Draw and Dwell

Draw and Dwell are measures of activation and vibrancy. Activation and vibrancy are just people choosing to be together in a space. Generally, the more people in a space, the more activation and vibrancy, and the higher the draw and dwell.

Draw is the reason to come. Dwell is the reason to stay.

Draw describes physical things. Dwell is about time. And they always exist together.

Draw is destination quality: unique shopping, convenience, events, interesting space, third space, entertainment, art, errands, people, and so on. Draw is the purpose of the visit or the errand.

Dwell is destination density, comfort, safety, and so on. Dwell is the “je ne sais quoi” that makes people want to hang out, meander, or continue to shop. It is the vibe, the energy. Places with high dwell scores are comfortable and interesting. They are generally very walkable and might include shade, nature, art, reduced/no traffic noise, etc. The thing that has the biggest impact on dwell is other people.

These are concepts that can describe a park or a public square, for example, but for our purposes, draw causes people to bring their money to a business district. Dwell causes people to leave more of their money in a business district. The more time people spend in a place, the more money they spend in that place.

The longer customers dwell, the more likely they are to continue shopping. This is important for any business. It is how a business district thrives! Each business has its own draw (products, branding, experiences, community, etc.). But proximity to other businesses and their customers as well as a high dwell time means that all businesses benefit from each other by sharing customers.

When a customer is finished shopping in one store, if they can be enticed to stay in the area, they are more likely to venture into another store and continue shopping. This is the benefit of dwell time. A healthy dwell time benefits all of the businesses in a shopping district. Shopping becomes easier or customers make unplanned stops and sales increase.

How long does it take to notice a place? How long after noticing does it take to visit a place? Is it better for 25,000 drivers a day to spend less than a second in front of a store, or for 10 people a day to sit on a bench out front for 15 minutes.

Draw rate is generally understood by businesses. Great or unique products attract customers. Branding makes you stand out. Marketing gets people’s attention. And so on.

But dwell time is less intuitive. Once you draw people to a space, once they have purchased the items or experiences they came for, how do you get them to spend more money. Half the battle is time.

Sophisticated businesses create more dwell time, of course, but there is much more that a business district can do.

A neighborhood can create the vibe it wants residents and visitors to experience by creating a vision plan that accentuates the desired ingredients and minimizes the undesirable ingredients.