Do You Sense That You Have More Customers Than Sales Reflect? A Door Counting Sensor Can Help You Identify Missed Sales Opportunities

Customer Counting Systems -3                                                                                           WC Blog 407
Door Counting Sensor -5
Do You Sense That You Have More Customers Than Sales Reflect? A Door Counting Sensor Can Help You Identify Missed Sales Opportunities
     I remember when I first moved to my state the road system was horrible in some areas. There was a military base to support and the area was a tourist destination as well. Two major road arteries coming into and out of the area were inadequate for the amount of traffic we were seeing.  Eventually government officials realized that the area could not support further growth and attract more tourists without road improvements.  In order to support the need for road improvements, vehicle traffic counters were set out on roads. While there are a number of measurement tools available the one that I was most aware of was rubber hoses that were placed across the road called pneumatic road tubes. I am certain that there were other factors taken into consideration before the decisions for road widening projects were started. Factors such as traffic accidents, traffic congestion reports, hotel occupancy levels, and the growth of businesses along major road arteries I am sure all were taken into account. I can look at the impact of ongoing road projects and see what the impacts have been. More shopping outlets have built up along these roads. Major housing complexes have popped up and continue to pop up. A local university has grown by leaps and bounds from roughly 3,000 students in the late 1980’s to more than 10,000 students today. Retail stores would do well to learn the importance of customer counting systems as they serve a very similar purpose to the vehicle traffic counters. 
     Customer counting systems use a door counting sensor to keep track of the number of patrons entering a store. It also measure the time of day of the customers are entering the store. For store owners and managers this data can be used to maximize the use of payroll for staffing purposes. Stores without the protections offered by electronic article surveillance (EAS) can use a door counting sensor as a stand-alone device to track foot traffic patterns. Those stores with Checkpoint EAS towers can have the counter attached to it and get the added benefit of information to track alarm activations, times of activations and employee response to alarms. A sensor is a powerful tool to further improve shortage results and aid in identifying training opportunities for employees.
          I want to be clear I am not suggesting the vehicle traffic counting systems were driving increases in visitors and growth in the area. There was an identified problem with traffic based on resident complaints, business owner input, accident reporting and I am sure local official input. It is also possible news outlets gave a picture of problem roads and conditions. The use of the vehicle traffic counters gave department of transportation officials the necessary information to support the argument for necessary improvements. THAT planned development in the proper areas led to ADDITIONAL growth and expansion. In like manner I am not suggesting a door counting sensor will bring in more customers that would be a logical fallacy. What I am saying is that the information you receive from your door counting sensor can be used to analyze your business. Compare your foot traffic to your sales and also your staffing. Are you seeing a drop in sales even when the patron count is higher, it could be you are not adequately staffing your store during those periods. You may need for sales floor assistance to help customer and cashiers to ring them up. As you identify your opportunities you strategically adapt your payroll budget. When sales begin to climb you may find you actually have room to expand your business, just as road improvements in my area has driven business and tourism growth.
     Why not take a look at the possibility that customer counting systems could be helpful in improving store operations and driving sales? Consider installing a door counting sensor today.
Need information on a customer counting system? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

I remember when I first moved to my state the road system was horrible in some areas. There was a military base to support and the area was a tourist destination as well. Two major road arteries coming into and out of the area were inadequate for the amount of traffic we were seeing.  Eventually government officials realized that the area could not support further growth and attract more tourists without road improvements.  In order to support the need for road improvements, vehicle traffic counters were set out on roads. While there are a number of measurement tools available the one that I was most aware of was rubber hoses that were placed across the road called pneumatic road tubes. I am certain that there were other factors taken into consideration before the decisions for road widening projects were started. Factors such as traffic accidents, traffic congestion reports, hotel occupancy levels, and the growth of businesses along major road arteries I am sure all were taken into account. I can look at the impact of ongoing road projects and see what the impacts have been. More shopping outlets have built up along these roads. Major housing complexes have popped up and continue to pop up. A local university has grown by leaps and bounds from roughly 3,000 students in the late 1980’s to more than 10,000 students today. Retail stores would do well to learn the importance of customer counting systems as they serve a very similar purpose to the vehicle traffic counters. 
     

Customer counting systems use a door counting sensor to keep track of the number of patrons entering a store. It also measure the time of day of the customers are entering the store. For store owners and managers this data can be used to maximize the use of payroll for staffing purposes. Stores without the protections offered by electronic article surveillance (EAS) can use a door counting sensor as a stand-alone device to track foot traffic patterns. Those stores with Checkpoint EAS towers can have the counter attached to it and get the added benefit of information to track alarm activations, times of activations and employee response to alarms. A sensor is a powerful tool to further improve shortage results and aid in identifying training opportunities for employees.
         

I want to be clear I am not suggesting the vehicle traffic counting systems were driving increases in visitors and growth in the area. There was an identified problem with traffic based on resident complaints, business owner input, accident reporting and I am sure local official input. It is also possible news outlets gave a picture of problem roads and conditions. The use of the vehicle traffic counters gave department of transportation officials the necessary information to support the argument for necessary improvements. THAT planned development in the proper areas led to ADDITIONAL growth and expansion. In like manner I am not suggesting a door counting sensor will bring in more customers that would be a logical fallacy. What I am saying is that the information you receive from your door counting sensor can be used to analyze your business. Compare your foot traffic to your sales and also your staffing. Are you seeing a drop in sales even when the patron count is higher, it could be you are not adequately staffing your store during those periods. You may need for sales floor assistance to help customer and cashiers to ring them up. As you identify your opportunities you strategically adapt your payroll budget. When sales begin to climb you may find you actually have room to expand your business, just as road improvements in my area has driven business and tourism growth.
     

Why not take a look at the possibility that customer counting systems could be helpful in improving store operations and driving sales? Consider installing a door counting sensor today.

 

Need information on a customer counting system? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

 

Improve Customer Service And Staffing Inefficiencies With A Customer Counting System

AA Blog 50
Customer Counting Systems:  5
Door Counting Sensor:  3
Improve Customer Service And Staffing Inefficiencies With A Customer Counting System.
Being in loss prevention I always tend to think about security related products and how they can benefit companies.  I do this all the time!  Everywhere I go, I am thinking about how certain solutions could assist in making my experience more convenient.  Maybe that sounds silly, but as a consumer there are so many areas that I encounter on a daily basis that involve customer service and sales, that I can’t help but ponder how it could be improved.  For example, I was at the bank the other day to deposit a check, and I couldn’t help but be annoyed with the line of customers waiting for assistance.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand that they are doing the best they can to provide good service to their customers, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am on lunch break, and have only a prescribed amount of time to complete my errand.  It was the middle of the work week, around lunch time, and they only had two tellers working.  There were about ten customer’s waiting for assistance and it was moving very slow.  When it comes to banking, they don’t have extra tellers sitting in the back just waiting to jump in to assist, and you know customer service doesn’t fall into a loan officer’s job description, so your only option is to wait or leave and come back later.  Well I wasn’t leaving, because I needed to deposit my check, so I waited.  While waiting, semi-patiently, I began to think about this situation and how I could improve this process.  Obviously the bank, like other services, has to try and determine what their customer rates are going to be based various factors.  They might be able to do a trending analysis on transactions to get a better understanding of transaction frequency and customer rates, but I can only assume this would be a daunting task.  They can predict customer rates based on certain factors, like holiday schedules, business hours, and typical pay cycles, but it’s definitely not a science.  Although, a customer counting system would alleviate the guess work, and allow for a real time look at customer rates and waiting times.  
Although customer counting systems are typically designed for the retail industry, they can be effective in various customer service related fields.  In the banking industry, door counting sensors could be a valuable means to monitor customer traffic, both entering and exiting the institution.  These devices are designed so that it can provide an automatic report every night, which details the data hourly.  This level of detail can assist management in determining how long the transactions are taking and how that is affecting customer satisfaction.  Customer counting systems can assist with employee management and staffing issues as well.  Evaluating customer rates can allow managers to better staff their branches, based on customer history, thus reducing unneeded staffing and reducing cost.  The door counting sensors provide a real time means to evaluate customer traffic, evaluate staffing needs, and increase profits, while improving customer satisfaction.        
Technology is imperative in today’s society, and a great way to improve various parts of our business’ practices.  Customer counting systems are no different.  They provide a great way to track customer activity, manage resources, and identify weaknesses in customer service.  The door counting sensors are very easy to install and connect utilizing your current internet connection.  The reporting feature is very useful and can also assist in identifying marketing opportunities.  A door counting sensor isn’t limited to retail; in fact it can be utilized by anyone in the customer service field. 
Get more information on customer counting systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.   

Being in loss prevention I always tend to think about security related products and how they can benefit companies. I do this all the time! Everywhere I go, I am thinking about how certain solutions could assist in making my experience more convenient. Maybe that sounds silly, but as a consumer there are so many areas that I encounter on a daily basis that involve customer service and sales, that I can’t help but ponder how it could be improved. For example, I was at the bank the other day to deposit a check, and I couldn’t help but be annoyed with the line of customers waiting for assistance. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that they are doing the best they can to provide good service to their customers, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am on lunch break, and have only a prescribed amount of time to complete my errand.  It was the middle of the work week, around lunch time, and they only had two tellers working. There were about ten customer’s waiting for assistance and it was moving very slow. When it comes to banking, they don’t have extra tellers sitting in the back just waiting to jump in to assist, and you know customer service doesn’t fall into a loan officer’s job description, so your only option is to wait or leave and come back later. Well I wasn’t leaving, because I needed to deposit my check, so I waited. While waiting, semi-patiently, I began to think about this situation and how I could improve this process. Obviously the bank, like other services, has to try and determine what their customer rates are going to be based various factors. They might be able to do a trending analysis on transactions to get a better understanding of transaction frequency and customer rates, but I can only assume this would be a daunting task. They can predict customer rates based on certain factors, like holiday schedules, business hours, and typical pay cycles, but it’s definitely not a science. Although, a customer counting system would alleviate the guess work, and allow for a real time look at customer rates and waiting times.  

 

Although customer counting systems are typically designed for the retail industry, they can be effective in various customer service related fields. In the banking industry, door counting sensors could be a valuable means to monitor customer traffic, both entering and exiting the institution. These devices are designed so that it can provide an automatic report every night, which details the data hourly. This level of detail can assist management in determining how long the transactions are taking and how that is affecting customer satisfaction. Customer counting systems can assist with employee management and staffing issues as well. Evaluating customer rates can allow managers to better staff their branches, based on customer history, thus reducing unneeded staffing and reducing cost. The door counting sensors provide a real time means to evaluate customer traffic, evaluate staffing needs, and increase profits, while improving customer satisfaction.        

 

Technology is imperative in today’s society, and a great way to improve various parts of our business’ practices. Customer counting systems are no different. They provide a great way to track customer activity, manage resources, and identify weaknesses in customer service. The door counting sensors are very easy to install and connect utilizing your current internet connection. The reporting feature is very useful and can also assist in identifying marketing opportunities. A door counting sensor isn’t limited to retail; in fact it can be utilized by anyone in the customer service field. 

 

Get more information on customer counting systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.   

 

Special Events And Helping Charitable Causes Can Create Increases In Customers; Customer Counting Systems Aid In Future Planning

 

Door counting sensor-4                                                                                                                        WC blog 295
Retail Traffic Counting system-3
Customer Counting Systems-3
Special Events And Helping Charitable Causes Can Create Increases In Customers; Customer Counting Systems Aid In Future Planning
     Have you ever held a special event in your store to support a charity or perhaps to try to increase your sales or even to do a little of both? I can think of several instances when I worked for a big box retailer that we did some of these things. One time our store manager permitted a local radio station to hold a radio-a-thon in the store to raise money for a great cause. Normally charities were not permitted to hold such events but our store manager had a big heart for children and especially the great work by this organization. To be honest, I can’t recall if only pledges were accepted or if monetary donations were received as well, but I do recall it was a success by the money raised for the organization. Did new people visit our store who had never been there before? We had no idea, we had no way to track foot traffic since we had no door counting sensor. An event that I helped sponsor in the store for several years was a “Santa’s Helpers” program. Working with our local police and fire department we would provide additional staff and cashiers to help underprivileged children and the public safety officials to shop for clothing, toys and necessities. Our store also donated lunch in our food court to feed everyone before they left. It was a very satisfying experience to see these kids getting new items they might not have had an opportunity to purchase otherwise. How many people came during these events, including visitors who were curious about what was going on? I wish I knew, a retail traffic counting system could have provided that information.
     A retail traffic counting system keeps a retailer informed about how many customers are walking through their doors. A door counting sensor at the entrances detects the patrons walking in and out and can break down that information to the time of day. Stores that have installed a Checkpoint security system with electronic article surveillance antennas at the front doors in order to prevent shoplifting can have door sensors attached to the antennas. In these cases stores an also receive reports of EAS alarm activations and analyze that data to detect patterns of theft attempts. They use the information to create theft prevention plans and reduce shoplifting. By knowing how many people are actually entering the store at given times, retail managers can create improved staffing and payroll models based on historical data. This could include day of the week information or holiday staffing by hours of the day. If your Wednesday mornings show a minimal amount of foot traffic, it might be the time you shift some of your payroll spending elsewhere.
     This historical data provided by the customer counting systems can also be used to determine if an event or sales promotion had an impact on pulling in additional customers. Let’s say for example you own a book store and you bring in an author for a book signing. The author is there to sell his/her book and you want to be the store to sell those books. You may be able to use sales information to determine if you sold a quantity of a certain book, but how many people showed up to the store that day? Sales receipts don’t tell you that information, a customer counting system will. Did you have an increase in the number of customers this year over the same day last year? If not, maybe this was an event you will not want to hold again in the future, especially if you brought in extra staff to help out. A door counting sensor gives you the ability to make intelligent decisions about how to spend payroll. Perhaps you choose to hold another book signing but this time you don’t spend the extra money on additional staff.
          Retail traffic counting systems can make your business more profitable using measurable results of special events or marketing activities. By making sure you have enough staff on hand for your next event based on prior data and sales will certainly be increased. Don’t delay in getting a door counting sensor installed, the sooner you do, the sooner you will start collecting information for the future!
Need information on door counting sensors? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
     
      

Have you ever held a special event in your store to support a charity or perhaps to try to increase your sales or even to do a little of both? I can think of several instances when I worked for a big box retailer that we did some of these things. One time our store manager permitted a local radio station to hold a radio-a-thon in the store to raise money for a great cause. Normally charities were not permitted to hold such events but our store manager had a big heart for children and especially the great work by this organization. To be honest, I can’t recall if only pledges were accepted or if monetary donations were received as well, but I do recall it was a success by the money raised for the organization. Did new people visit our store who had never been there before? We had no idea, we had no way to track foot traffic since we had no door counting sensor. An event that I helped sponsor in the store for several years was a “Santa’s Helpers” program. Working with our local police and fire department we would provide additional staff and cashiers to help underprivileged children and the public safety officials to shop for clothing, toys and necessities. Our store also donated lunch in our food court to feed everyone before they left. It was a very satisfying experience to see these kids getting new items they might not have had an opportunity to purchase otherwise. How many people came during these events, including visitors who were curious about what was going on? I wish I knew, a retail traffic counting system could have provided that information.

A retail traffic counting system keeps a retailer informed about how many customers are walking through their doors. A door counting sensor at the entrances detects the patrons walking in and out and can break down that information to the time of day. Stores that have installed a Checkpoint security system with electronic article surveillance antennas at the front doors in order to prevent shoplifting can have door sensors attached to the antennas. In these cases stores an also receive reports of EAS alarm activations and analyze that data to detect patterns of theft attempts. They use the information to create theft prevention plans and reduce shoplifting. By knowing how many people are actually entering the store at given times, retail managers can create improved staffing and payroll models based on historical data. This could include day of the week information or holiday staffing by hours of the day. If your Wednesday mornings show a minimal amount of foot traffic, it might be the time you shift some of your payroll spending elsewhere.     

 

This historical data provided by the customer counting systems can also be used to determine if an event or sales promotion had an impact on pulling in additional customers. Let’s say for example you own a book store and you bring in an author for a book signing. The author is there to sell his/her book and you want to be the store to sell those books. You may be able to use sales information to determine if you sold a quantity of a certain book, but how many people showed up to the store that day? Sales receipts don’t tell you that information, a customer counting system will. Did you have an increase in the number of customers this year over the same day last year? If not, maybe this was an event you will not want to hold again in the future, especially if you brought in extra staff to help out. A door counting sensor gives you the ability to make intelligent decisions about how to spend payroll. Perhaps you choose to hold another book signing but this time you don’t spend the extra money on additional staff.

Retail traffic counting systems can make your business more profitable using measurable results of special events or marketing activities. By making sure you have enough staff on hand for your next event based on prior data and sales will certainly be increased. Don’t delay in getting a door counting sensor installed, the sooner you do, the sooner you will start collecting information for the future!

 

Need information on door counting sensors? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
     

      

 

 

KNOW YOUR PEAK HOURS WITH A VISIPLUS CUSTOMER COUNTING SYSTEM

 

KNOW YOUR PEAK HOURS WITH A VISIPLUS CUSTOMER COUNTING SYSTEM
Are you staffing at the appropriate times of the day? 
Well, that’s hard to know for sure, unless you’re taking advantage of the data provided by a VisiPlus customer counting system. Historically, managers utilize their sales data to determine the “busiest” times of the day. What if the times that your registers are the busiest aren’t actually the busiest times of the day on your sales floor?
Are you staffing for peak times, or are peak times dictating your staffing?
If you rely on your sales data to tell you that between the hours of 11am -2pm, you’ll schedule your staff to be present during these times to assist in the customer flow. What if, however, by doing this without reviewing any additional data, you’re forcing this time to be your busiest? Without a people counting system, you may never see the entire picture. 
The problem
Let’s assume that you schedule heavy between 11-2 every day, as this is what your sales tell you is your peak time. Without any additional data at your fingertips, it only makes sense. Now, what if this has become your peak time because you are scheduled so heavy during this time? What if, during another block of time during the day, you actually have more customers in the store, but since you don’t have the heavy staff presence, you walk sales since your customers aren’t being serviced? 
Real Life Example
This is exactly what we discovered when we installed a people counting system. I used the 11a-2p example above because that was my data. For years, as a manager, I made sure I had the most staff on the floor during this time. After installing the VisiPlus customer counting system, we found that we had on average, 10%-15% more customers in the store between 4pm-7pm than we did between 11a-2p. 
Reacting to the numbers
With this new information from our VisiPlus Customer Counting System, we began to schedule more sales team members on the floor between 4pm-7pm. After some trial and error, we finally got the staffing to reflect the foot traffic and the results were, no surprise, a new “peak time” for our store. We saw a moderate increase in sales and we contribute this to higher levels of customer service from our team when there are physically more customers in the store. The more customer interactions our sales team have, the higher the chance to make a sale. 
Impact on shrink
While we often focus on physical solutions to shoplifting loss, often overlooked (and universally the most important) way to decrease shrink is to increase sales. By relying on the data provided by a people counting system, we were able to add sales to our bottom line. This not only added to our profitability, it decreased our shrink as a percentage to sales. 
While there are numerous ways to improve store performance and effect sales targets in addition to minimizing shrink, you shouldn’t overlook how important an accurate customer count, by hour, can be to your business. By having the ability to pull this data and review it daily, you can make better decisions regarding staffing, payroll and ultimately your shrink reduction strategies. 
 
Get more information on VisiPlus People Counting System, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

Are you staffing at the appropriate times of the day? 

Well, that’s hard to know for sure, unless you’re taking advantage of the data provided by customer counting systems. Historically, managers utilize their sales data to determine the “busiest” times of the day. What if the times that your registers are the busiest aren’t actually the busiest times of the day on your sales floor?

 

Are you staffing for peak times, or are peak times dictating your staffing?

 If you rely on your sales data to tell you that between the hours of 11am -2pm, you’ll schedule your staff to be present during these times to assist in the customer flow. What if, however, by doing this without reviewing any additional data, you’re forcing this time to be your busiest? Without people counting systems, you may never see the entire picture. 

 

The problem

 Let’s assume that you schedule heavy between 11-2 every day, as this is what your sales tell you is your peak time. Without any additional data at your fingertips, it only makes sense. Now, what if this has become your peak time because you are scheduled so heavy during this time? What if, during another block of time during the day, you actually have more customers in the store, but since you don’t have the heavy staff presence, you walk sales since your customers aren’t being serviced? 

 

Real Life Example

 This is exactly what we discovered when we installed people counting systems. I used the 11a-2p example above because that was my data. For years, as a manager, I made sure I had the most staff on the floor during this time. After installing customer counting systems, we found that we had on average, 10%-15% more customers in the store between 4pm-7pm than we did between 11a-2p. 

 

Reacting to the numbers

 With this new information from our Customer Counting Systems, we began to schedule more sales team members on the floor between 4pm-7pm. After some trial and error, we finally got the staffing to reflect the foot traffic and the results were, no surprise, a new “peak time” for our store. We saw a moderate increase in sales and we contribute this to higher levels of customer service from our team when there are physically more customers in the store. The more customer interactions our sales team have, the higher the chance to make a sale. 

 

Impact on shrink

 While we often focus on physical solutions to shoplifting loss, often overlooked (and universally the most important) way to decrease shrink is to increase sales. By relying on the data provided by people counting systems, we were able to add sales to our bottom line. This not only added to our profitability, it decreased our shrink as a percentage to sales. While there are numerous ways to improve store performance and effect sales targets in addition to minimizing shrink, you shouldn’t overlook how important an accurate customer count, by hour, can be to your business. By having the ability to pull this data and review it daily, you can make better decisions regarding staffing, payroll and ultimately your shrink reduction strategies. 
 

Get more information on People Counting Systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

 

 

Set New And Profitable Goals For Your Store By Using People Counting Systems

Customer Counting Systems-5                                                                                                 WC Blog 286
People Counting Systems-4
Door Counting Sensor-3
 Set New And Profitable Goals For Your Store By Using People Counting Systems
     I think back to 1990 when I first started working in retail as a Loss Prevention Associate. It was here that I learned not only about the ins and outs of merchandise theft, I started learning about store operations as well. I learned that the corporate office gave sales goals for the day and that the store managers based a successful day on meeting or exceeding those goals. As I progressed in my career with other companies I became a Loss Prevention Manager, then a Loss Prevention Manager with Manager On Duty Responsibilities followed by a stint as a Logistics Manager. I still work in retail after 26 years. One thing I have learned is that every company I work for bases successful days on meeting and exceeding sales goals. Fair enough. You have to have goals in order to know where you want to go otherwise a company stagnates or worse yet wanders aimlessly since they have nothing to shoot for except a non-specific goal of “To Be Successful”. But then what does that look like? I have been rethinking sales goals recently especially as the company I work for has focused some store measurements on patron “conversion” rates and also as I have investigated People Counting Systems.
     People counting systems or customer counting systems as they are sometimes referred to, use a door counting sensor to track how many people enter and exit a business or building during the day. Reporting data from these customer counting systems can provide managers with data showing how many people entered and exited by the hour of the day. Stores that have measures in place to stop shoplifting and reduce merchandise shrinkage with a Checkpoint Security System can have a Visiplus customer counting device attached to the Checkpoint electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas. Using the Smart Alarm Management tool, those stores can monitor EAS alarm activity and compare the information to door counting sensor numbers to better manage EAS activity levels.
     Here is where my recent thinking has been taking me. We get excited over meeting a sales goal, usually a number based on historical sales information like the prior year sales for that same day. Adjustments may be made based on an overall picture of how the economy is performing or whether an event the prior year may have impacted sales. An example of this would be a store that had to close due to a hurricane evacuation the prior year is not going to have a sales goal based off of last year’s sales data. If a store has a daily sales goal of $10,000 and makes $11,000 the management team is going to be pleased and that would properly be something to be happy about. But let me toss out a new idea. What if the stores used people counting systems and found that they had 400 customers enter the store during the day and only had 300 transactions. What in the world happened to those other 100 customers? What could have been done to get those 100 people to purchase something before leaving the store? Without using customer counting systems you would never know you missed selling opportunities to another 100 customers.
      All your information is from sales transactions and yes, you beat your sales goal by $1,000 but could you have beaten it by $1,100 or more? By using a door counting sensor you could set new goals, you had 400 customers in your store last Wednesday, how will you attract 410 THIS Wednesday. You missed 100 potential sales last Wednesday, what will you do differently to try to help more customers find what they need or can use while in the store? Can you entice your customers to make an impulse purchase with a cool display of food or drinks at the font of the store? Maybe the new goals you set for your store are dollar related AND customer driven.
     It is one thing to aim for increased sales dollars it’s another thing to find ways to draw in more customers. If you can attract those customers then your goal is to get them to buy and that is a challenge but one that is necessary if you want your business to grow. The only way to know how many customers are visiting your store is by using customer counting systems. Invest in people counting systems today and see a whole new set of goals to achieve and with it, more growth and profit.
 Get more information on People Counting Systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

I think back to 1990 when I first started working in retail as a Loss Prevention Associate. It was here that I learned not only about the ins and outs of merchandise theft, I started learning about store operations as well. I learned that the corporate office gave sales goals for the day and that the store managers based a successful day on meeting or exceeding those goals. As I progressed in my career with other companies I became a Loss Prevention Manager, then a Loss Prevention Manager with Manager On Duty Responsibilities followed by a stint as a Logistics Manager. I still work in retail after 26 years. One thing I have learned is that every company I work for bases successful days on meeting and exceeding sales goals. Fair enough. You have to have goals in order to know where you want to go otherwise a company stagnates or worse yet wanders aimlessly since they have nothing to shoot for except a non-specific goal of “To Be Successful”. But then what does that look like? I have been rethinking sales goals recently especially as the company I work for has focused some store measurements on patron “conversion” rates and also as I have investigated People Counting Systems.
     

People counting systems or customer counting systems as they are sometimes referred to, use a door counting sensor to track how many people enter and exit a business or building during the day. Reporting data from these customer counting systems can provide managers with data showing how many people entered and exited by the hour of the day. Stores that have measures in place to stop shoplifting and reduce merchandise shrinkage with a Checkpoint Security System can have a Visiplus customer counting device attached to the Checkpoint electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas. Using the Smart Alarm Management tool, those stores can monitor EAS alarm activity and compare the information to door counting sensor numbers to better manage EAS activity levels.
     

Here is where my recent thinking has been taking me. We get excited over meeting a sales goal, usually a number based on historical sales information like the prior year sales for that same day. Adjustments may be made based on an overall picture of how the economy is performing or whether an event the prior year may have impacted sales. An example of this would be a store that had to close due to a hurricane evacuation the prior year is not going to have a sales goal based off of last year’s sales data. If a store has a daily sales goal of $10,000 and makes $11,000 the management team is going to be pleased and that would properly be something to be happy about. But let me toss out a new idea. What if the stores used people counting systems and found that they had 400 customers enter the store during the day and only had 300 transactions. What in the world happened to those other 100 customers? What could have been done to get those 100 people to purchase something before leaving the store? Without using customer counting systems you would never know you missed selling opportunities to another 100 customers.
     

All your information is from sales transactions and yes, you beat your sales goal by $1,000 but could you have beaten it by $1,100 or more? By using a door counting sensor you could set new goals, you had 400 customers in your store last Wednesday, how will you attract 410 THIS Wednesday. You missed 100 potential sales last Wednesday, what will you do differently to try to help more customers find what they need or can use while in the store? Can you entice your customers to make an impulse purchase with a cool display of food or drinks at the font of the store? Maybe the new goals you set for your store are dollar related AND customer driven.
     

It is one thing to aim for increased sales dollars it’s another thing to find ways to draw in more customers. If you can attract those customers then your goal is to get them to buy and that is a challenge but one that is necessary if you want your business to grow. The only way to know how many customers are visiting your store is by using customer counting systems. Invest in people counting systems today and see a whole new set of goals to achieve and with it, more growth and profit. 

 

Get more information on People Counting Systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.