4 Retail Benefits of People Counting Systems

4 Retail Benefits of People Counting Systems

A people counter in the retail industry is a system that counts the amount of visitors to a given store. It does this by measuring people who access the entrance and this is done through methods such as beams, thermal imaging, and video counters. Manual clickers used to be used but this required a dedicated employee to perform this task and with the advances in technology this method has largely gone by the wayside.

There are many advantages to a retail company using people counting systems ranging from analytics to security. If your store is one of the few not utilizing a people counter and enjoying its benefits, below are reasons to start immediately.

1. Prevent theft

Retail theft accounts for approximately $125 billion worldwide per year. To ensure that your store is not a victim of thefts that lead to significant and devastating losses, a people counting system should definitely be used on a daily basis.

People counting systems are able to determine the times of day where the store is busiest by tracking customers entering and leaving the premises. Once this information is gathered, management can ensure there is a comfortable staff-to-customer ratio. This ensures that all areas of the store are well-staffed and employees are able to keep an eye on customers at all times.

2. Optimize customer service

Even the most patient and nicest of customers have a breaking point. If your store’s service is not at an acceptable level, customers will end up turning to your competition to satisfy their needs. This will eventually affect your overall sales and could even threaten the business overall.

People counting cameras and systems can help improve or maintain your customer service. As mentioned, these systems are effective in determining what your store’s peak hours are. When you establish common patterns regarding what these hours are, you can then alter your staffing to ensure you have enough to cover the busy times. These systems are also able to determine where in the store traffic is heaviest. The information that the system gives you will allow you to re-locate staff to other areas if needed. This will result in all customers receiving the attention and assistance that they deserve.

3. Evaluate sales

Any business can have sales and run advertisements but are they working and bringing in customers as intended? Instead of doing the bare minimum to begin the promotion and then sitting back hoping for an increase in sales, you need information to determine if your actions are effective.

People counting systems can definitely provide you with the information you need to evaluate sales and promotions.  For example, you can take the data that the system gives you and then compare it to a day where the sale was not in affect. This will tell you whether your sale resulted in an increase in customers. Some systems can even be integrated with point-of-sale systems. Informing you of any increases in sales of a particular item.

4. Performance among locations

It is the goal of most businesses to expand one day as this can lead to the ability to better service customers and in turn increase overall sales. However this is an expensive endeavor and a lot of research needs to be completed before expansion occurs.

People counting systems are able to provide the data that you need to see if expanding operations would be feasible. Information from the system includes daily, weekly, and monthly statistics regarding how many customers visited the store. This can then be used to determine whether the business you receive is enough to justify opening another location. In contrast, it can also be used to compare information among multiple stores when you are looking to downsize.

Jon Ardor

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