Why Traffic Counts Matter
Choosing the wrong side of the road doesn't just cost visibility - it can make or break the success of the store itself. In site selection, traffic count data is one of the simplest indicators of whether a business will thrive or struggle.
Many brands focus on the total volume of cars - the more eyes on a sign the better. For other brands, especially those built on convenience or impulse sales, directional counts make all the difference.
A directional traffic count shows not just how many cars pass by, but which direction they're going. Layer on top of that the time of day those cars travel on that road and you can make much better site selection decisions. Because a coffee shop and flower shop might both be on the same side of the road, but only one is on the right side of it.
Understanding Directional Traffic
An average annual daily traffic or AADT count can show 40,000 cars, but if 25,000 of those cars travel on the wrong side and at a time that isn't your prime business hours, it can be misleading.
Total counts are valuable for retailers that depend on exposure, with traditional hours and no specific time of day or day of the week that drives a large portion of their business.
Directional counts are essential for convenience based retailers. The drive-thru coffee shop, gas station, or QSR that wins based on the easy right hand turn.
With REGIS Online's traffic count data it's easy to visualize both. You can set to see traffic counts based on the annual averages, or filter results to a specific time of day, day of the week, and direction.
Example 1 - The Coffee Shop
Coffee shops are a textbook example of needing to look at the direction traffic count data. Customers are looking for fast, easy access in the early morning hours of their commute into work, not a U-turn.
In this example, on the west side of Power road there is a strong mix of retailers. Yet all the coffee shops choose to have their locations on the east side.
Why?
Because the east side captures the northbound, going to work traffic flow. Drivers heading towards downtown can easily pull in, grab their drink, and continue on their route.
Looking at the data for these counts we can confirm that northbound traffic starts early, and is therefore a better option for these small, drive-thru focused coffee shops; which is exactly why Black Rock and Dutch Bros have their stores on that side, with high visibility locations.
Example 2 - The Flower Shop
Now let's flip the pattern.
A flower shop doesn't need to capture morning commuters, it thrives on the going home side of the road. When people think of flowers it's not before work, it's after.
Look at Ray road just west of I-10. Traffic data shows commuters return home heading westbound towards the suburban neighborhoods. A flower shop like Ambrosia Floral Boutique does much better on the north side of the road than one on the south would, simply because of the convenience it brings on this side of the road.
The data proves it, even with thousands of drivers on the other side of the road, it isn't the right drivers. For this flower shop it is better to catch the 8,127 cars heading west than the 6,845 driving elsewhere.
Connecting Traffic Counts To Commercial Real Estate
As in all things dealing with commercial real estate analysis, it depends on the specific location and the area around it. That's why tools like REGIS Online are so helpful for commercial real estate professionals. It can translate a good idea or feeling into tangible reasons why an investment makes sense. It can also save a bad deal before papers are signed.
Because sometimes, the difference between a good site and a great one is just the side of the street.