Why Retailers Should Put Mini Weather Stations on Every Store

Hyperlocal weather data can help retailers optimize inventory, pricing, and staffing—while protecting margins with weather derivatives.

“If they want the best data possible, and if they want control over their data, they should make their own.” —Sarah Kapnick, former NOAA chief scientist and now global head of climate advisory at JPMorgan

When Mastercard installs a weather station outside its Kansas City office, it isn’t just collecting temperature readings for curiosity’s sake. It’s building hyperlocal intelligence on how extreme weather directly impacts its operations.

As the Wall Street Journal recently reported, Mastercard is part of a growing wave of companies investing in mini weather stations to capture real-time, street-level data that can’t be gleaned from broad regional forecasts.

These devices are proving critical as businesses grapple with the rising costs of heat waves, hurricanes, floods, and other extreme weather shocks.

But what if retailers went a step further?

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