What Small Businesses Can Learn From Yelp's Trend Tracker

Tara Lewis has spent 15 years astatine Yelp helping businesses nexus pinch their communities, and arsenic Yelp's inclination expert, she's successful tune pinch what's next.

Whether it's nan popularization of wellness retreats, nan summation of plant-based menus, aliases nan betterment of nan croissant (seriously, "It's nan gift that keeps connected giving!"), Yelp's inclination accusation offers businesses powerful insights connected really to enactment relevant. Lewis explains that trends aren't conscionable for ample brands — mini business owners who successfully accommodate to shifting personification interests tin too seizure caller customers and boost sales.

Incorporating trends into your business doesn't personification to mean reinventing your afloat marque to caller nan latest in-crowd. Instead, Lewis suggests utilizing trends arsenic an inspirational line for imaginative adaptations that organically widen nan tried-and-true imagination of your brand.

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"It's truthful important that businesses enactment authentic to what their imagination is," she says. "Of course, a business is perpetually evolving and trying to do caller things and reposition itself. It's perpetually going to beryllium changing, but, hopefully, it's ever existent to nan style of what that business proprietor wants others to nexus pinch — it's what makes section businesses truthful special."

For example, businesses pinch an existing mocktail insubstantial mightiness find it beneficial to mentation drinks arsenic "zero-proof" arsenic opposed to "mocktail" to coincide pinch nan rising fame of intoxicant alternatives. It's each astir being intentional pinch really you position your offerings truthful customers tin easy find what they're looking for.

"When you spot that's becoming a trend, you tin return that different clip to spot it arsenic an action astatine your business alternatively of making those group do nan activity to activity it retired aliases inquire if it's available," Lewis says. "That tin too propulsion caller group by adding point circumstantial to reside that audience."

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The Yelp Trend Tracker provides real-time insights into what consumers are searching for, helping businesses expect shifting interests. Business owners tin show these trends to spot opportunities early and instrumentality mini but impactful changes.

"Let's opportunity our monthly inclination locator covered point that was a surge successful celebrated culture," Lewis says. "It doesn't return that overmuch if it's point that aligns pinch you and is information of your ain business personality. If there's a play finale aliases perchance a very celebrated hippo that's each complete TikTok for a while — those things are moments that, if it aligns, you tin prehend nan opportunity and personification immoderate nosy pinch it. It doesn't needfully mean you personification to alteration what you do."

Lewis recognizes that trends are overmuch than accusation points — they're opportunities for businesses to style deeper connections pinch their customers. For example, she's seen searches for societal clubs increase, suggesting that group are craving statement experiences: "We saw searches for book clubs up 26%, chess clubs, tally clubs — they were each surging successful search, indicating that group are looking to find caller ways to nexus pinch different like-minded individuals. Even trivia crippled nights were surging," Lewis says.

A java shop, for example, could large a latte creation group successful consequence to nan emergence successful liking successful hands-on experiences. A barroom could pat into nan resurgence of espresso martinis pinch a cocktail-crafting night. Above all, nan extremity is to create an arena that resonates pinch what communities are already excited about.

It's too important to retrieve that your business already has a batch to offer, and you should point that. Some business owners make nan correction of under-promoting offerings that align pinch rising trends. If your business already serves point that's gaining traction connected Yelp Trend Tracker, Lewis recommends making it overmuch visible to customers.

"It's different opportunity to investigation what mightiness make your business nan champion business you ever envisioned," she says. "It's seizing nan opportunity erstwhile it aligns pinch your business, knowing that consumers are looking for it."

Small changes — for illustration updating insubstantial descriptions, featuring trending items connected your Yelp Business Page aliases highlighting them successful societal media posts — tin thief businesses maximize visibility and propulsion greater interest. Just beryllium judge to enactment existent to your business identity.

"Remember those mini cocoa bombs that you put into basking beverage during nan picnic season? Let's opportunity you admit that nary 1 successful your area has that," Lewis says, "and you tin relationship that arsenic a mini checkout item. That correct there, knowing that group are searching it, doesn't alteration your afloat business."

Lewis's insights beryllium Yelp's inclination accusation is overmuch than interesting; it's actionable. When adopting an emerging trend, renaming a insubstantial constituent to boost visibility aliases fostering community-driven experiences, mini businesses personification plentifulness of opportunities to usage trends to their advantage.

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Among Lewis's astir valuable, trendy takeaways:

• Practice authenticity successful trend-chasing. Don't conscionable recreation trends; make them your ain to thief your business guidelines out.
• Connect pinch weighted customers done shared trending interests. Form meaningful connections pinch your statement by creating events and societal spaces that entreaty to those who matter most.
• Use Yelp Trend Tracker accusation to point what you already offer. Your business whitethorn beryllium successful tune pinch rising trends — accommodate your trading strategy to make these products aliases services overmuch visible to customers.
• Position your business for semipermanent trends, not conscionable momentary fads. Some trends are fleeting; others bespeak larger shifts successful personification behavior. Identify trends pinch staying powerfulness and incorporated them into your business vision.
• Your brand's unsocial characteristic is your trendiest asset. Lean into what makes your business unsocial to group yourself isolated and support customers coming back.

Listen to nan conception beneath to comprehend consecutive from Lewis, and subscribe to Behind nan Review for overmuch from caller business owners and reviewers each Thursday. Available connected Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Pandora.

Editorial contributions by Alex Miranda and Kristi Lindahl

This article is information of our ongoing America's Favorite Mom & Pop Shops™ bid highlighting family-owned and operated businesses.