Study Finds Strong Retail Traffic Lift From AM/FM Campaign.

Westwood One says a national AM/FM radio campaign for a major retailer’s Valentine’s Day promotion generated a 34% increase in foot traffic, with the strongest gains occurring in markets where the campaign received the greatest advertising weight.

The findings come from a new analysis by location analytics firm Placer.ai, commissioned by the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group, that examined the relationship between radio advertising and visits to retail locations.

The study focused on a major retailer that used network radio to promote a special Valentine’s Day offer. Using ad-occurrence data from Media Monitors, researchers measured the campaign’s gross rating points (GRPs) in 48 designated market areas and compared radio weight with changes in foot traffic. Placer.ai used aggregated and anonymized mobile-location data to measure visits to the retailer’s stores, drawing on a panel of roughly 30 million mobile devices representing about 8% of the U.S. population.

The campaign produced two notable surges in store traffic, on Feb. 11-12 and Feb. 14, 2026. Overall, Westwood One reported that the network radio campaign produced a +34% lift in foot traffic. The analysis also found a direct relationship between the amount of radio advertising delivered and the resulting increase in store visits.

Markets were divided into five groups according to the amount of AM/FM radio advertising they received. Very heavy markets averaged 75 GRPs, while heavy markets averaged 38 GRPs. Medium markets averaged 22 GRPs, light markets averaged nine and very light markets averaged three. Markets receiving very light or light campaign weight recorded foot-traffic increases ranging from 0% to 10%, while markets receiving medium or heavy radio weight experienced increases of 10% to 30%.

The report argues that AM/FM radio’s broad reach is a key reason the medium can influence physical retail visits. Westwood One cited a 2026 media-reach study from Nielsen, Edison Research and MRI-Simmons that identified AM/FM radio as America’s leading mass-reach medium. The report also noted that radio maintains strong reach during holiday weeks and weekends, when 80 million Americans plan to listen to holiday music on AM/FM radio.

The Westwood One analysis also points to other research showing that radio’s effects on retail traffic can extend beyond the period when advertising is running. A PlaceIQ study of a home-improvement retailer found that a heavy radio campaign in 44 markets increased the retailer’s share of category foot traffic by two percentage points in March and April, with elevated traffic continuing into May.

Another study from marketing effectiveness firm Haus found that 25% of incremental lift can arrive after a media-spending period has ended. For brands sold through retail channels, Haus found that the median share of lift arriving after the campaign increased to 29%, while the report said ROI doubled for 25% of brands when delayed effects were included.

“If you’re not measuring lagged effects of your marketing, you could be leaving a quarter of your upper-funnel ROI on the table and potentially making budget decisions based on an incomplete picture,” the study concludes.

For a video summary of the findings, click HERE.

Westwood One also cited Motionworks research involving a national AM/FM campaign for a tax-preparation company. That analysis similarly found that markets receiving the greatest radio GRP weight produced the strongest increases in foot traffic, reinforcing the relationship identified in the new Placer.ai study.