The Impact of Weather on Retail Sales

Roth Tran, Brigitte

Journal Article

The Impact of Weather on Retail Sales

Abstract: Variation in weather could cause greater disruptions to a range of economic outcomes as severe weather events become more frequent or more extreme. Analyzing daily sales at a national apparel and sporting goods brand’s stores reveals that weather effects on store sales are surprisingly persistent, even after accounting for shoppers simply changing when and where they make their purchases. Moreover, sales at stores that have more experience with adverse weather events have a lower response, suggesting that adaptation may reduce the negative impact of increasingly severe weather on sales.

Keywords: weather; economic activity; store sales;