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AI Retail Analytics: 6 Operator Use Cases (2026 Guide)

How retailers actually use AI in retail analytics — demand forecasting, customer mapping, sales forecasting, cannibalization, and site scoring. Practical breakdown with real operator examples.

All articles

228 ARTICLES

Research & Insights

Retail Clustering: When a Competitor Next Door Is Good News

A competitor signing a lease across the street is not automatically bad news. Whether the corner grows or splits comes down to how your category gets shopped.

Sep 11, 2026

9 min read

Research & Insights

Retail Void Analysis: How Landlords and Retailers Read the Same Gap

Void analysis finds the categories a trade area is missing. Two different calculations answer to that name, they can disagree, and most gaps die on four questions.

Sep 9, 2026

9 min read

Research & Insights

Radius, Drive Time, or Walk Time: Why Mixing Them Breaks Site Comparisons

A radius, a drive time, and a walk time drawn at one address measure three different things. Here is how to pick one and hold it across a portfolio.

Sep 7, 2026

9 min read

Strategic Growth

The 30-second filters operators run before the numbers

Most candidate sites die before anyone opens a model. Three questions do the killing: who else is in the center, whether the physical box fits the format, and whether the rent clears the occupancy ratio the business actually runs at.

Sep 4, 2026

9 min read

Research & Insights

When to Trust Your Gut on a Site, and When to Trust the Data

Your instinct is trained on the half of a site decision you get corrected on, and untested on the half you do not. Here is which judgments belong to which, and the order of operations that keeps both honest.

Sep 2, 2026

8 min read

Strategic Growth

7 Signs Your Site Selection Vendor Is Slipping Before Renewal

Service quality drops long before the renewal quote arrives. Here are the seven signals real estate teams notice first, and the point at which two of them should start a real comparison.

Aug 31, 2026

9 min read

Strategic Growth

Do You Have to Drop Your Current Site Selection Vendor?

Almost nobody reads the contract before assuming they are stuck in it. Here is what a site selection agreement actually restricts, and how to test a second source mid-term without canceling anything.

Aug 28, 2026

8 min read

Strategic Growth

How tenant-rep brokers run site analysis across many clients

A tenant rep carrying a dozen retail clients does not need a dozen processes. Here is the split that holds: one method for everyone, criteria per client, and a workspace nothing crosses.

Aug 26, 2026

9 min read

Strategic Growth

Franchise Site Approval: Building a Case Franchisees Accept

Franchise site approval has two gates. The franchisor approves. The franchisee pays. Here is what a site package needs to clear the second one.

Aug 24, 2026

8 min read

Research & Insights

Does Foot Traffic Data Matter for a Gym or Trampoline Park?

Walk-by counts predict coffee shops. They do not predict a gym, a trampoline park, or a vet clinic. Here is where foot traffic data stops working for destination categories, and the four jobs it still does well.

Aug 21, 2026

8 min read

Research & Insights

Best Location Intelligence Software for Retail Teams (2026)

The best location intelligence companies ranked for retail and CRE teams in 2026, evaluated on data depth, scoring transparency, deal workflow, and setup speed.

Aug 20, 2026

Research & Insights

7 Buxton Alternatives for Retail Site Selection (2026)

Looking for Buxton alternatives? Compare 7 platforms for retailers who want customer analytics depth without a months-long engagement, including self-serve scoring and deal management.

Aug 20, 2026

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This Week in Retail

Store closures, expansion tracking, and original market analysis. A five-minute read every Thursday.