Lansing Market Study results shared in September 16 public meeting

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Monday, September 16, Main Street Lansing hosted a public meeting at Kerndt Brothers Community Center in Lansing to review the results of the recent Lansing Market Study survey. A total of 488 consumers responded to the survey, which was well past the goal needed to reach an accurate sample size of the community. In addition, 51 local businesses responded to a specialized survey created to dive deeper into business needs in Lansing.

The local Market Study Committee will next conduct a work session in October to work on a plan of strategies to further aid the Lansing market. The final document with recommendations should be completed by November.

Robin Bostrom, a Business Specialist at Main Street Iowa and the Iowa Economic Development Authority, presented the results to approximately 35 people attending the September 16 general meeting. Business members had met previously with her. Last year the group had analyzed the demographics of the immediate area in order to create a survey which would identify the strategies to make the current business market of Lansing even stronger. The main goal is to identify assets that the community can further build on to improve the community.

Main Street Lansing Executive Director Andy Kelleher stated, “As for what we plan to do with the results, we are going to take the responses to identify top concerns and issues worth addressing, and then formulate some strategies and plans with the goal of boosting the downtown market in meetings during October and November. We are eager to use the survey responses to help create strategies that will aid in the development of downtown Lansing.”

SURVEY DEMOGRAPHICS
Approximately 84% of the people who responded do not live in the community but live within the surrounding area or are regular visitors. The demographic breakdown was 27% live in Lansing, 16% have a seasonal home here, 27% live within 20 miles and 31% live more than 20 miles away. The respondents’ age demographics mostly fell into the 45 or above range with the largest group in the ages 55 to 64 range.

Seventy-five percent of the respondents were female, which is not unusual since statistically 80% of the time, women are the major purchasers for a household. Forty-five percent fell into the income bracket of $50,000 to $99,000 and 30% had a gross income of $100,000 or more. Most respondents lived in two-person households.

Kelleher reflected, “Our numbers for recreation and lifestyles matched retirement community numbers that you find in places like Arizona and Florida; while we often talk about what kind of town we want to be, it’s important to have data telling us what kind of town we actually are.”

WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE TO TOWN?
The survey concluded that what primarily brings people to Lansing are dining, shopping, special events and recreation. Natural resources drive the draw to the community, according to survey results. The most frequently mentioned businesses used by the respondents included Horsfalls, Kwik Star, Quillin’s IGA grocery store and restaurants. Twenty-one percent said they come to Lansing on a daily basis with another 17% coming one to two times per week.

Bostrom said that the longer a person stays in a community, the more money he or she spends. “The goal is to get them to come more often and stay longer,” she explained. The biggest reason people love Lansing is the small-town charm and the people, with 50 percent of survey respondents indicating that.

Other reasons included the Mississippi River and Black Hawk Bridge, the historic downtown buildings, the natural beauty of the area, local businesses, Mt. Hosmer and recreational opportunities.

Lansing offers several choices for eating and drinking with some venues offering entertainment such as live music. Five percent said they come to Lansing daily for eating, drinking or entertainment with 25% coming once or twice a week. Thirty-one percent come once or twice a month. In terms of dining needs, respondents said that a brewery/ brewpub  and/or a steakhouse would bring them more often.

RETAIL SURVEY
In retail results, respondents said that stores selling arts, crafts, hobby materials, a pharmacy or drug store and women’s clothing would bring them to town more often. Most businesses that completed the survey felt that business has been steady. Fifty-one individuals completed the business survey, which differed in some of the questions asked.

Kelleher stated, “Almost all businesses indicated that they have plans for expansion in the future, whether through more hours, products, employees, marketing or buildings; I think it’s very indicative of a healthy downtown to have such a positive business outlook.”

The businesses which responded were 42% service-related businesses, 16% retail, 14% eating and drinking establishments and 28% other, including professional. Seventy-two percent of the business survey respondents own their own businesses. Over half the businesses have been in Lansing for more than nine years, with 34% with over 21 years in the same place.

Bostrom said, “It’s great to have such well-established businesses, and almost half of the businesses are fairly new with less than 10 years in town. But if you have 34% with over 21 years, have you given any thought as to who is going to replace the owners when they want to retire? This is an area where businesses may need assistance with finding potential buyers to pass on important businesses to the next generation.”

Many business respondents felt that it was a top priority to find potential buyers.

INFORMATION SOURCES
The community survey asked respondents to choose the top three places they receive information. Thirty-five percent listed the newspaper, 75% said social media and 33% said internet websites. On the other hand, businesses responded in slightly different terms in describing which information methods they used in promoting their businesses. Business survey respondents said they use the newspapers 14%, radio 24.5%, the internet and social media 87%, again choosing their top three choices.

Kelleher stated, “There’s a slight disparity between how consumers said they receive information versus how businesses said they advertise, primarily in the usage of newspaper and radio, so this data should help enhance and consolidate advertising efforts.”

In terms of social media, most used by consumers was Facebook with 92%, Instagram with 29% and YouTube with 34% and Pinterest with 27%. Bostrom told the audience, “ Instagram has become the number-one source for restaurant advertising. That may be an area which local restaurants want to capitalize on.”

Kelleher added, “An overwhelming majority of respondents said that they’re on Facebook, which is a strong indication that any business who isn’t on Facebook needs to correct that. When 92% of your customers are using a particular platform, you need to join that platform. Businesses did indicate that they’d like to participate in some ‘Social Media for Small Businesses’ training, so I believe that will be a priority for us moving forward.”

He continued, “Many of our businesses indicated that they have a website, but the number plummeted when we asked if they transact sales on their website. While an online store may not be a good fit for every business, it is a missed opportunity if customers are already visiting your website.”

The surveys showed that 74% of the businesses have internet websites, 88% use Facebook and 19% are on Instagram. Many businesses said they would be interested in participating in a collaborative marketing campaign.

Bostrom stated, “If you are a business you need to know where your customers are looking. On average, people look at their cell phones 150 times a day. Many transact sales on websites. The survey said 65% of the Lansing businesses don’t use their websites for revenue generating and they should be doing that.”

A LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY
In terms of the general climate of the community, businesses and the general survey respondents were in close agreement. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being “Strongly agree” and 1 being “Strongly disagree”, Lansing received average scores of 4.23 in Positive image to visitors; 4.5 in Feeling safe in Lansing; and 4.06 Commitment to preserving the historical character.

Bostrom added, “People want to go back to communities where they have good memories, so it is important to leave people with a positive feeling. Many respondents said that special events and festivals were important factors in bringing them to town.”

Bostrom continued, “What do you need to bring more people to town? We mentioned that many respondents wanted a steakhouse or brewery, a pharmacy; businesses have a different viewpoint of what they feel would be successful here: retail and boutiques; restaurant/bar; outdoor recreation; waterfront development/docks. Remember that Main Street Iowa can help current businesses with strategies for marketing, using social media, assisting with design for projects. Use us as a resource. Create incentives for existing businesses and for new businesses. Try pop-up stores during the holidays to test out the market for new businesses.

“When I come here with my family, we have a boat and we don’t know where to park to go to a restaurant. Better signage is important so visitors can find what they need. Tell your friends and neighbors to shop in Lansing. Tell them what is great about Lansing and why you love living here. Remember, if you’re not telling the story of your town, someone else will and you want to control the narrative.”

In terms of improvements, both businesses and general survey respondents felt that the number-one priority was improved sidewalks, streets and lighting. A total of 120 respondents of the general survey indicated that they would consider moving to Lansing and 115 indicated that they might consider living in Lansing.

Bostrom asked the group, “Do you have housing for 120 more people? The survey said that 36% preferred a family home and almost 50% preferred a condo or townhome. Considering the age of the majority of respondents, many of those are probably retired. The average amount they were willing to spend on housing was $750 or higher. On the other hand, you have 37% willing to pay $600 or less. That’s a big contrast.”

Bostrom concluded, “The next step is to determine strategies. This survey will serve as a solid base to build upon. We will want to do another survey in three to five years to compare results after we have implemented some of the plans. Eighty percent of your efforts should be toward maintaining a healthy community but use some of your efforts to work toward improvement. By November we should be able to offer some specific suggestions for activities toward those goals.”

The complete surveys are available  by emailing Andy Kelleher at director@lansingmatters.com or accessing this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QZzP5SOnIcbNuZWxzgCEwT3zRNYzhXf9....