AI For

• Site Selection
• Market Planning
• Sales Forecast
• M&A
• Leasing
• White Space
• CRE
• Site Selection

As hotel prices spike and Airbnb markets tighten, festivalgoers are pitching tents on-site and the economic ripple effect is significant.

Every April, the Coachella Valley transforms into one of the most data-rich consumer behavior experiments on the planet. This year, the story isn't just about who's performing, it's about where people are sleeping, how they're spending, and what that means for every business in a 30-mile radius.

By the time the first cars rolled into the Empire Polo Club campgrounds on Thursday, April 9, a clear behavioral shift was already visible: more festivalgoers than ever are skipping hotels, canceling Airbnb reservations, and choosing to set up camp directly on-site. Understanding that shift and what drives it, is exactly the kind of question location intelligence was built to answer.

The pet industry has long been one of retail's most resilient sectors. Through economic downturns, shifting consumer habits, and the relentless march of e-commerce, Americans have kept spending on their pets, often outpacing growth in categories far more considered "essential." The result is a market that has ballooned well past the $100 billion mark and shows little sign of slowing.

But inside that growth story, a quieter revolution is underway. While national chains like PetSmart and Petco continue to dominate in total store count and revenue, a new class of independent pet specialty boutiques has emerged smaller, curated, community-rooted and they're finding their footing by competing differently. Not on price. Not in breadth. But on place.

The pet care industry is one of the most resilient retail sectors in the United States and at its center stand two giants: PetSmart and Petco. Both chains carry a remarkably similar product mix. Both serve the same household. Yet when you map them through the lens of AI-driven location intelligence, striking differences emerge in how each brand reads the market, picks its trade areas, and positions itself for growth.