DDA adopts new data platform, reports March downtown spending and previews summer retail campaigns

DDA staff told the board on May 11 that the organization replaced its previous analytics tool with a new platform (Datafy) that combines cell-phone visitor data and anonymized card-transaction spending to show where and how much visitors spend in the downtown district.

Staff shared a March snapshot showing roughly $10 million in downtown spending for the month and said March was down 21% from February and down 33% year over year in the platform's reporting (staff cautioned some monthly comparisons are affected by reporting lag). The platform also highlighted an event-driven spike on March 14 (St. Patrick's Day parade), when staff reported $705,000 in downtown spending on that date alone.

Marketing staff reviewed recent and upcoming programs. The Mother's Day Orchid Giveaway ran Thursday–Sunday with more than 300 orchids distributed; staff said the promotion drove retail receipts tied to the giveaway. A Love Del Ray summer shopping pass will launch June 1, using QR check-ins by participating retailers to drive foot traffic and offer raffled gift-card prizes funded by participant retailers.

Emily (marketing) summarized social and email metrics: "We've gone 30% up year over year, at 191k followers," she told the board, and said the DDA is improving email list hygiene to lift open rates. Staff said the new platform will allow more precise ROI measurement for marketing campaigns and provide merchants with category-level spending trends.

Board members asked for periodic briefings on Datafy outputs and requested that staff include merchant-facing metrics when reporting to the board.