North American Retailers Gear Up for World Cup & Olympic Surge

07/08/2025

Blog, Retail

2 min

The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, will bring an estimated 5 million visitors to the U.S. alone. Just two years later, Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics, expected to draw another 15 million visitors. This unprecedented influx of people will significantly increase foot traffic in key retail areas—especially near stadiums, fan zones, and tourist hotspots—placing considerable pressure on store operations.

Retailers in these areas will face the challenge of maintaining smooth operations amid unpredictable customer volumes. Managing fluctuating foot traffic, ensuring sufficient staffing, and keeping shelves stocked will become increasingly complex as crowd levels surge. Without effective preparation, businesses risk long lines, overwhelmed staff, and high abandon rates that puts sales at risk—at precisely the moment when demand will be at its highest.

Turn Traffic into Revenue

Mega events create massive potential for revenue, but only if retailers are ready to convert foot traffic into sales. With fans and tourists eager to spend on merchandise, apparel, souvenirs, food, and beverages, retailers can significantly boost their earnings during these high-traffic periods.

However, long lines, slow service, or disorganized layouts can quickly drive customers away. Studies show that queue abandonment costs traditional retailers billions of dollars in lost sales every year. That’s why retailers must focus on reducing friction at every stage of the shopping experience—whether that’s shortening checkout queues, optimizing product placement, or enhancing customer service.

To turn mega event crowds into revenue, retailers need more than extra inventory—they need clear, real-time insights into customer behavior. Reliable analytics reveal how shoppers move through the store, where congestion builds, and which areas drive engagement. This visibility is essential for managing unpredictable traffic and making quick, data-driven adjustments.

Quality behavioral data directly impacts performance. Retailers that optimize store flow using real-time insights have seen conversion rates increase by up to 20%. When customers can navigate easily, they’re more likely to browse, stay longer, and buy more.

With millions of visitors expected during the World Cup and Olympics, there’s no room for guesswork. Real-time analytics help retailers reduce friction, boost efficiency, and turn surging foot traffic into lasting revenue.

Long-Term Benefits Beyond the Events

The innovations retailers deploy for the World Cup and Olympics won’t just be useful during the events—they’ll continue paying dividends long after. Data gathered from peak-event periods can help retailers:

Understand customer behavior more deeply
Improve store layouts and merchandising strategies
Refine staffing models for future seasonal or event-based surges

These insights create long-term resilience, allowing businesses to respond faster and smarter to future challenges. But to realize the full potential of those systems, retailers must ensure they are using hardware that can deliver real value across decades.

Training for Success

To ensure accuracy, reliability, and trust, this level of behavioral insight must be powered by privacy-compliant, AI-driven sensor technology—like that offered by Xovis.

Unlike traditional methods that rely on incomplete or delayed data, Xovis sensors deliver precise, real-time people flow analytics without capturing personally identifiable information. This means retailers get actionable intelligence while maintaining full compliance with global privacy standards. Built for high-traffic environments, Xovis' AI-powered platform empowers retailers to confidently scale operations, adapt in real time, and create seamless customer experiences—even during the most demanding events.

Retail Analytics Use Cases Tom Tailor Case Study

Anne Wyder

Anne Wyder is an experienced retail professional with a background in Customer Relationship Management, Sales and Marketing, and Digitization. She is passionate about helping organizations harness the power of data-driven people flow solutions.