Pink States

Shopper data is yielding sometimes surprising insights into regional trends and preferences, reports Christina Binkley in the Wall Street Journal (7/29/10). It might come as a surprise, for instance, that luxury spending is growing most quickly in Detroit — up 18 percent in the first quarter of 2010 versus a year ago, according to American Express. Perhaps not coincidentally, Ford’s stock is up, too. In New York City, meanwhile, luxury spending is down 7.7 percent, and in Atlanta it’s down by 18.2 percent.

Shopper data from Hautelook also finds that Southerners favor white, green and pink. In L.A., it’s black, white and gray. Maybe not so surprising. But this is interesting: According to sales data from ShopItToMe, women on the coasts are not only thinner than the rest of the country, but also smaller. Women also spend less on fashion in flashy Dallas than they do in frumpy Washington DC. And the most conservative dressers in New York City live on the Upper West Side, which "has a reputation for being culturally liberal."

The most popular brand among ShopItToMe shoppers, across all cities, is Victoria’s Secret. Another survey finds that Best Buy bores women and both men and women are bored with Dom Perignon. The Center for Culinary Development finds a connection between food and fashion in L.A., where tastes in both are casual and locally grown. In Brooklyn, an affinity for home-sewn clothes is also matched by demand for home-made food. "They’re making their own pickles, butchering their own meat," says Kara Nielsen, a food consultant. "It’s what I call ‘party like its 1899.’"