Retail companies can know the exact number of visitors, how many become buyers, which areas - references attract more attention and other information useful to manage the shifts of the salespeople to ensure effective customer service.
In order to choose the right technology to collect all this data, it is important to understand the long-term benefits that can be achieved - thanks to people counting systems - in the operational management of the stores.
Performance indices: conversion rate
The CR conversion rate expresses the ability of the point of sale to transform visitors into buyers. With the help of integrated people counting systems, retailers can calculate how many potential customers they have lost in a given time frame.
By analysing the reasons for these missing purchases, it is possible to make decision which increase profitability. Stores with low visitor volumes generally have higher conversion rates than stores with higher visitor volumes (the conversion rate tends to be inversely proportional to visitors).
The main reason for this is the level of service visitors receive at the point of sale. If the ratio between the number of visitors and the number of salespeople is low, customers get better service because the salespeople have more time to assist each customer (increase in the number of receipts and increase in the average receipt).
Analysing the conversion rate, taking into account these dynamics, lays the foundations for increasing loyalty and sales.
Traffic Performance
People counting systems also make it possible to obtain the Traffic Performance Index, which expresses in € the turnover that a shop generates for every 100 visitors.
The analysis of the POT index is very useful for comparing points of sale in the same chain and allows you to have a complete and realistic assessment of their ability to generate profit.
Let's suppose we want to compare the points of sale A, B and C belonging to the same brand, using the POT and the weekly turnover:
| | Traffic Performance Index | Weekly turnover |
|---|
| Shop A | € 377 for every 100 visitors | € 10.000 |
| Shop B | € 414 for every 100 visitors | € 12.000 |
| Shop C | € 622 for every 100 visitors | € 10.000 |
Depending on the index that we take into consideration, the result on which is the best point of sale varies: point of sale B invoices more, but point of sale C manages to generate the highest turnover for every 100 visitors, so it works better than the other two, with the same number of visitors.
In addition to the performance indicators, people counting systems help managers understand which areas of the store are most attractive and how traffic is distributed according to time and day, useful information for planning events, sales and promotional campaigns.
What technology to adopt?
In order to collect visitor attendance data at the point of sale, the technology that guarantees the highest standards of accuracy and reliability is today represented by the 3D binocular sensor.
Thanks to the dual lens, it captures the detection area from two different angles, perceiving the depth, and generates a 3D image of the entire scene. The 3D sensor is able to count the flow of visitors in a bidirectional way, detecting the direction of travel (both visitors entering and leaving the same opening are counted with extreme precision).
The binocular sensor Visionarea 3D S2, equipped with the best stereo vision technology on the market, integrates WiFi technology for tracking people in the store to identify the routes and average time spent in the various display areas.