People counting to improve retail performance

For every store owner it is important to drive sales, have successful marketing campaigns and plan staff effectively. The dynamic retail industry is always changing and becoming more and more complicated. On top of that, customers needs are continuously shifting. This is where people counting systems come in. Counting people will provide valuable and reliable insights as to what is going on in your retail space, and will be very useful for every store or shopping mall owner.

Track customer movement

What exactly is meant by people counting? Let us explain. People counting entails accurately tracking customer movement. For example you will find out the average time people stay in your store, which direction they are likely to walk in, and how much money they spend in your store. Gaining this information will provide you with multiple benefits. First of all, you will be able to quickly adjust strategy if needed. Second, you will make better informed decisions because you have smart and advanced data to rely on. If you use the collected data in a clever way, you are bound to gain a competitive advantage and improve your store’s performance and conversion ratio.     

How a large jeweller profited from people counting

The largest jewellery chain in the Netherlands has more than a 100 stores nationwide. These stores are popular because they are always stocked up with the newest trends, are hip and fashionable, and they also take value in being affordable for their customers. A successful brand like this one, with a lot of store traffic and a high footfall, can gain a lot when they have information on what their busiest hours are, how they can deploy their staff most effectively and gain understanding in the conversion of their store. A people counting system has helped this famous jeweller in multiple ways. There is more insight and overview in the number of store visitors which can be used to calculate the expected number of visitors in the future. The expected number of visitors is a critical factor when management is making important business decisions. These decisions range from optimal staff planning to customer service and inventory levels.        

Other markets

Footfall data and counting people is not only important in shops and shopping malls but can also be of great value for streets and stations. Counting visitors and pedestrians in cities and large shopping areas gives information about pedestrian flows and retail traffic. Insights will be mainly on topics such as identifying hotspots, identifying movement and routes through the city, learning what appeals visitors to the city, what is the best way to act in crisis or danger, and determining movement barriers. Counting people in stations on the other hand is meaningful operationally and for improving the customer experience. Insights will be mainly on topics such as the number of people coming in and out of the station, the visitor-traveller ratio, duration of the visit, the best way to act in crisis or danger and identifying hotspots and barriers to movement.