Happy Hour and Promotion Analysis
The prompt
$18
Why this works
Comparing promotion period volume to a comparable non-promotion period is what separates genuine lift from natural traffic variation — without this comparison, it's impossible to know if happy hour is actually driving incremental business or just discounting revenue from customers who were coming anyway. Calculating the break-even lift required for the promotion to be margin-neutral sets the standard against which actual performance is measured. The day-of-week and daypart halo effect analysis captures the secondary value of promotions that improve fill rates in adjacent periods.
Risks & review
Happy hour analysis must account for the potential for promotional pricing to train customers to only visit during discounted periods — if happy hour increases Monday-Friday from 4-6pm but reduces weekend full-price visits, the net revenue impact may be negative. Track customer visit patterns before and after introducing regular promotions to detect any behavioural shift.