Real World Insights on Melbourne Cup Revellers

Our insights team put the Factori Real World intelligence platform to work to analyse 2 groups of race day revellers on Melbourne Cup day a few weeks ago in Australia.With public opinion on the ethics of horse racing at an all-time low, attendance at Flemington this year was at its lowest in over 20 years, with official attendance on Cup day at just 81,408 -  down from 102,000 in 2015.For many, Lexus Melbourne Cup day is still a big date on the social calendar. Factori took a closer look at attendees at Melbourne Cup using smartphone device data derived in a privacy compliant manner. Unsurprisingly in terms of real-world interests socialising is right up there with 47% of revellers at Flemington have also frequented pubs, bars and restaurants in the 90 days prior.Based on Factori geo-behavioural analysis, visitors at Flemington for the cup appears to be a sporty bunch who look after themselves, with 21.5% hitting the gym and 43% visiting a Rebel Sports store in the last 3 months. With Parents well represented at Flemington, it's entirely possible that the Rebel Sports shopping trips are to buy sportswear/equipment for their kids. In contrast, the data also shows that Flemington attendees looking for a fast food fix after a big day or night out are more likely to choose KFC over other fast food outlets, with 19% of attendees also dining at KFC followed by Subway and Domino's in terms of popularity.For those not at Flemington race course who like a punt on the race including 1.9M Australian's tuning in on TV, there are a plethora of betting apps, but many still like to visit their local TAB store. Factori analysed foot traffic at 329 TAB stores and on Melbourne cup day observed more customers visiting their TAB each hour with 27% of all foot-traffic occurring in the 2 hours immediately prior to the race. The data suggests that Australia enjoys a last-minute punt with TABs at their busiest between 2-3 pm, just before the infamous 2 mile handicap race at 3 pm AEST.With Tabcorp reporting lower turnover this year for the entire carnival and even more so on Cup day, understanding audience behaviours and affinities, both online and in the real world, away from the races will provide clues as to where consumers will be spending next.