has delivered new homes. In fact, eight of those top 15 towns and cities have housing delivery rates that lag behind the national average. Therefore, new housing targets should be geographically directed to the places that people want to live. 

Who should be the focus of house building targets?

Housing growth should be targeted at the people that need it most. Left to its own devices, the market has delivered new housing that concentrates around a few demographic groups. Using CACI’s Acorn segmentation to profile new homes delivered in the last five years, we can see clear trends in the data; Tenant Living (young, urban renters) comprise 18% of new homes but just 12% of the population, Semi-Rural Maturity and Mature Success (two affluent, older groups who are likely to be downsizing) collectively account for 20% of new homes but just 13% of the population. Lower affluent, urban families such as Limited Budgets, Hard-Up Households and Cash Strapped Families, however, have received disproportionately little housing development.  

This is not to lay blame on housebuilders; the commercial challenges of development in urban environments are clearly contributing factors, however, the impact is one of acute supply challenges in specific demographic groups who are coincidentally the groups most likely to be living in over-occupied housing. To maximise the impact of housebuilding initiatives, the route forward requires a more collaborative approach, which the newly formed MADE Partnership may well deliver. 

How will the grey belt make a difference for house building targets?

Central to the Labour government’s housing policy is the rezoning of poor-quality green belt sites into the “grey belt”, effectively opening swathes of previously unavailable land for development. But how influential could this policy change be? CACI and Virgin Land have partnered to uncover the potential impact that opening up the grey belt can have on housing market dynamics.  

How CACI can help? 

Stay tuned for the next blog in this series, where we’ll dive deeper into grey belts, their locations and their impact on housing. In the meantime, contact CACI to learn more about how you can ensure that your developments are meeting the demands of local movers.

Want to increase your visitors’ spend by 25%? Invest in your amenities.

Facilities are a vital part of retail and leisure destinations. Despite not directly producing turnover, they play an essential part in driving performance. Through research from our Shoppers Dimensions dataset– our database of over 1 million respondents across 270 UK-wide destinations which enables key performance indicator (KPI) benchmarking of assets against similar locations across the UK to contextualise performance and enhance decision-making– we analysed how various KPIs are impacted by consumers’ experiences and perceptions.

So, how exactly are services and amenities within retail destinations affecting consumers’ behaviours? How can retail destinations leverage these insights to bolster experiences and perceptions?

How do consumers’ overall shopping experiences influence their spending behaviours?

According to our research, retail destinations capable of improving their rating of a person’s overall shopping experience may recognise an increase in their average retail spend by £21.

There is an uplift across the board when overall shopping experience is rated 5 out of 5, with average retail spend increasing by 25% and catering spend by 17%.

How do experiences & perceptions of toilets impact retail destinations?

It may not be a glamourous topic, but toilets are often called out by customers as an issue. They are expensive to renovate and maintain, and without a direct revenue stream associated with them, it is easy to think of toilets as a cost. Despite this, our data shows that investing in facilities can actually drive performance.

Firstly, when looking at shopping centre locations of those that rate the toilet facilities 5 out of 5, our data shows that this leads to an uplift in time that a person stays at the destination by 16%, which accounts for 12 additional minutes per customer. But how does this additional dwell time translate into spend? Customers that give toilets a top rating record a 26% uplift on their average retail spend, an increase of approximately £21.34 per customer.

Retail is not the only category affected. In fact, catering conversion experiences an uplift of 5 percentage points and the average spend on catering increases by 19%. There is therefore direct value to unlock by maintaining and improving these facilities, even if that means you have to spend a few pennies to do so.

How to attract more family groups from further afield 

Family groups can be a hard group to target, but once at the destination, they are likely to come for ‘Big Day Out’ trips which are associated with a higher average spend. For many destinations, this group tends to live further afield, such as in the suburbs of a city.

When family facilities are rated higher, there is an uplift in their drivetime by 23%, an increase in their dwell time by 17% along with an uplift of 25% in associated retail spend. Showing that better family facilities draw in these high-spending visitors from further away

How do car park experiences & perceptions impact interactions with the rest of the shopping centre?

One of the most interesting findings we came across when looking into the impact of ratings was with overall parking experience. This is another topic that consumers are passionate about; ever hard-to-please, the consumer wants it to be cheaper, with more spaces and of a better quality.

But do better perceptions really lead to stronger key performance metrics? In short, the answer is a resounding “yes”. Those who rate the overall parking experience 5 out of 5 see an uplift in dwell, retail and catering average spend and conversion. The greatest uplifts are in dwell time and average retail spend.

On average, dwell time will see an uplift of 17% (14 minutes) while average retail spend will see an uplift of 30%, leading to an average increase in spend of just over £25.

Key takeaway: higher perceptions equal higher spend

Overall, our data shows that the higher the perceptions, the more people will spend and the longer they will stay. This is the case when we look at the ratings for overall shopping experience, cleanliness, overall parking experience, family facilities, customer services, signage, architecture and toilet facilities.

While it might not be glamourous, strong perceptions of parking experience and toilet facilities do lead to an increase in key performance indicators, proving that there is value to be unlocked by investing in these facilities.

How can CACI help?

At CACI, we understand the impact that driving improved perceptions of facilities within a retail destination can have on consumers’ behaviours, such as which amenities encourage people to visit from further away, stay longer or spend more on their trip.

To gain a better understanding of how consumers interact with places, reach out to us to discuss how we can help you measure your performance and identify growth opportunities. 

Tackling health inequalities is a tremendous challenge.  It requires healthcare organisations to understand the demographics, lifestyles, behaviours, needs, and external pressures that individuals across the country face daily with greater accuracy. Access to accurate and detailed data significantly impacts an organisation’s ability to develop a robust response to inequalities and determine which services will meet local needs.  

In our recent webinar for NHS England on “Tackling Health Inequalities with Effective Data & Insight”, we explored the impact of our datasets and insights on NHS England’s ability to tackle current health inequalities and devise strategies to improve future outcomes.  

So, what have the findings from our various datasets and our Voice of the Nation (VOTN) Q1 2024 survey shown regarding the behaviours and health concerns of different demographic and affluence groups across the UK? How can healthcare organisations apply these findings to improve outcomes for their local communities? 

Half of the survey respondents are concerned about their personal wellbeing and mental health

Personal wellbeing and mental health are incredibly important considerations for the NHS. According to our survey results, these have been hugely concerning for people of various ages across the UK, with 50% of our VOTN Q1 2024 survey respondents claiming to be concerned about both. This is the highest number of respondents for these sentiments that CACI has ever seen in the four years of this survey being conducted, demonstrating the need for healthcare organisations to review their current offering of personal wellbeing and mental health services avoiding a ‘one size fits all’ approach that targets all ages.  

Millennials are the most concerned of all age groups about their health

While the traditional assumption may be that younger generations are more carefree and less preoccupied with the concerns of the world, our survey results have shown the opposite. Millennials were the most concerned of all age groups (from Boomers to Gen Z) for their personal wellbeing and mental health, with more than two-thirds feeling this way. This further reiterates the necessity of ensuring that all age groups—particularly Millennials—are offered relevant personal wellbeing and mental health services. 

Affluence does not shield from health concerns

Our survey results indicated that personal wellbeing and mental health concerns have been affecting individuals across all affluence levels. While one might assume that higher-affluence individuals experience fewer wellbeing and mental health concerns, our findings revealed that as many as half of the respondents from the higher-affluence Acorn categories of Luxury Lifestyles and Established Affluence expressed concern about these aspects of their lives. Respondents from the Low Income Living Acorn category expressed the highest level of concern for both areas.  

These insights provide concrete evidence for healthcare organisations to tailor their services based on the specific needs of different affluence groups, rather than relying on open data or assumptions. These results demonstrate the right healthcare services must be accessible across all affluence levels.  

How can CACI help?

CACI can help healthcare organisations tackle health inequalities, supporting a range of clinical areas of health inequalities from severe mental illness (SMI) to maternity and chronic respiratory disease (CPD) to early cancer diagnosis, hypertension case-finding and more. Our partnership with NHS England provides all 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) with free access to a variety of datasets that are being used to tackle health inequalities.

Contact us today to learn more about our partnership with NHS England or to find out how our datasets can improve outcomes for your healthcare organisation. 

With the continuing trend of hybrid work within worker hubs, consumers’ food-to-go spending in quick service restaurants (QSRs) remains concentrated on some days and displaced on others. Consumers’ wallets also continue to face an ongoing squeeze, resulting in pressures on day-to-day convenience spend.  

So, what transactional trends are being observed across different demographic groups, geographies and price-points as these trends continue? What impact do these trends have on operators’ future openings strategies and overall performance? 

Food & beverage have become increasingly prominent on High Streets 

Over the course of 2019 to 2023, most retail centres in all asset classes have grown their share of food and beverage (F&B) outlets, noting an increase in over 90% of centres in the top four classes— City Centres, Regional Malls, Major Town Centres and Satellite Centres. Despite F&B having become increasingly prominent in shopping and retail parks, there has been a mixture of increases and decreases observed in towns, transport hubs and leisure parks, raising the question of whether oversaturation has had a role to play in some locations.

Centres are polarising

Over the same time period, city centres, regional malls, major towns centres and satellite centres have dropped in their overall level of consumer attractiveness in line with consumers’ changing behaviours. So much so, that the four largest asset classes have seen declines in over 90% of their centres. The picture is a bit more mixed as the retail hierarchy descends into towns, transport hubs and leisure parks, however, with an average of 40% of centres in these asset classes seeing a decline. The ever-increasing proportion of consumer spend moving online has undoubtedly prompted these downward trends.

Given the vast differences in changes at an asset class level, and with many exceptions at a centre level, having access to detailed data on the changing attractiveness and demographics at centre level is vital. 

Customer behaviours towards QSRs continue to change

Many may think that post-Covid QSR demand is just about Tuesday to Thursday, driven by changes in working behaviour, but this is an over-simplification. CACI’s local centre mobile app data analysis within our Location Dynamics suite shows that while areas like Fleet Street/St. Paul’s in the City of London now do have a pronounced Tuesday to Thursday peak, it’s far from the universal norm. As shown by the dark-shaded time segments in the graphs below, places like Barkers Pool in central Sheffield have a very pronounced Friday and Saturday night economy. This further contrasts with central Eastbourne, which has maintained a more traditional Monday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. custom and a strong weekend daytime custom.  

Ultimately, locations are different, and successful operators must understand the different ‘missions’ their customers will be on to ensure they meet their customers’ needs and ensure that they staff their outlets to provide the right level of services at times demanded by their customers.

For food-to-go retailers to engage with consumers at the right time and in the right place, it will be critical for them to consider:  

• The F&B offers in local areas 
• Changing consumer behaviours as a reflection of new and embedded worker patterns, 
• Centre attractiveness 
• Overarching market shifts that impact footfall on specific days and times.  

How CACI can help?

With these trends in mind, it is critical for food-to-go retailers to have a detailed understanding of who their customers are, where they are located and what times of the week they are most likely to interact with your chain or restaurant. It is equally important to understand your place in terms of its attractiveness to customers and the effect of its location on driving footfall.  

Data is key to maintaining a competitive edge amidst evolving trends, an area where CACI excels in providing support. Find out how we can keep you and your team ahead of the curve by reaching out to us today.

If the last few years of pandemic uncertainty and budget constraints amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis have shown us anything, it’s that travellers have become increasingly conscious of the cost of travel. As a result, they’ve placed increased value on having an optimal travel experience to justify its cost.  

We examined the current driving factors behind optimised travel experiences in our Voice of the Nation Q1 2024 survey, where we asked 2,000 respondents how they felt about an array of travel changes and how the cost of living, airline loyalty and more have impacted their travel choices into 2024. 

So, what shared values and needs do travellers of all ages and affluence levels seem to have in common this year? How have these forthcoming trends been affecting the wider travel industry?

Travel spend will increase in 2024 despite decreases in most other sectors

When asked whether their anticipated spending will decrease, increase or stay the same this year compared to last, holidays actually rank third among areas people expect to increase spend in 2024– with groceries and commuting costs coming in first and second– despite an overall expected decrease in spend in other areas this year.  

Plans to holiday abroad skew significantly on affluence lines 

From Boomers to Gen Z, more than half of respondents from every age group plan to holiday in some capacity– both in the UK or abroad– in 2024.  

When it comes to taking holidays abroad, 38% of respondents are making plans and budget room to do so this year. Of these respondents, as much as 50% come from the higher affluence Acorn categories of Established Affluence and Thriving Neighbourhoods. Approximately one in three of the lower affluence categories of Steadfast Communities, Stretched Society and Low Income Living share the same sentiment.  

A quarter of all respondents have no intention of travelling this year, and 22% plan to visit another part of the UK, which would appear to be in an effort to save on travel spending. In reality, no matter where you go for your next holiday, the same proportion of respondents agree that cost will be the biggest determinant behind their destination. 36% of those staying in the UK say that they will go on holiday within the UK because they prefer it to going abroad, showing that while cutting travel costs is a major driver, it is not necessarily the only one.  

Half of respondents claim no loyalty to an airline

When asked what the contributing factors towards airline loyalty are, half responded that they have no loyalty to any airlines.  

Roughly one-third (31%) of those who are loyal towards an airline felt that their loyalty is driven by more than one factor, such as convenience, discounts and luggage/check-in benefits. In comparison, 18% felt there was only a singular driving factor behind their airline loyalty, showing that where loyalty is in play, it is usually multi-factorial. 

Convenience is the most significant driver behind airline choices

Apart from price, respondents’ most significant contributing factors towards airline choices when booking trips came down to flight times and route, both of which are also the only factors heavily skewed by affluence. Nearly 60% of the Established Affluence and Thriving Neighbourhoods category respondents reported this to be significant, compared to just 35% among Low Income Living.

Gen Z, however, scored this even lower, with just 32% finding this to be significant and instead placing more emphasis on the ease of booking at 37%. 

Families are much more affected by cost this year

In terms of holiday planning this year, one-third of respondents said that they wanted to keep their holiday costs as low as possible to maximise value for money and felt that costs would be the greatest determinant of where they holiday in 2024.

Among those with children, 40% said that cost is the biggest determinant of where they go on holiday. 

Sustainable transport options appeal much more to Gen Z

Of all demographics, Gen Z appear to be the most motivated by sustainability when planning their holidays, both in terms of those taking immediate action but also those who would like to travel but feel unable to presently.

In fact, 18% of Gen Z respondents said that they will be cutting down on air travel in 2024 due to their growing environmental concerns, compared to just 8% among the rest of the population. 

How CACI can help?  

As the travel industry evolves with travellers’ changing sentiments, holiday and air travel operators must be equipped with the necessary understanding of who their customers are, what their motivations for travel are, what they seek from their travel experiences and how to deliver optimal experiences that will drive loyalty. Data is integral to this, which is where CACI excels in providing support.  

To find out how we can keep you and your team amidst turbulent times, get in touch with us today.

Footfall has historically been the go-to method for measuring a shopping destination’s performance, conducted through pressure sensor mats, light sensors tracking shoppers’ entry and exit movements, advanced camera systems and more. Although ubiquitous across the retail industry, only measuring the number of people entering and exiting a store misses important aspects of true store performance.  The current pace of change in consumer behaviors demands that commercial landlords and occupiers know more about their performance drivers if they are going to thrive.

So, why is this the case? What do commercial landlords need to know about turnover and footfall to stay afloat?

How consumers’ changing behaviours towards shopping locations affect footfall

Since 2019, vendors across the UK have experienced an overall 11.5% drop in footfall. While this may sound like catastrophic news for retail destinations, the truth behind the headline footfall figures is perhaps surprising– an overall rise in consumer spending. Although a shift in consumers’ shopping behaviours is undeniably present, its impact may not be as profound as it seems.

Frequency has been a major driver of this, dropping by 31% over the last five years, meaning that consumers have been visiting shopping places much less often. However, the amount being spent by consumers when visiting shopping locations has climbed 29% over the last five years, counteracting declining footfall. 

This increase in trip spending is not just an inflationary rise – the fundamental reason to visit and our behaviours on visits have changed as a result. Successful locations are those that are adapting to the new shopper landscape.

How consumers’ changing spending habits, values & “missions” affect footfall

What consumers are spending any disposable income on has also been changing. While retail conversion has remained relatively unchanged, there have been evident increases in Catering and Leisure conversions on the same trips, meaning consumers are increasingly combining a shopping trip with food/drink or a leisure activity. It is this combination of shopping, browsing, eating/drinking and leisure that has led to the overall increase in spending per trip.  

These comparisons can be illustrated through what we at CACI call “missions” from our Shopper Dimensions dataset, which illustrate the trip someone is on at a given time, and attribute “missions” to the tangible actions someone takes once at the shopping destination, such as browsing, spending, time spent, etc., to assign a “mission” to each trip.  

According to our findings, consumers are relinquishing their less engaged “missions” but concentrating trips around the “Big Day Out” trip. This is illustrated in the shifting profile of the top three missions in Shopping Destinations, which explains why a decline in footfall does not necessarily equate to declining spend. At a glance:

• “Big day out” missions are our more engaged trips. They may be less frequent, but they are ones where multiple retail stores are often combined with Catering and Leisure, resulting in a trip spend 2.4x the average mission. Since 2019, these missions have grown to 23% of all shopping missions. 
• 37% of “spending time” missions have no purchasing associated with them. While they may contribute to footfall figures, they do not directly contribute to sales-through-tills. Having dropped off post-Covid-19, these trips are now holding flat at a lower shelf. 
• “Routine top-up” trips are quick, functional and emotionally disengaged trips that a spend of just 47% of an average trip. These trips are dropping out of our repertoire and can be substituted online.

We can therefore see that looking in greater detail at the changing nature of the trips made provides a clearer understanding of commercial asset performance than simply tracking the overall volume of trips.

Key levers to conclude turnover & application methods to target growth outcomes

To make a meaningful impact in asset performance, commercial landlords must move beyond measuring just the number of visits and start reporting the different levers of shopping location spend.  
 
While there are nuances behind the headlines that apply individually to each location, all spend at a shopping location can ultimately be boiled down to three key levers:

1. The volume (number) of unique shoppers they have 
2. The frequency of consumers’ visits to a shopping destination 
3. The value that each shopper spends per trip.

Commercial landlords should consider applying the following methods to each lever to effectively target growth outcomes:

1. Volume: Convert footfall (visits) into ‘spenders’ and target engagement strategies at driving scheme trial; measured by the percentage of the catchment population currently shopping with you (penetration). 
2. Frequency: Embrace the different role that your asset plays for different cohorts, diversifying the occupier offering to give shoppers more reasons to return on different missions. 
3. Value: Determine the highest spending shopper groups to target, segment customers and tailor offers to them to increase cross-shopping opportunities and drive value.

What does good look like?

Now is the time for commercial landlords to leave pre-pandemic comparisons behind. Footfall may be down overall, but the evolution of consumers’ shopping destination behaviour serves as a reminder that relying on the past as an indication of how assets should behave will not lead to longer-term success. If anything, these behaviours have demonstrated that the types of trips people continue to use shopping locations for are more engaged and valuable than ever before.  

Our unique view into how and where consumers are spending has been made possible with the help of datasets like Shopper Dimensions, which enable KPI benchmarking of assets against similar locations across the UK and leverage transactional and data spend insights to enhance decision-making. We can help you calculate the impact of each shopper metric and the headroom compared to peers and catchment.  

To find out more about what Shopper Dimensions can do for you and your business, speak to one of our experts today.

At a time when budgets are under so much pressure, facilitating Home to School Transport (HTST) efficiently has never been more important. Millions of pounds are being unnecessarily spent on passenger transportation, with limited efficiencies or cost-cutting initiatives in place through a lack of supporting technology or tools.

With spiralling costs, tightened budgets and limited capacity, local authorities are struggling to delivery their statutory obligations. So, what can be done to save costs while optimising HTST capabilities?

Most substantial challenges local authorities face with Home to School Transport (HTST)

• SEND costs are set to triple to £1.125 billion over the course of a decade, according to the Isos Partnership for the County Council’s Network 
• Havering Council is spending £6.5m per annum on transporting 420 pupils, resulting in £2,500 per pupil 
• Birmingham City Council is currently spending £19.4 million on transporting vulnerable children to school  
• Norfolk County Council is spending £40m to arrange buses/taxis for 4,100 children with extra requirements, or more than £9,700 per child. 

Local governments must find ways to:  

• Efficiently plan routes buses to minimise contracts and private taxis
• Deliver safe and reliable service to pupils
• Ensure safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable pupils
• Establish communication with parents, schools and councils
• Offset increasing council deficits through efficiency savings.

What CACI technology solutions can help local authorities overcome these challenges?

Pin Routes: Route planning & optimisation

As a next-generation route planning and optimisation software, Pin Routes helps local authorities plan and optimise routes for school transport. It is cloud-based, scalable software that features advanced algorithms and a state-of-the-art user interface, with functions including strategic analysis and static (periodic) and dynamic (daily) planning.

Pin Routes considers the individual needs of each child, special school requirements, vehicle capabilities, provider capacities and driver skillsets to help achieve lower costs and carbon emissions.

Pin Live: Live route management

This live route management software ensures all parties stay informed in real-time, giving parents and schools peace of mind with up-to-date information, keeping local authorities in control and simplifying the process for drivers and service providers.

Acorn: Consumer segmentation

CACI’s consumer segmentation tool, Acorn provides demographic, lifestyle and behavioural insights of pupils. Acorn unlocks detailed insights about families’ financial backgrounds which can be used to determine those pupil households who could contribute towards transportation costs.

Access to this data equips local authorities with additional capabilities to better assess pupils’ eligibility for school transport while at the same helping the Council to meet with its statutory obligations.

Longer-term benefits local authorities will enjoy with CACI’s data and technology solutions

Saving operational costs:

• Councils will have more time to effectively plan at a strategic level
• Vehicles can complete more tasks
• Pin Routes will ensure councils can undertake ‘what if’ analyses for future scenarios to uncover and implement strategic efficiencies
• Inputs can be scaled up and higher volumes of transport can be supported each year.

Improve efficiencies: 

• Planners and schedulers can prioritise journeys quickly, effectively and on a regular basis
• Transport providers can take the most effective routes between homes and schools to save on fuel, mileage and drivers’ hours
• New tasks can be imported as they are booked and teams can pick these up as part of their existing plans, ensuring the right tasks will be prioritised.

Improve ESG and resident-centric operations: 

• Councils can be confident in delivering a consistent service to residents
• Journeys will be made efficiently, reducing the spend on fuel and vehicle maintenance. Monthly cuts in CO2 emissions will also be recognised.
• Enhanced scheduling and routing will increase driver and resident satisfaction as journeys are prioritised and optimised.

CACI is already a trusted data partner to the public sector and has a proven track record of delivering cost-effective, sustainable logistics solutions to organisations within the private sector.

Whether through our innovative software and communication technology like Pin Routes, Pin Live and Acorn, our expert consulting services or our innate public sector knowledge and experience, we are committed to supporting your organisation in achieving its goals.

For further information on how CACI can help transform your route optimisation operations, please register here.

This final blog in our series on balanced locations brings us to Taunton, an idyllic town near the southwest England countryside with a captivating history, landscapes and arts and culture scene that have earned the town its spot on our list of perfectly balanced places to live per our report, “Six Pillars of Success: Building Resilient Places”. 

If you have yet to read our blog that introduces these pillars, we consider a ‘perfectly balanced’ place to be:   

• One that houses a suitable mix of chain and independent retailers at optimal sizes  
• Supplies unique offline experiences that meet the community’s needs  
• Provides community infrastructure that supports daily living  
• Offers adequate residential properties for the community  
• Offers employment opportunities and flexible working spaces  
• Encourages time spent outdoors in green spaces

So, what exactly are the driving factors behind Taunton being a perfectly balanced place to live?

Pillar 1: Representation & proper sizing of independent & chain retailers  

Taunton’s town centre benefits from a mix of well-known brands like Primark, TK Maxx, Sports Direct and Marks & Spencer, while also being home to thriving independent and specialist retailers. In fact, independent retailers in Taunton comprise ~50% more of the retail mix than benchmark locations.

Bath Place stands out as a particular hub for independent retailers. Dating back to the 18th century, this historic street is lined with an array of independent businesses and services that can be reached on foot by pedestrians. Many of the shop fronts feature their original detailing to truly transport passers by into the Georgian era.  

Pillar 2: Uniquely tailored offline experiences

To get in on the sports, music and leisure scene in Taunton, Somerset County Cricket Club has something for every type of enthusiast. Founded in 1875, this renowned sports club situated close to the town centre represents the county of Somerset. To this day, it serves as a spot for watching cricket, attending concerts, catching a film at its open-air cinema and much more.

For those looking for a community social hub that doubles as a performing arts centre, look no further than Taunton Brewhouse. As the region’s principal arts centre, its programme of high-quality dance, musical and theatre shows along with workshops and pop-up shops create a diverse and all-encompassing environment that appeals to one and all.

There is also no shortage of cafes, restaurants and bars to satisfy locals day or night. 

Pillar 3: Engaging community infrastructure 

Taunton’s centre is brimming with museums, galleries, a library and numerous services to meet locals’ varying needs and interests.  

A visit to Taunton Castle, a Grade I Listed Scheduled Ancient Monument, can be paired with the Museum of Somerset, also situated within the 12th century castle walls, housing prehistoric artifacts to modern galleries. The Somerset Military Museum is also housed within the Museum of Somerset. A historic almshouse saved by the Taunton Heritage Trust can also be found on the Museum grounds.  

At the heart of the town lies Taunton Library, a public library that offers internet access and printing services. Civic services such as the Somerset Registration Service, Jobseekers Recruitment Services, Taunton JobCentre and the Somerset Council offices can also be found here.  

A modern and affordable Nuffield Health gym boasts plenty of equipment and classes, encouraging locals’ maintenance of fitness and wellbeing. 

Pillar 4: Support social cohesion through optimised residential design 

Situated close to the picturesque countryside while also having well-connected transport links, inhabitants of all ages and demographics can appreciate what this town has to offer. Taunton’s housing market appeals to a variety of renters and homebuyers, with a broad range of housing available from charming cottages to contemporary flats. Average house prices in Taunton are lower than seen across the southwest. At just £786, monthly rental payments sit at 22% of local income levels (below national averages of 25%).  

Pillar 5: Sufficient & accessible work opportunities for the local population

Taunton is a major regional employment hub. The town is accessible via the M5 and has good train links including a direct service to London in under two hours, making it an appealing place to live for commuters. Only 1.61% of Taunton’s population is considered to be “Economically Active: Unemployed”. Pillar 6: Appealing open spaces for the community to dwell in 

When in need of a break from city life, locals and visitors can escape into one of Taunton’s many parks and nature oases.  

Vivary Park is a popular choice that is just a few minutes away from the town centre. With its namesake inherited from its medieval usage as a fish farm or vivarium for the priory and castle, the park features a mini golf course, tennis courts, playground and model railway. In just a short drive from Taunton, Blackdown Hills National Landscape, considered an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, can be found, offering visitors breathtaking landscapes and opportunities to hike, cycle and spot wildlife.

To learn how our six property pillars can help ensure you are creating resilient places, please speak to one of our Placemaking and Property experts.

This next blog in our series on balanced locations transports us to St Neots, a rapidly growing Cambridgeshire town with mediaeval heritage that is nestled along the River Great Ouse banks. With an intriguing blend of old-world and modern-day sights and amenities, a strong sense of a community and a picturesque atmosphere, St Neots was an undisputed pick as part of our list of perfectly balanced places to live per our report, “Six Pillars of Success: Building Resilient Places”.

If you have yet to read our blog that introduces these pillars, we consider a ‘perfectly balanced’ place to be:  

• One that houses a suitable mix of chain and independent retailers at optimal sizes 
• Supplies unique offline experiences that meet the community’s needs 
• Provides community infrastructure that supports daily living 
• Offers adequate residential properties for the community 
• Offers employment opportunities and flexible working spaces 
• Encourages time spent outdoors in green spaces.  

So, what exactly are the driving factors behind St Neots being a perfectly balanced place to live? 

Pillar 1: Representation & proper sizing of independent & chain retailers

St Neots features a strong provision of amenities and services. The town centre forms a well-balanced array of High Street brands like Fat Face and Argos and independent retailers accounting for 38% more of the retail offer than comparable locations, creating a strong sense of identity and place.  

For those looking for independently run wine, beer and spirits retailers, look no further than The Smiling Grape Company, an award-winning, family-owned wine merchant, or Shumë Bottle Emporium, a craft beer shop and bottle emporium carrying beers from around the world. Opting to put your creative skills to the test in an all-ages, all-skill levels pottery and craft studio? The Crafty Monkey Pottery Shop has something for everyone. 

The town’s market square is also one of the largest and most ancient in England, dating back to the 12th century. Every Thursday since its foundation, the Charter Market takes place here through the daytime, with stalls offering fresh produce, clothing and artisanal finds. There’s also a bi-weekly Saturday Farm and Craft Market featuring local traders and crafts makers offering meats and produce, baked goods, flowers and plants and handmade crafts. 

For special occasions, or even to spruce up an everyday space, the County Fayre Florist has been a prime choice for locals for over three decades. A Hotel Chocolat factory and cafe outlet is also popular among locals in search of high-quality chocolate at lower prices than on the High Street, or for an ice cream or hot chocolate treat at the cafe.

Pillar 2: Uniquely tailored offline experiences

St Neots’ strong catering offer is mainly independently led, with many multi-function restaurants and cafes for visitors to enjoy.  

Roberto’s Deli is one of these—part-deli and part-pizza restaurant, this authentic Italian deli offers artisanal produce alongside dine-in options, making it a hit with visitors. For an all-encompassing cafe, art gallery and creative hub experience, Art & Soul encourages visitors to savour moments of tranquility by viewing art, checking out a gig, getting some work done or catching up with friends over a coffee all in one place. The Pig n Falcon is also a popular watering hole among locals for its live music and warm, traditional pub atmosphere.  

While Pizza Express is the town centre’s only chain restaurant, a Cineworld is in its vicinity, making for a great evening on the town. In contrast, its independent restaurant selection (including Il Girasole) and pubs like The River Mill offer quality food and pet-friendly atmospheres. 

Locals and visitors will also find a bowling alley, library and museum in the town’s centre. A broad range of bars, restaurants and cafes also cater to a variety of food groups and preferences (Ferro Lounge, a vegan dog-friendly cafe, being one of them), along with a few small tearooms for vegan and gluten free visitors. 

Pillar 3: Engaging community infrastructure

Lining the town’s streets are large chain supermarkets like Waitrose and Marks & Spencer along with independent alteration, shoes, arts & crafts shops and beauty salons and health and community services, meeting locals’ various needs.

Overlooking the town is also the alluring (and unmissable) 130-foot tower of St Neots Parish Church. Originating in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 15th, it serves as a community hub for gatherings and for relishing the centuries of craftsmanship visible in both its interior and exterior. 

The town is also easily commutable from the neighbouring towns of Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Peterborough and more, with fast and direct train links to both London and Peterborough available. 

Pillar 4: Support social cohesion through optimised residential design

Housing in St Neots indulges a range of preferences and budgets, from Victorian and Edwardian homes and cottages to more modern developments. A combination of high earnings (£48,007 on average) and relatively low house prices (£306,497) contribute to the town’s affordability. Houses in the area are 6.4x the average salary (compared with a UK national average of 7.4x), and monthly average private rent payments of £877 account for 22% of earnings (against a UK town average of 26%).  

Terraced and detached properties have been increasingly sought after, along with semi-detached properties. The town’s proximity to larger cities like London, Cambridge and Peterborough has also appealed to many renters and homebuyers.  

Pillar 5: Sufficient & accessible work opportunities for the local population

Job opportunities are available in many sectors in St Neots, notably in healthcare, manufacturing and retail. A half-hour drive or hour-long public transportation commute to Cambridge opens plenty of additional working opportunities for St Neots locals, especially in technology and innovation. Nearly half (48%) of the adult population is employed full-time (against a UK average of 42%).  

There is also a community Facebook group, St Neots Referrals & Recommendations, where locals share recommendations and insights for new job listings.  

Pillar 6: Appealing open spaces for the community to dwell in

St. Neots is home to many parks and green spaces for locals and visitors to enjoy. With the River Great Ouse flowing through the town and parks just steps away from the town centre, breathtaking scenery can easily be found.  

Riverside Park, for example, is a popular destination for both locals and visitors, offering 72 acres of greenery that holds enormous weeping willow trees, picnic areas, children’s play areas and walking and cycling paths galore. Every Saturday, locals can partake in a free 5K parkrun, or can spend a lively Sunday attending one of the concerts held throughout the summer. Sports club events like the Dragon Boat Festival and St Neots Rowing Regatta are held in Riverside Park, making the most of the River Ouse. 

There’s also the historic Georgian era Priory Park, which now serves as an open space for leisurely activities like picnics and dog walking to sponsored events like runs and activity clubs for children in the summer. Sports enthusiasts can also make use of the park’s five football pitches and several mini soccer pitches.

For glimpses of some of the area’s richest wildlife habitats, a trip to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, packed with 78 hectares of lakes, meadows, woodlands and more, promises sightings of nightingales, cormorants and several other varieties of birds and mammals

In the next and final blog of this series, we’ll share one more pick for a ‘perfectly balanced’ place to live.  
 
To learn how our six property pillars can help ensure you are creating resilient places, please speak to one of our Placemaking and Property experts.

In this fourth blog of our series looking at balanced locations, we’re travelling to Worcester, a captivating city in the heart of the West Midlands known for its storied history and architecture, triumphant sports and social culture and vibrant community gatherings.  

Worcester is packed with hidden gems and old haunts, medieval heritage sites and palatable dining options. These are a few of the many driving factors behind Worcester earning its place on our list of perfectly balanced places to live per our report, “Six Pillars of Success: Building Resilient Places”.

If you have yet to read our blog that introduces these pillars, we consider a ‘perfectly balanced’ place to be:  

• One that houses a suitable mix of chain and independent retailers at optimal sizes
• Supplies unique offline experiences that meet the community’s needs
• Provides community infrastructure that supports daily living
• Offers adequate residential properties for the community
• Offers employment opportunities and flexible working spaces
• Encourages time spent outdoors in green spaces

So, what exactly are the driving factors behind Worcester being a perfectly balanced place to live?

Pillar 1: Representation & proper sizing of independent & chain retailers

While many larger chain retailers like Primark, New Look, The Body Shop and Boots can be found in Crowngate Shopping Centre, plenty of independent retailers are situated in the heart of Worcester, especially on Friar Street. From clothing shops and bridal studios like You Boutique and Perfections Bridal Studio to pet shops and toy shops like Paw & Co and The Entertainer, there is no shortage of retailers catering to the community’s unique needs.

Pillar 2: Uniquely tailored offline experiences

Events are a big deal in Worcester– from open-air concerts to community festivals, there is always something happening to engage and entertain visitors of all interests.

The Victorian Christmas Fayre is one of such examples. A beloved annual event that captures the essence of Victorian England by transforming the streets of Worcester into a scene reminiscent of the era of Queen Victoria, the Fayre fills the city streets with market stalls that offer traditional festive treats and crafts. Several historic buildings throughout the city also take part in the celebration, opening their doors to guests to awe at the Victorian era’s opulence. 

In the summer, locals and horse racing enthusiasts flock to Pitchcroft Park (otherwise known as Worcester Racecourse), a renowned thoroughbred horse racing venue. The annual Worcester Fringe Festival also brings theatre and arts aficionados to the city in the summer to revel in over 60 events dedicated to theatre, music and comedy at various venues. The musical fun doesn’t stop there— Worcester Fake Festival is returning to Pitchcroft Park this summer to deliver a tribute-based music event to local music lovers.  

Throughout the year, historical events paying tribute to Worcester’s rich history such as the Civil War Soldier School at The Commandery also offer children an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Civil War soldiers.  

Football and cricket also form important parts of the city’s sports culture. Football is one of the most widely followed and played sports in the city, and cricket becomes particularly popular during the summer months. 

The High Street, Friar Street and New Street are also brimming with cafes and coffee shops (both independent and chains), pubs and restaurants. In fact, a recent initiative to renovate the Worcester Foregate Street railway station arches, The Arches, has brought together a new cluster of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, breweries and even axe throwing.  

Friar Street and New Street are also home to two of the city’s oldest, most historic pubs. The Cardinal’s Hat Inn on Friar Street is the oldest in the city, dating back to the fourteenth century. The King Charles House on New Street has a special tie to British history, as the home that King Charles II fled after defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, aided by New Street’s residents holding the Cromwell army back for the King’s successful escape. 

Pillar 3: Engaging community infrastructure

In terms of amenities and services, Worcester’s High Street features large chain supermarkets like Tesco, banks like Barclays and NatWest, pharmacies like Boots and a Post Office. Neighbouring Friar Street and New Street house a number of barbers and hairdressers, as well as beauty salons.  

Worcester Cathedral in the heart of the city dates to the 12th century, showcasing the grandeur of English Gothic style. It not only serves as a place of worship, but as a cultural hub that hosts many events throughout the year. 

The Hive, a modern, high-tech library with rooms to hire and a cultural programme that sits alongside more traditional library resources, is also a thriving community resource accessible by university students and the public.  

Pillar 4: Support social cohesion through optimised residential design

At £44,246 per annum, household incomes in Worcester are in line with the UK average. Housing costs align with average earnings, with a range of affordable options from historic city centre properties to more modern developments beyond the centre available. With the average price of a home being £254,728 (5.8x the average earnings) and private rentals hovering around £701 PCM (19% of average earnings), Worcester’s affordability compared to most places of its size is evident. 

Pillar 5: Sufficient & accessible work opportunities for the local population

With 9.6% of Worcester’s adult population being full time students (above the national average, and likely a result of the University of Worcester’s presence), both educational and working opportunities are easily within reach.

The city’s prominent manufacturing scene has created many job opportunities in sectors like engineering and logistics. Full and part-time employment rates (at 45% and 14% respectively) sit above the national average. 2.3% of the population is unemployed but looking for work, a rate slightly below the national average.

This year, the Worcestershire Skills Show will also be taking place, exposing Year 7 to 10 students to an array of industries to help them understand what businesses are looking for in future employees and determine the necessary skills and qualifications to pursue their future career goals.  

Pillar 6: Appealing open spaces for the community to dwell in

Worcester’s green open spaces provide an escape from city life while also encouraging gatherings.  

For those interested in exploring the city on foot, daily walking tours are offered by guides from Discover History, Worcester Walks and Faithful CityWalk. For the adventurers, self-guided tours and trails of the City’s Guildhall, the Worcester Heritage Walk and more are available.

Britain’s longest river, the River Severn, runs through the city and offers walkways along the water with plenty of surrounding open spaces to spend time in. In the warmer seasons, boating enthusiasts can be seen rowing boats or canoes, and anglers can be found on the riverbanks. Those opting for a leisurely stroll or vigorous jog can utilise the pathways.

For a serene escape just a stone’s throw from the city centre, locals and visitors will find Gheluvelt Park, offering expansive green space and captivating landscapes, opportunities to hire paddleboats or row boats on Barbourne Brook, or play tennis. The park holds more significance than just its beauty— it memorialises the Battle of Gheluvelt, a defining moment in World War I that helped secure victory for the Allies.

Stay tuned for our next pick of a ‘perfectly balanced’ place to live in our upcoming blog.

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