The pumpkin spice Latte is driving Starbucks's foot traffic surge

Starbucks released its Pumpkin Spice Latte officially on August 24 and was already leading to a big boost in foot traffic before the official arrival of fall.

According to analytics platform Placer.ai, visits increased 3.5% during the week of August 23 compared to the same week in a particularly strong 2019 summer season. And foot traffic expanded 12.3% in a week over week basis.

In the days following the launch, traffic continued to increase with an average increase of 14.9% during the six days that followed the drink's 2021 launch. This culminated with a weekend surge that saw visitors spike 20.8% on Sunday and 19.3% on Saturday, compared to the four prior weekends.

But it isn't just Starbucks SBUX reaping the benefits of the pumpkin coffee craze that has consumers.

Dunkin' also saw visitors increase during the week of its own Pumpkin Spice drink debut on August 16, climbing 8.4% compared to the same week in 2019. That momentum continued throughout the following week – with Starbucks' foot traffic up 3% on the day of Dunkin' Pumpkin Spice Latte release.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte has continued been a powerful driver for growth in Starbucks. The signature beverage debuted in 2003, with more than 500 million on sale to date.