Do you remember the days, not so long ago, when staff members had to count footfall with a clicker? Well, many retailers have thankfully moved on from that and started using advanced tracking solutions to automate this tedious task. As a result, they’re now able to collect actionable insights into how consumers navigate brick-and-mortar stores.
Counting footfall inside stores is important because:
Counting footfall inside stores is important because:
Using historic data, you can predict footfall on specific days and times with high accuracy. This will help you manage occupancy levels and design stores accordingly.
By counting the number of people at specific time and day, you can optimise the number of staff on the floor, fitting rooms or tills. This will also improve customer experience alongside cost efficiency as the optimal number of staff will be available to help shoppers at all times.
Video analytics can help determine the “role” of each store. For instance, a store in Covent Garden will attract different types of shoppers than a store in Canary Wharf’s shopping centre. However, both have a role in consumers’ buying journey.
A store with high footfall and time spent but low conversion could mean shoppers use it as a showroom to interact with the brand and products but make purchases online; similarly, a store with high footfall and low time spent may indicate the store is not doing well or perhaps shoppers are only coming in to use click & collect services.
Outside footfall is equally as important:
Simply put, outside footfall will reveal the exposure your store has. Comparing inside footfall with outside footfall at specific days and times can help you understand the ratio of passer-byers that go into your store and make purchases.
If you delve deeper and compare different stores and locations, you will be able to assess which areas and types of locations better suited to your business and provide the highest exposure. Perhaps stores inside shopping centres generate the most revenue; or perhaps you target tourists so tourist hotspots are your ideal locations.
With outside footfall, you can work out the effectiveness of window displays in attracting shoppers. Over time, you will know which types of window displays are effective at which time and day of the year, helping you maximise the impact.
Gathering actionable insights such as footfall is going to empower retailers to improve marketing, make strategic decisions, predict future demands, and improve customer experience. Ultimately, analytics will be the friend helping you maximise in-store revenue.
Please get in contact to explore analytics further.