“Back-to-class shopping is one of the most important consumer shopping occasions of the year," says Matthew Shay, President and CEO of the National Reosttail Federation (NRF).  "Our research for 2023 shows American consumers are eager to jumpstart their back-to-school and college purchases early."

Based on per capita spending estimates from the NRF, Philadelphia area parents are expected to spend a record $710,601,187 to prepare more than 780,500 children returning to grades K-12. These expenditures will exceed 2022 back-to-school sales by 12.5%

Expenditures to equip K-12 students in the Philadelphia area will be on:

• Clothing: $260.2 million
• Shoes: $205.4 million
• Supplies: $133.3 million
• Electronics: $111.2 million

In addition to expenditures for K-12,  $1.6 billion is expected to be spent in the Philadelphia area to prepare college students for their return to campus. This is 27% more than was spent last year. Another record.

The biggest spending categories to equip Philadelphia area college students in 2023 will include:

• Electronics: $397.2 million
• Dorm/Apartment Furniture: $224.3 million
• Clothing: $214.1 million
• Food Items: $178.1 million

In order to capture the largest portion of this record back-to-class cash, Philadelphia small business owners will need to fight to keep these dollars local. According to the NRF, a painful majority of shoppers plan to buy online and in department stores.  While only 13-15% of consumers plan to buy locally.

Local businesses have been marketing their goods and services on Philadelphia radio since February 8, 1922. That's when The Bureau of Navigation, Radio Services Division, of the United States Department of Commerce granted a license to station WGL. This station was the 42nd to be licensed in the country.

Who could have guessed that 101 years later, advertising on Philadelphia radio would still be the best advertising option for all types of retailers and business owners.

Every week, according to Nielsen, Philadelphia radio reaches 3,740,743 adult consumers. This reach is significantly higher than all other advertising options including local TV, cable, social media, streaming video, online audio, and newspapers.

Reach, according to Nielsen, is the audience metric most responsible for driving the success of an advertising campaign. Only the message itself carries more sway.

There are 230,328 small businesses in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Almost every one of these businesses is competing for a portion of the $108 billion of local retail spending expected to occur in 2023.*

To capture the largest share of this giant pool of consumer cash, Philadelphia small business owners will need to consider advertising.

"Think you have a great product?" asks the U.S. Small Business Administration. "Unfortunately, no one's going to know about it unless you advertise. Advertising, if done correctly, can do wonders for your sales., and you know what that means: more revenue and more success for your company."

One of the best ways to advertise in Philadelphia may be on local radio, a fact not lost on the world's largest advertiser, Proctor & Gamble. Last year, P&G upped spending on the radio by 43% to $235 million, according to Vivvix (formerly Kantar Media), led by a big jump in local radio.

Mother's Day is On May 14th this year. According to per capita data from The National Retail Federation, 3.7 million adult consumers in the Philadelphia area plan to celebrate the occasion.

Between now and that special Sunday in May, the NRF expects a record $751.9 million to be spent in Philadelphia to honor all the different moms in consumers' lives. Of those celebrating Mother’s Day, most (57%) are purchasing gifts for a mother or stepmother, followed by a wife (23%) or daughter (12%).

Comparatively speaking, Philadelphia area consumers will spend 12.6% more to celebrate Monther's Day this year than they did in 2022, which was also a record year.

“Mother’s Day provides Americans with an opportunity to honor important women in their lives,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “As people make plans to celebrate this year, retailers are prepared to help shoppers find gifts of appreciation and admiration for those they want to recognize on this special day.”

Almost half of all Mother's Day spending in the Philadelphia area will fall into three categories:

1. Jewelry: $164,270,763
2. Special Outing: $117,937,983
3. Electronics: $84,241,417

The other half of Mother's Day spending includes purchases of gift cards, clothing, flowers, personal services, housewares, books, and greeting cards.

The challenge for Philadelphia area retailers, however, is keeping a significant share of these Mother's Day dollars in local cash registers and out of the coffers of online sellers and department stores. Right now, according to the NRF, those two retail channels will gobble up almost 68% of all spending.

To earn a larger share of Mother's Day spending, local small business owners will need to advertise to convince Philadelphia consumers of the benefits of buying from local companies.  By almost every marketing metric, the best way to advertise is on Philadelphia radio.

Despite high-interest rates, inflation, and recession fears, Philadelphia area consumers are expected to spend between $108.1 and $110.1 billion dollars at retail in 2023, according to recent per capita forecasts based on a survey by the National Retail Federation. This will be a 4-6% increase over 2022.

“In just the last three years, the retail industry has experienced growth that would normally take almost a decade by pre-pandemic standards,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “While we expect growth to moderate in the year ahead, it will remain positive as retail sales stabilize to more historical levels."

The challenge for Philadelphia area retailers, however, is keeping a significant share of these dollars in local cash registers. According to the NRF, the amount of money spent online and non-store options will increase by 10-12%. This is nearly twice the growth rate of all 2023 retail dollars and translates to more than a $10.8 billion dollar outflow.

To keep the expected deluge of new retail dollars local, area small business owners will need to advertise to convince Philadelphia consumers of all the benefits of buying from local companies.  By almost every marketing metric, the best way to advertise is on Philadelphia radio.

Philadelphia radio reaches more local consumers each week than any other advertising medium.

According to Nielsen, 3,740,743 adults tune in to their favorite AM/FM stations every week.  This is significantly more consumers than are reached by Philadelphia TV, cable, streaming video, streaming audio, social media, or newspapers.

AM/FM radio's dominance among local consumers is driven, in large part, by the 3.8 million Philadelphia-area adults who take to the road in their car or truck every week, according to Neilsen.

Over the next 12 months, according to Nielsen, 671,614 Philadelphia area households plan to buy furniture and mattresses. Based on a per capita forecast from Furniture Today, these expenditures will total $2.13 billion during 2023, a $38.7 million dollar increase over 2022.

Although the forecast growth of furniture and bedding sales is expected to moderate a bit versus 2021, what retailer would not want to grab a share of the multi-million dollar category growth this year?

To capture a bigger share of the increased spending on chairs, couches, beds, tables, and mattresses will require local stores to invest in marketing. And according to most key metrics, the best way to reach local furniture buyers is with advertising on Philadelphia radio.

Philadelphia business owners should brace for a sweet Valentine's Day in 2023.

Based on per capita spending forecasts from the National Retail Federation (NRF), Philadelphia area consumers are expected to spend $435.8 million on their Valentines this year, 8.4% more than they did in 2022.

Overall, says the NRF, 52% of consumers plan to celebrate Valentine's day this year. On average, each celebrant will spend $192.80 on holiday gifts and outings. This is $17 more than last year.  Here is the most interesting part, though.

"While spending on significant others and family members is in line with last year, many consumers are looking to show appreciation for the other meaningful relationships in their lives," says the NRF. "Of the $17 increase in per-person spending, $14 comes from gifts for pets, friends, and co-workers, along with classmates or teachers."

Philadelphia area business owners have an abundance of options for marketing their goods and services to local consumers. New research from Nielsen, however, indicates that advertising on Philadelphia radio is still the best way to reach local shoppers.

Every week, according to Nielsen, Philadelphia radio reaches 3.7 million adults. This is significantly more than are reached by social media, local TV stations and cable systems, newspapers, streaming video and audio, and podcasts.

In addition to listening to their favorite Philadelphia radio stations over the air, Nielsen reports that 942,855 adults also listen to local stations online every month.

As a matter of fact, according to a study conducted by Edison Research during the third quarter of 2022, among Adults 25-54, 17% of all time spent listening to local AM/FM stations occurs online. This share of online listening has nearly doubled since 2016.

Local consumers may have a gloomy feeling about economic conditions, but their spending has not tapered. This is good news for the 238,328 small business owners in the Philadelphia area.

According to the latest University of Michigan's Survey of Consumers, sentiment about current economic conditions remains near the all-time low. Concerns about volatile gas prices, rampant inflation, and a looming recession have driven the survey's index down 37% versus a year ago.

Despite these dim consumer sentiments, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's July report shows that real personal consumption expenditures are pacing well above pre-Covid levels. According to Morgan Stanley research, consumers' ability to spend is being driven, in part, by a massive amount of excess savings accumulated over the course of the pandemic.

Earlier this year, based on per capita spending data from the National Retail Federation (NRF). Philadelphia consumers were forecast to spend nearly $82 billion at retail this year. The current level of spending suggests that shoppers are on track to hit that number.

Of course, for local business owners to successfully compete for a share of this record spending requires marketing. By most key marketing metrics, the best way to advertise is on Philadelphia radio. This is especially true among business owners who must limit the number of marketing channels that can be used because of economic restraints.

Of all media, advertising on the radio provides the greatest return on investment.