People Counting Systems -5 WC Blog 471
Door Counting Sensor – 4
Improve Sales and Shrink With People Counting Systems
People counting systems may be more than just headcounters for stores. Consider the fact that not everyone entering your retail establishment is there to shop. Many stores have theft issues that are causing inventory control problems that have not been identified. It may be happening in your own locations. How many times do you look around and see people entering the store and leaving empty handed? The end of the day register tallies may indicate that sales are not too bad but there is little to judge that information against except the prior year sales records.
People counting systems track the number of people entering a store during the course of a day. A door counting sensor is not complicated it simply measures how many people tripped it as they walked in. What they do not do is provide any sales data but when daily transactions are compared to the number of customers who entered it paints a good picture of what may or may not be transpiring on the sales floor. Managers who use the information properly will analyze the information and assess if there is a reason for the people leaving without making a purchase. Does the issue lie with unidentified shoplifting, a customer service problem or a merchandising issue? Door counting sensors will not give the answers but they will identify a problem.
Is there theft taking place and that is why people counting systems show a disparity between sales and traffic? It is possible. To make a determination several steps would need to take place. First managers would need to look at electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm responses. Stores that have EAS towers should be tracking alarm activations in a logbook. After answering an alarm employees write the information in the log and give the reason for the alarm and if merchandise was recovered. Did tagged merchandise set off the alarm and prevent a theft? For stores without an electronic article surveillance system the difference between door counts and sales transactions is probably due to theft and in turn causing empty shelves sending customers other places for purchases. Stores with a Checkpoint System have an additional benefit that electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm activations are tracked in a Smart Alarm Management system. This feature provides managers with an alarm activity report that is useful for tracking and managing the number of alarms and employee responses to those alarms.
Consider that a door counting sensor will show people are coming and going but the traffic does not reflect in your sales data. It could be that customers are not making purchases because the merchandise just is not on your sales floor. Why is the floor empty when sales do not seem to match the amount of empty space you see? Customers could be leaving because shoplifters are stealing and therefore emptying your shelves. The EAS Smart Alarm Management tool would provide that data and you could begin to address theft issues.
Another issue that stems from shoplifting is that employees may not be refilling the empty holes on the shelves resulting from the theft. Patrons are not bothering to seek assistance and staff are not offering customer service to see what it is that patrons are looking for. People counting systems will not directly provide the information but it can be readily assessed from the reported data. It all ties in to the disparity between foot traffic and sales data but you HAVE to have the information and tools that will give head counts to get that information in order to act on it.
Don’t rely on sales information as a reliable source of information for how your business is and could be performing. People counting systems can help you see what your potential sales might be and if there is a theft issue or customer service problem or both that could be hurting sales. Add profit by adding a door counting sensor and a Checkpoint system with Smart Alarm Management.
Need information on People Counting Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
People counting systems may be more than just headcounters for stores. Consider the fact that not everyone entering your retail establishment is there to shop. Many stores have theft issues that are causing inventory control problems that have not been identified. It may be happening in your own locations. How many times do you look around and see people entering the store and leaving empty handed? The end of the day register tallies may indicate that sales are not too bad but there is little to judge that information against except the prior year sales records.
People counting systems track the number of people entering a store during the course of a day. A door counting sensor is not complicated it simply measures how many people tripped it as they walked in. What they do not do is provide any sales data but when daily transactions are compared to the number of customers who entered it paints a good picture of what may or may not be transpiring on the sales floor. Managers who use the information properly will analyze the information and assess if there is a reason for the people leaving without making a purchase. Does the issue lie with unidentified shoplifting, a customer service problem or a merchandising issue? Door counting sensors will not give the answers but they will identify a problem.
Is there theft taking place and that is why people counting systems show a disparity between sales and traffic? It is possible. To make a determination several steps would need to take place. First managers would need to look at electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm responses. Stores that have EAS towers should be tracking alarm activations in a logbook. After answering an alarm employees write the information in the log and give the reason for the alarm and if merchandise was recovered. Did tagged merchandise set off the alarm and prevent a theft? For stores without an electronic article surveillance system the difference between door counts and sales transactions is probably due to theft and in turn causing empty shelves sending customers other places for purchases. Stores with a Checkpoint System have an additional benefit that electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm activations are tracked in a Smart Alarm Management system. This feature provides managers with an alarm activity report that is useful for tracking and managing the number of alarms and employee responses to those alarms.
Consider that a door counting sensor will show people are coming and going but the traffic does not reflect in your sales data. It could be that customers are not making purchases because the merchandise just is not on your sales floor. Why is the floor empty when sales do not seem to match the amount of empty space you see? Customers could be leaving because shoplifters are stealing and therefore emptying your shelves. The EAS Smart Alarm Management tool would provide that data and you could begin to address theft issues.
Another issue that stems from shoplifting is that employees may not be refilling the empty holes on the shelves resulting from the theft. Patrons are not bothering to seek assistance and staff are not offering customer service to see what it is that patrons are looking for. People counting systems will not directly provide the information but it can be readily assessed from the reported data. It all ties in to the disparity between foot traffic and sales data but you HAVE to have the information and tools that will give head counts to get that information in order to act on it.
Don’t rely on sales information as a reliable source of information for how your business is and could be performing. People counting systems can help you see what your potential sales might be and if there is a theft issue or customer service problem or both that could be hurting sales. Add profit by adding a door counting sensor and a Checkpoint system with Smart Alarm Management.
Need information on People Counting Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
