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Not sure WEATHER it had an impact? 

2018 marked a new trend. A hot one. One where the UK population basked in the glorious sunshine and enjoyed a good old-fashioned Summer.

With the Met Office reporting 2018’s heatwave as the hottest on record, BBQ sales were through the roof and copious beverages were consumed during a summer of sport. The hot spell caused a spike in sales for many, but did the upturn in weather cause a downturn in traffic for your business?


Feeling the heat?

The pressure is on when traffic doesn’t perform as predicted, it’s usual for a series of tests to be run; rankings are checked, analysis conducted, and stats reviewed to see what’s causing the issue. But did you check the weather?

James Betts, Technical Insights Manager for WMG, was stumped when a client’s traffic unexpectedly took a tumble. Deciding to map London temperature data against site traffic for a 6-week period over June and July, he identified a clear switch over point where, as the temperature started to climb, the number of daily sessions began drop.

Running the same tests against numerous clients, the climate link soon became apparent with a reduction in site visits affecting mostly leisure and consumer sectors.


What’s the forecast?

It’s fair to say with the UK being more frequently hit by weather extremes there could be more turbulent times ahead in the not too distant future. Are you prepared for winter? We could yet again see impact, both positive and negative, on web performance.

Temperature gauging has taken on a whole new meaning within WMG, able to accurately track the impact on business we consider implications within our strategies to minimise negative disruption to our much-valued clients and capitalise on spikes through boosting brand presence when and where it matters most.