Does anyone remember the bizarre stockpiling of toilet rolls during COVID?
It’s because we thought we were about to encounter the new Spanish flu and be locked down in perpetuity.
Yet five years later, here we are — very much not in lockdown — seeing consumers stockpile again. Only this time, it isn’t consumer staples.
It’s cars. TVs. Sneakers. Smartphones. But why?
Well, this time, it’s the fear of a trade pandemic. The virus? Tariffs.
Back in 2022, we all wanted to know how people were emerging from the pandemic. We had quietly witnessed the largest population shift out of urban centres since the mid-20th century.
The shift moved people from Brooklyn to Bozeman. San Francisco to San Antonio.
Ever since then, retailers have doubled down on their desire to accurately understand foot traffic — both inside and outside their stores pass_by has rapidly evolved to provide accurate, scalable foot traffic data for retailers looking to proactively capture market share and stay tuned into the mobile workforce that now has several bases where they spend their time.
As COVID subsided, we moved into an inflationary environment. Consumers weathered this storm much better than any pundit expected — due in part to faster wage growth, increased savings during the pandemic, and higher credit card limits. Retailers looked for signs of weakness in the foot traffic data, but consumers held up as the economy grew and wages kept pace.
Now, in 2025, we’re witnessing another once-in-a-century event: the use of tariffs to shift the U.S. economic model — and with it, the rest of the world’s.
One thing is for certain: in the short term, things are going to get more expensive and harder to access for the American consumer. For years, shoppers have been able to get what they needed, when they needed it. Now, it’s clear that in the coming months (and perhaps even years), some difficult decisions are going to have to be made.
The share of wallet will be harder to win than ever. Budgets will be stretched, and it will be a survival of the fittest. The brands that capture the hearts of customers will continue to win, while those ‘nice to have’ items — the ones that sit third or fourth on the list — will be left on the shelves, either for another day or perhaps not at all.
pass_by has always been on a mission to build the most accurate, comprehensive, and useful market intelligence for brick-and-mortar commerce. Eighteen months ago, we launched our business with an AI-powered foot traffic solution as our first step. Now, with this new tariff “virus” sweeping the world, we feel it’s the right time to reveal the next step in our customer journey platform.
Today, we’re launching Spend.
pass_by is introducing comprehensive spend analytics for consumers in brick-and-mortar retail.
We’ve partnered with one of the world’s largest financial institutions to provide the most complete view of the customer journey — from visits to value. See where in the country spend is rising or falling, and which categories are winning.
For the first time, you’ll be able to understand whether your market is full of browsers or buyers. With the impact of tariffs set to hit consumers in less than three months, you’ll have an edge in identifying the markets that need support, the ones that are resilient to change, and those that buck the trend and continue to grow.
This premium dataset will be added to pass_by’s Almanac platform starting May 1st, 2025, and will be available across the United States.
Last — but very much not least — we’re excited to announce that our Spend Insights go back six full years, aligning perfectly with our market-leading foot traffic data.
Retailers win when they lean into data — in good times, but even more so in difficult ones. This is not the time to pull back from AI — it’s the tool to help you win.
Now, with pass_by, you’ll not only see where your customers go to panic-buy toilet paper — but how much they’re prepared to spend on it, too.
