Downtown Squamish Consumer Survey

ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION 9/19/2013

Prepared by White Forest Consulting

Supported by District of Squamish

Introduction
A consumer research of Squamish residents and visitors

was conducted in order to:

Learn what consumers are looking for to assist prospective business investors Learn what consumers are looking for to assist existing businesses refine their product/service mix.

The purpose of study is to refine the response from the

2005 District of Squamish Retail Strategy by better targeting the retail needs of Downtown Squamish The study was conducted pro bono by White Forest Consulting, a non-profit consulting society.

Methodology
Respondents were segmented by the residential

geographical origin:

Squamish Residents Regional Resident: residents of nearby districts, such as Pemberton, Whistler, and Lions Bay. Visitors: visitors of Squamish from Greater Vancouver as well as other locations

District of Squamish provided the incentive for filling the

survey: grand prize of iPad Mini, as well as gift certificates to local businesses Surveys were conducted between August 10th September 7th, 2013.

Online: FluidSurveys (www.fluidsurveys.com) Offline: Farmers Market, Adventure Center, special events

Response Analysis
We received 668 responses in total. The # of responses

gives us a reasonable error level for 95% confidence.

Visitors, 111, 17% Regional, 68, 10% Squamish, 489, 73%

Market Segment Squamish Residents Regional Residents Visitors

Frequency 489 68 111

Pop. Size (estimate) <20,000 <20,000 < 1.5mil

Error Level (95% c) 4% 12% 10%

Initial Analysis
The analysis of raw data reveals several trends that

commonly occur across different market segments.

For Squamish and Regional Residents:

These market groups are looking for quality retail and dining services from Downtown Squamish. These two groups are looking for anchor events / retail to give them a reason to visit downtown.

For Regional Residents and Visitors:

For Visitors:

Visitors lack knowledge of Downtown Squamish as well as a compelling reason to visit Downtown.

Section I: Retail and Dining Selection

Quality, selection, and convenience are the drivers for retail / dining in Downtown Squamish for both Squamish Residents and Regional Residents.

Retail and Dining Squamish Residents

For Squamish residents who get >50% of shopping done outside of

Downtown Squamish, they are purchasing specialized retail, furnishing / appliances, and clothing outside of Downtown. The group also reported that they would spend more time shopping in Downtown Squamish if their needs in Clothing, Books, Outlet, Furnishing / Appliances are met.

Shopping for hardware, furnishing, specialized retail, and clothing is not done in Downtown Squamish

Items that would give Squamish Residents a reason to shop in Downtown

Retail and Dining Squamish Residents

Squamish Residents are not shopping in Downtown due to

Selection, Pricing, and Quality offered by shops elsewhere. Squamish residents are looking for wider selection of retailers, more convenient shopping hours, and more choices for dining in Downtown Squamish.

Residents are shopping ELSEWHERE due to better selection, pricing, and quality.

Residents are looking for more choices and convenience for retail and dining in Downtown.

Retail and Dining Regional Residents

Regional respondents shopping and dining needs are met

elsewhere in Squamish. They also responded that they had no time to visit Downtown Squamish. Respondents need a unique reason to Visit downtown (such as the Farmers Market, which drew >50% of respondents).

Residents do not have a good reason to visit Downtown due to their shopping needs being met elsewhere Other: Not specified by respondents

Unique experiences such as Farmers Market draws majority of Regional Residents visitors

Retail and Dining Regional Residents

Squamish and Regional residents are looking for similar

offerings from Downtown Squamish in order to shop here sports, recreation, clothing, furniture, and appliances.

Regional Residents

Squamish Residents

Both Regional Residents and Squamish Residents identified Clothing, Furnishing / Appliance, and Sports Goods as drivers for Downtown retail experience.

Retail and Dining Regional Residents

Another pattern that repeats is that Regional

Residents are rating quality, convenience, and selection as priorities for Downtown development.

Regional residents are looking for quality, selection, and convenience in Downtown experience.

Retail and Dining - Recommendation

Based on the above analysis, we recommend that the

District of Squamish implement policies and conditions that favour the growth and creation of unique, quality retail and dining experience.
This can be done through: 1. Tax based incentives in development policies 2. Modernization of downtown infrastructure 3. Start-up and business owner support

Tax Based Incentives & Infrastructure Modernization

Introduce tax exemption on downtown properties to

promote business growth Downtown-wide Wi-Fi or high speed internet.

Convenient for business owners, residents, and visitors Conveys a modern and advanced impression to users

Contaminated land usage endorsement. The District of Squamish can create a program to encourage investors to purchase the unused lands to transform them into usable facilities

Start-up and Business Owner Support

Franchise Package and Guidelines. For entrepreneurs and current business owners Should contain detailed and updated information on Squamishs growth, market segments, policies, infrastructures, and future prospects Offer training and networking sessions. Could be done in partnership with local governments, BIA, as well as neighbouring business communities Educate and encourage business owners to co-

operate to achieve economies of scale.

Section II: Anchor Events and Unique Experiences

Squamish/ Regional Residents as well as Visitors are looking for Anchor Events / Unique Experiences that will provide incentives to visit Downtown Squamish.

Anchor Events / Experiences

Few visitors are drawn to Downtown by itself; there needs

to be an anchor event in order for Visitors to stop by. Examples of such events include Farmers Market and Outdoor Recreation.

Unique experiences such as Farmers Market draws majority of Regional Resident visitors

Stronger experiences are needed to draw Visitors from Vancouver or further

Anchor Events / Experiences

Squamish Residents

All residents and visitors

Regional Residents

are looking for stronger reasons to visit special events, quality dining, unique shopping, and waterfront activities. The pattern occurs consistently throughout the survey responses.

Visitors

Squamish Resident
Specifically, Squamish residents identified culture

and arts as what they want Downtown to show.

Anchor Events: Recommendations

Based on above analysis, we recommend that the

District of Squamish creates large scale anchor events to encourage visitation. Downtown Squamish must be easily identified and accessed by visitors.
This can be done through: 1. Increasing Squamish Residents consumption during slow season 2. Arts and Culture 3. Programming and Animation

Squamish Residents during slow season

The District of Squamish can fill the void of tourists

during the winter by having winter-time programs.

Night Market

Requires construction of a covered area

Holiday attractions Winter outdoor activities

Arts and Culture

Provide venues. Create a safe and comfortable space to host different types of arts, such as exhibitions, live theatres, and performance arts These venues would be well received especially on the weekends (Friday Sunday) Invite famous artists and their work. Ex. Binale exhibition Provides incentives for residents and tourists to visit Downtown Squamish

Programming and Animation

Create policies and spaces that can encourage lively

interaction between artists and audiences as well as businesses and consumers.

Food carts Local artist street performance Sidewalk sales

Section III: Increasing Knowledge of DT Squamish

Majority of Visitors have no reason to visit Downtown as a tourist destination.

Increasing Knowledge
The top two unique reasons for Visitors NOT coming to Downtown

is due to no time and not knowing the offerings of Downtown.

No time: We interpret this as Downtown is NOT visitors destination.

Visitors are more likely to visit Downtown if they had better

knowledge of Downtown offerings.

Visitors are NOT going to downtown because a) it is not their primary destination and b) they lack knowledge regarding downtown Squamish.

Increasing Knowledge: Recommendations

Based on above analysis, we recommend that the

District of Squamish conduct marketing campaigns to showcase Downtown Squamish

This can be done through: 1. Solidifying brand with signature activities and marketing to appropriate groups 2. Ease of identification and access

Brand and Marketing

Distribution of marketing materials be limited to

British Columbia since these visitors compromises >75% of the group.

Visitors from Greater Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and other B.C. regions comprises of >75% of market group

Signature events related to Squamish. Waterfront activities

Identification and Access

Identification. Signs on highways Pamphlets or maps available at popular touristic attractions Promotional campaign in British Columbia Access. Offer frequent or free buses that connects Downtown Squamish to the major touristic attractions

Conclusion
Based on the data from the consumer survey, we recommend that the policies in these 3 broad areas be supported in order for downtown Squamish to better serve the needs of residents and visitors: 1. Encourage creation and growth of unique shopping and dining experiences 2. Large scale anchor events to attract regional residents and visitors to Downtown Squamish and high arts to enrich Squamish residents quality of living 3. Raise awareness about Downtown Squamish

These items are most effectively carried out with unity and cooperation between District of Squamish, BIA, and Tourism Squamish.