Ninety-one percent of consumers do at least half of their shopping in physical retail stores compared to online, while two-thirds do most of their shopping in physical stores according to the technology company Theatro. With all this foot traffic in retail spaces, people counting has become an increasingly important task.
People counting for retail means keeping track of the number of people who enter and exit a physical retail space.
Enhancing Security with People Counting
By knowing how many people are in their physical space, retailers can impChoosing the right camera security system for a warehouse
Warehouse managers, operations teams, safety/EHS professionals, security directors, and IT leaders are all grappling with the rise in security incidents at distribution centers and industrial facilities. Recent data suggests a 15% uptick in warehouse security breaches over the past year. To address these challenges, a robust warehouse security camera system must deliver comprehensive coverage, AI-driven analytics, ensure compliance, integrate seamlessly with existing workflows, provide dedicated support, and be deployed quickly.
When installing a warehouse camera system, you may immediately think of the difficulties and complications that may occur during the installation process. Will you need a professional security camera installation? How much will this warehouse camera system cost you?
Here's the good news: at Spot AI, we have an easy-install camera system that anyone can manage. Our system comes with an easy install system that makes installation a breeze. Since we work with any system, all you have to do is set up our plug-and-play software, and you're all set. Our system operates using an Intelligent Video Recorder (IVR) system. The latest AI processors power this IVR, allowing you to quickly and easily sift through data from your warehouse security cameras. Once you install the system, it will automatically connect to all cameras on the network in minutes, meaning there is virtually no downtime.
We're proud of the brand-agnostic system that we've created. Since we work with any digital camera, you don't have to buy any expensive hardware as part of the security cameras for the business installation system we offer. That being said, if you want our cameras, we can help: we offer premium IP cameras at no extra cost.
At Spot AI, we know you don't have time to deal with camera downtime. That's why we can help you manage camera downtime of any cameras connected to the network. Our system instantly alerts you to any camera downtime, enabling you to immediately determine if the downtime is due to a lack of maintenance or hardware failure. We can also help you identify any gaps that may exist in your system due to this downtime, so you can reposition cameras until the problem is solved. Indeed, with proper support, camera downtime can be invaluable in helping you identify potential holes in your camera system. ove security. For example, store employees can prevent people from entering a store if it's too full. People counting can also help retailers adhere to any legislation or guidelines in their region or industry that deal with maximum occupancies, such as fire safety laws.
Limiting store occupancy was particularly important during the pandemic when certain jurisdictions imposed guidelines about the number of people allowed in a store at any time. Although most governments have lifted these restrictions worldwide, people counting for retail technology can be useful in other situations requiring store occupancy control, such as during the Black Friday sales.
Boosting Retail Profitability with People Counting
In non-health-and-safety scenarios, the more people in a store, the better. A full store means more people are browsing products and making purchases, increasing a retailer's bottom line. With the latest people counting technology, such as an AI-powered retail camera system, store owners can learn whether they receive more foot traffic and particular times of the day or week and use these insights to increase profitability.
Optimizing Staff Management with People Counting
By knowing busy and less-busy periods in their stores, retailers can increase or decrease labor. For example, if data from people counting technology, such as a door traffic counter for retail, reveals that Sunday afternoons are the busiest period for a retailer, they can schedule more staff to meet consumer demand. These customer behavior analytics can also guide operations.
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Using Customer Counting to Drive Operational Efficiency
It's important to think about the type of data collected in people counting activities. The best solutions let retailers gather the following information:
- Footfall data: Footfall is the number of people who occupy a retail space at one time. By analyzing foot traffic data, store owners can find out how many people visited their store at different intervals and compare store visits with the number of sales generated during the same period. Tracking retail foot traffic can also help retailers manage staffing levels.
- Length of time in-store data: The most advanced people counters such as an AI door counter sensor, can determine how long someone stays inside a store before exiting. That can help retailers learn how long people visit their stores, whether they engage with products, and other customer behavior analytics. If most people only spend a few minutes in a store, its owner might want to improve the store experience to keep people there longer and improve retail traffic.
- Demographic data: AI-powered people counting technologies can uncover demographic data such as the age or sex of a store visitor. While not all technologies are 100% accurate, retailers can learn more about their customers for marketing campaigns and generate more revenue. For example, if a store attracts a younger demographic, its owner can target this audience with marketing materials.
How to Use Retail Analytics for Audience Insights
Retailers can use the data sets listed above and generate insights about customers and operations. For even more successful retail analytics, store owners should consider these additional data sets when carrying out people counting for retail:
- New/returning visitors: Whether someone walking through a store is a new or returning customer. This data set is important for determining brand loyalty and whether customers are likely to return for additional purchases. If retailers receive few returning customers, they might not be providing a good enough user experience.
- Busiest parts of stores: By placing people counting solutions in-store, retailers can learn which areas of their physical spaces are the most popular. That will tell them which products attract the most footfall. This data set also helps with occupancy management by revealing insights about where customers dwell in-store.
- Queue management: People counting tools can determine how long someone lines in a queue at a store. This queue count data is also important for improving the user experience. If a person waits too long to pay for their goods or speak to a customer rep, they might exit that store and leave a negative review online.
Only AI-powered video-based people-counting solutions will provide all of these data sets. Sensors, beams, and other technologies don't have the capabilities to measure demographic information or distinguish between new and returning customers.
AI video camera systems connect with retail video analytics software, allowing business owners to identify patterns and trends in data sets and make smarter decisions. For example, retailers can predict when queues will be the longest based on historical data and hire additional employees to improve line management. Alternatively, they can identify when existing customers are likely to return to their store again by analyzing customer behavior. The best analytics tools provide insights about in-store activities via charts, graphs, and other visualizations, making it easier to analyze data from video systems when people counting for retail.
The Impact of People Counting Solutions on Store Performance
People counting solutions are electronic devices that calculate footfall at any given moment, providing retailers with information about the people who frequent their stores. This technology includes sensors, light beams, and people-counting video surveillance cameras. People counting solutions generate insights about how many people enter or exit a door at a retail location, allowing retailers to improve security, manage footfall, and improve day-to-day operations.
People Counting Technologies and Analytics Integration
Below are some popular technologies used for people counting in retail, as well as alternative methods and best practices to ensure accurate data collection, installation success, and proper data governance.
People Counting Sensors
A people counting sensor is a device that measures how many people walk through an entrance/exit in a retail environment. These sensors connect to a separate system that logs how many people are in a store at one time and detects their presence with thermal imagery or other technology.
People Counting Beams
Laser beams are a type of people counting sensor that use infrared beams to detect people frequenting a store. That helps a retailer count how many people are in their physical space at different periods. A store owner can install a people counting beam outside their space and direct it toward an entrance. The technology will count customers as they break the beam.
People Counting Cameras
A video camera system records and counts the number of people who enter and exit a retail location. This people counting system detects bodies as they move into view of a camera. The best cameras have AI capabilities that make it easy to identify patterns and trends in footfall, allowing retailers to learn more about day-to-day operations. AI cameras can also generate video analytics for retail stores about the type of people who frequent their spaces. For example, these cameras can predict a customer's age, sex, and other demographic information accurately. That helps retailers learn what types of people are browsing their products.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Counting
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-based people counting leverages signals from customers’ mobile devices. By detecting smartphones or other devices within a certain range, retailers can estimate foot traffic, dwell times, and even repeat visits. While this method provides a scalable approach—especially in large venues—retailers must ensure compliance with privacy regulations and employ secure data handling practices.
Best Practices for Implementation
- Proper Installation: Position sensors, beams, or cameras at optimal heights and angles. Calibrate equipment regularly to maintain accuracy.
- Accuracy Considerations: Account for children, strollers, or carts that could affect your counts. Regularly validate data against manual tallies.
- Integration with Analytics: Combine people counting data with POS systems or marketing analytics for deeper insights and improved decision-making.
How Spot AI can help
People counting in retail is becoming more of a necessity as retailers want to generate insights about footfall, queue management, and customer behavior and demographics. While store owners need to be aware of consumer privacy and data security, the latest people counting technologies can help them calculate how many people visit their physical spaces at specific times. That can result in more insights into their retail operations.
When counting visitors in your store, retailers should think about the data they want to collect. They can then use retail analytics software to identify patterns in this data and discover more information about the people who visit their spaces.
While beams and sensors can help with people counting, retailers need an AI-powered video surveillance tool that can help track visitors and learn more about them. Spot AI is an innovative video camera system that utilizes AI for advanced people counting.
Here are some of the benefits of this product:
- Users can access video footage from one single dashboard or assign roles to different team members. That ensures only the right people access footage, improving data governance.
- Spot AI is a plug-and-play, meaning it's available to use straight out of the box. It also works with any IP camera, so users don't have to invest in new equipment for people counting.
- AI-powered search capabilities make it simple to find the footage a retailer needs at any moment.
- Users can set up alerts and instantly know when footfall exceeds a particular threshold. That can help retailers improve health and safety and prevent too many people from entering their stores at one time.
Real-World Use Cases
Spot AI has helped businesses across various industries transform their operations with advanced people counting.
- All Star Elite (Retail): By implementing Spot AI’s intelligent camera systems, All Star Elite tracked store traffic patterns, optimized product displays, and boosted customer engagement, leading to higher conversion rates.
- MIXT (Restaurants): MIXT leveraged Spot AI for queue management and kitchen efficiency. With real-time insights on customer flow, they reduced wait times and improved overall guest satisfaction.
- YMCA of Greater Richmond (Fitness/Community Centers): Using Spot AI’s people counting analytics, YMCA enhanced member experiences, ensured facility safety, and better allocated staff resources during peak times.
These examples highlight the versatility of Spot AI across retail, restaurant, and fitness/community settings, showcasing how deploying an AI-powered solution can lead to tangible improvements in customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and revenue growth.
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By Mike Polodna, Head of Customer Success at Spot AI. About Spot AI | Contact Spot AI
