Beware Of Retail Traffic Counting Companies That Promise What They Can’t Deliver

I saw a commercial on television the other day that made me start to think about integrity and retail traffic counting companies. The commercial was geared towards consumers who are thinking about purchasing a new phone. The business offers free phones but fails to mention the contracts involved or the various fees associated with the purchase of the phone. The commercial has a saleswoman holding a phone contract and a person you assume to be a lawyer standing behind her. Every time she uses the word “free” the lawyer puts up air quotes. The gist of the commercial is that a customer may not be given all of the information for a smart decision. What is perceived to be free really has hidden costs and fees associated with the contracts. Business owners are no different than any other customer when they are making purchases for their stores. Whether it is a point of sale system, an inventory management software suite or people counting systems offered by Loss Prevention Systems Inc., an owner has to be confident he/she is going to get what is promised.
     

Retail traffic counting companies are businesses that provide sensors that track customer foot traffic in and out of stores. The idea behind people counting systems is that they assist managers in identifying how many customers have been in a store. They should be able to provide day of week and hourly breakdowns of foot traffic. Knowing when patrons are visiting the store can improve scheduling efficiency and optimize sales. By having more associates on the selling floor at peak times customers are more likely to get the help they need in finding products they want. It even increases the likelihood that purchases can be accessorized or a sales clerk upsells a purchase. The dilemma for store owners is determining which are the retail traffic companies that are going to deliver what they promise? Purchasing a system based on pie-in-the-sky promises that sound too good to be true is a bad idea. Unfortunately many sales people do that and there is never a lawyer standing behind them using “air quotes”.
     

Loss Prevention Systems Inc. is a business that has been around since 1983 and with good reason. It is a company that delivers what it promises. When they sell people counting systems they are able to provide more than a door counting sensor. They can equip stores that have electronic article surveillance (EAS) towers with the LPSI-Evolve store app for real time EAS alarm activity. The aps allows managers to see how many customers are entering and leaving the store at any given moment and they can also be alerted to an EAS alarm activation. Think about the potential this has for impacting sales and shortage in your store. 
     

Suppose you have a mobile device and as you are working you receive an alert indicating a customer has entered your store. You can greet that customer and assist them in finding what they need. If the customer is actually a shoplifter and the EAS tower didn’t make them change their mind about trying to steal when they walked in the building the immediate customer service will. It is a fact that customer service and EAS technology are strong deterrents to theft. Retail traffic counting companies that only tell you how many people visited your stores are giving you old data with limited value. Bill Bregar, founder of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) is aware of the impact live, actionable information can have for stores. Since it is the business of LPSI to assist stores in increasing profits and driving down shortage you can be sure they aren’t over-selling or under-delivering people counting systems and the LPSI-Evolve store app.
     

Retail traffic counting companies are ready to sell you their systems and their sales staff will promise you what they think you want to hear. Are they reliable or do they have the integrity to stand behind their promises? Remember there won’t be any lawyer there to “air quote” each over-inflated guarantee they try to hook you with. Give LPSI a try and see just how people counting systems really can add to your bottom line.

 

For more information on people counting systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

People Counting Systems Can Help Safety Results


People Counting Systems-4                                                                                           WC Blog 537
Customer Counting Device-5

People Counting Systems Can Help Safety Results

     People counting systems assist stores in delivering improved sales results but there is another application that may be overlooked and can improve store safety and impact profitability. There can be areas in a store that may not receive as much foot traffic as other areas of a building. I harken back to my days as a Manager On Duty. I would walk the store checking on endcaps, merchandise presentation, full shelves, etc. My walks would include the entire store but it was evident from the presentation of merchandise in a few sections that not many customers walked by these areas. This would also indicate to me that there probably were not too many managers walking through those areas either. If an area is out of sight it is out of mind and so if there happen to be any safety issues in that department they could easily be overlooked by employees. A customer counting device can be set up in areas that seem to be off the beaten path in order to determine what the actual traffic counts are for that area of the store. 

     It is appropriate at this point to talk about what people counting systems are and how they work. Counting systems measure the number of people who pass by a device. Often the devices are attached to an entrance door. The data from a Checkpoint Visiplus System includes day and hourly information that owners and supervisors can use to help manage the business. Visiplus can also be attached to a Checkpoint tower and benefit stores in evaluating electronic article system alarms and responses. In these stores the customer counting device is helping to measure data that is useful in increasing sales as well as data that can help reduce shortage. If there is a need for it a device can be set up in a location within a store to track customer traffic. This is where a unit may be helpful in locating potential points where safety could be a concern for owners and managers.

     When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I had several incidents of purse snatchings take place in my store. The customer left a purse or tote bag in a shopping cart and walked several feet away. The perpetrator would see the exposed bag and walk by, pick up the purse and walk away. Often the incidents took place in areas of the store where there was less patron activity. This meant there was minimal risk that a witness would be in the area who would see the crime take place. Knowing where these low activity areas were by analyzing the information from a customer counting device might have been useful. We could have alerted our other managers that this was an area they should frequent during the shift. An alternative would have been to send employees to walk through known low traffic areas as a deterrent to potential crime.

     Another way the customer counting device can improve safety is that by identifying those low traffic areas your team may do more walk-throughs and find a safety concern that could be overlooked. The safety issues I am thinking of are spills that are not cleaned up leading to slip and fall accidents. They are broken floor tile or carpet that is in poor condition that could pose trip hazards. All it takes is for one customer to have an accident because something is not done to correct a safety problem and you are shelling out big money for a claim.

     You should also note that if you can identify low traffic areas by using people counting systems you can try to find ways to direct more customer flow in that direction. It could be the use of signing to direct shoppers to a new display in those areas. Maybe moving popular categories of merchandise to those locations is a means to entice customers in that direction. Knowing what the actual patron foot print is in those areas means you can proactively address the issue of slow turnover merchandise.

     Loss Prevention Systems Inc. recognizes the importance of store safety to the bottom line of retail businesses. They can help reduce risk in your establishment and improve sales with the purchase of a customer counting device. Install people counting systems and plan for decreased safety issues and increased profits.
For more information about people counting systems contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.


  

People counting systems assist stores in delivering improved sales results but there is another application that may be overlooked and can improve store safety and impact profitability. There can be areas in a store that may not receive as much foot traffic as other areas of a building. I harken back to my days as a Manager On Duty. I would walk the store checking on endcaps, merchandise presentation, full shelves, etc. My walks would include the entire store but it was evident from the presentation of merchandise in a few sections that not many customers walked by these areas. This would also indicate to me that there probably were not too many managers walking through those areas either. If an area is out of sight it is out of mind and so if there happen to be any safety issues in that department they could easily be overlooked by employees. A customer counting device can be set up in areas that seem to be off the beaten path in order to determine what the actual traffic counts are for that area of the store. 
     

It is appropriate at this point to talk about what people counting systems are and how they work. Counting systems measure the number of people who pass by a device. Often the devices are attached to an entrance door. The data from a people counter includes day and hourly information that owners and supervisors can use to help manage the business. Visiplus can also be attached to an EAS tower and benefit stores in evaluating electronic article system alarms and responses. In these stores the customer counting device is helping to measure data that is useful in increasing sales as well as data that can help reduce shortage. If there is a need for it a device can be set up in a location within a store to track customer traffic. This is where a unit may be helpful in locating potential points where safety could be a concern for owners and managers.
     

When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I had several incidents of purse snatchings take place in my store. The customer left a purse or tote bag in a shopping cart and walked several feet away. The perpetrator would see the exposed bag and walk by, pick up the purse and walk away. Often the incidents took place in areas of the store where there was less patron activity. This meant there was minimal risk that a witness would be in the area who would see the crime take place. Knowing where these low activity areas were by analyzing the information from a customer counting device might have been useful. We could have alerted our other managers that this was an area they should frequent during the shift. An alternative would have been to send employees to walk through known low traffic areas as a deterrent to potential crime.
     

Another way the customer counting device can improve safety is that by identifying those low traffic areas your team may do more walk-throughs and find a safety concern that could be overlooked. The safety issues I am thinking of are spills that are not cleaned up leading to slip and fall accidents. They are broken floor tile or carpet that is in poor condition that could pose trip hazards. All it takes is for one customer to have an accident because something is not done to correct a safety problem and you are shelling out big money for a claim.
     

You should also note that if you can identify low traffic areas by using people counting systems you can try to find ways to direct more customer flow in that direction. It could be the use of signing to direct shoppers to a new display in those areas. Maybe moving popular categories of merchandise to those locations is a means to entice customers in that direction. Knowing what the actual patron foot print is in those areas means you can proactively address the issue of slow turnover merchandise.
     

Loss Prevention Systems Inc. recognizes the importance of store safety to the bottom line of retail businesses. They can help reduce risk in your establishment and improve sales with the purchase of a customer counting device. Install people counting systems and plan for decreased safety issues and increased profits

 

.For more information about people counting systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.

  

Count On People Counting Systems To Help Improve Sales

People Counting Systems-5                                                                                                      WC Blog 532
Retail Traffic Counting System-3


Count On People Counting Systems To Help Improve Sales

     It came to me recently that social media uses people counting systems of a sort as a measurement tool. Consider that there are thumbs up, thumbs down, emoji symbols, hearts and other things to show how many people like or don’t like a post or tweet or whatever else it may be called. I know there are analytics involved in determining website hits and page visits and in a way this is similar to what a retail traffic counting system does for stores. Let me explain myself. If I post a thought on my social media page I may get reactions from friends, family and even people I don’t know if a friend of a friend sees a reposting of my comment. I can see the names of the people who have reacted but I don’t know all of the people who may have seen my post and chosen not to comment. Retail can be somewhat the same. You may have analytical measures that indicate how much you sold in a day but you may have absolutely no idea how many people came into your store that never made a purchase. Is there an invisible clientele you are not reaching because you don’t even know they were there? People counting systems can aid you in finding out if you are missing customers who have walked in and out of your store without buying anything.

     A retail traffic counting system is a measurement tool that tracks the number of people who walk in and out of a store. A counter is mounted near a door and possibly on a Checkpoint electronic article surveillance tower. The device records the number of patrons entering a store and keeps record of the day of the week and the time of day they are coming in to visit. For those stores that do utilize electronic article surveillance to prevent shoplifting, people counting systems also track alarm activations. The information is used to review situations where alarms sounded and look at possible patterns such as times of day. It can also be used in conjunction with closed circuit television recording to look for repeat offenders and alarm responses.

     The total sales dollars and number of transactions your store has in a day is akin to the reactions on a social media post. This data is the measurable numbers you can refer to in order to decide if the store had a successful day in sales dollars. The retail counting system is more like the data analytics of social media that can measure the views a site or post received. The number of sales may not be reflective of the number of visitors received in your building today. By having this comparison number you can begin to rethink your sales strategies to improve sales. What sales strategies might you change? Staffing may be one area you will review. Are you putting your staffing dollars to their best use? If people counting systems show that there are periods of low patronage then a manager may use that information to reallocate staff to busier times of the day. If a manager uses the same staffing models daily it is quite possible there are times shoppers are in the store and not being assisted. That assistance may have made a difference in persuading the shopper to make a purchase rather than walk out empty handed. 

     Another sales strategy that may be influenced by knowing the numbers provided by a retail counting system is merchandise placement. If patron counts are remaining relatively the same and sales are stagnant a new merchandise display may be in order or a planogram change to spice things up. People counting systems will indicate whether foot traffic is inching upward and along with sales data information managers can determine if merchandise strategies are having the desired effect. Bill Bregar and his staff at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. know the importance of preventing theft to drive profits but they also know how important customer flow is to a store. This is why they are keen on supplying retailers with a system that can impact both.

     Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. If you truly want to improve your sales you must have the right information in order to make smart decisions. A retail traffic counting system can be the tool to provide that information. Install one and see your statistics in a new light.
Get more information on a retail traffic counting system, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 now.   

It came to me recently that social media uses people counting systems of a sort as a measurement tool. Consider that there are thumbs up, thumbs down, emoji symbols, hearts and other things to show how many people like or don’t like a post or tweet or whatever else it may be called. I know there are analytics involved in determining website hits and page visits and in a way this is similar to what a retail traffic counting system does for stores. Let me explain myself. If I post a thought on my social media page I may get reactions from friends, family and even people I don’t know if a friend of a friend sees a reposting of my comment. I can see the names of the people who have reacted but I don’t know all of the people who may have seen my post and chosen not to comment. Retail can be somewhat the same. You may have analytical measures that indicate how much you sold in a day but you may have absolutely no idea how many people came into your store that never made a purchase. Is there an invisible clientele you are not reaching because you don’t even know they were there? People counting systems can aid you in finding out if you are missing customers who have walked in and out of your store without buying anything.
     

A retail traffic counting system is a measurement tool that tracks the number of people who walk in and out of a store. A counter is mounted near a door and possibly on a electronic article surveillance tower. The device records the number of patrons entering a store and keeps record of the day of the week and the time of day they are coming in to visit. For those stores that do utilize electronic article surveillance to prevent shoplifting, people counting systems also track alarm activations. The information is used to review situations where alarms sounded and look at possible patterns such as times of day. It can also be used in conjunction with closed circuit television recording to look for repeat offenders and alarm responses.
     

The total sales dollars and number of transactions your store has in a day is akin to the reactions on a social media post. This data is the measurable numbers you can refer to in order to decide if the store had a successful day in sales dollars. The retail counting system is more like the data analytics of social media that can measure the views a site or post received. The number of sales may not be reflective of the number of visitors received in your building today. By having this comparison number you can begin to rethink your sales strategies to improve sales. What sales strategies might you change? Staffing may be one area you will review. Are you putting your staffing dollars to their best use? If people counting systems show that there are periods of low patronage then a manager may use that information to reallocate staff to busier times of the day. If a manager uses the same staffing models daily it is quite possible there are times shoppers are in the store and not being assisted. That assistance may have made a difference in persuading the shopper to make a purchase rather than walk out empty handed. 
     

Another sales strategy that may be influenced by knowing the numbers provided by a retail counting system is merchandise placement. If patron counts are remaining relatively the same and sales are stagnant a new merchandise display may be in order or a planogram change to spice things up. People counting systems will indicate whether foot traffic is inching upward and along with sales data information managers can determine if merchandise strategies are having the desired effect. Bill Bregar and his staff at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. know the importance of preventing theft to drive profits but they also know how important customer flow is to a store. This is why they are keen on supplying retailers with a system that can impact both.
     

Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. If you truly want to improve your sales you must have the right information in order to make smart decisions. A retail traffic counting system can be the tool to provide that information. Install one and see your statistics in a new light.

 

Get more information on a retail traffic counting system, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 now.   

People Counting Systems Aid In Business Planning

Retail Traffic Counting-3                                                                                                                WC Blog 488
People Counting Systems-5


People Counting Systems Aid In Business Planning

     People counting systems should be playing a part in your plans for strategizing to improve sales. It may not seem like a big deal on the surface but knowing how many people are in your store and the times of the day they are there can go a long way in improving the sales of your business. Let me give you an example of a recent incident which my wife experienced at a major retailer and it made her extremely angry. Since I bore the brunt of her anger it made me angry as well. My wife had gone to this store for a special sale they were having. She picked out her merchandise and got some very good deals that would have saved us a LOT of money. She got into this store’s self-checkout line and was waiting patiently. After being in line for a few minutes the store shut the self-checkouts down and forced patrons to go to a single cashier. My wife told me there was a long line of customers queued up at this single register. When she finally got to the register to make her purchase she was told the sale prices were no longer in effect because it was now past midnight. She reminded them that it was not her fault that they closed down the self-check while she was in line. The front end manager told my wife there was nothing she could do, it was a corporate decision (don’t get me started on my rant about what I think of the “we can’t help it, it is a corporate decision” excuses). This incident could have been avoided if the store had knowledge of how many people were in the building (and used some common sense before closing registers down since they operate on a 24/7 basis). Retail traffic counting has more uses than simply providing managers information on how popular their store is…or isn’t. My wife put the items back. An email from me did result in a sincere apology from the front end manager and they honored the prices from the sale.

     A people counting system is a tool that is usually attached somewhere near a store entrance to count the number of patrons entering the establishment. They can be stand-alone units or for stores with an electronic article surveillance system it may be attached to the pedestals. A good retail traffic counting system will provide information on how many people have entered the store at specific hours of the day. So let’s say a store is having a special sale that ends at midnight, management could look at the foot traffic for the past several hours. Prior to hitting midnight they can get an idea of how many people are in the building before they close registers down and anger their customers (hint, hint). A better system will also provide information about electronic article surveillance alarms and employee responses. This information can be used to look for potential patterns that may indicate theft is taking place at certain times of the day. As a former Retail Loss Prevention Manager I can also say that stores that utilize a digital video surveillance system can easily review this alarm activity from the people counting systems to the cameras. Digital camera systems make it easy to review activity by time of day. 

     While I am taking a poke at the store that inconvenienced my wife the fact is retail traffic counting can be helpful to retailers who use the information to improve sales. If a store runs a special ad it is important to know how many people visited. Did the number of transactions match the traffic counted? If not, why? Did the store run out of product? Did the sales floor not get replenished from the stockroom? Were there an inadequate number of registers open to serve everyone? As a positive statistic can you compare an increase in the amount of customers that visited on the special sale day over any other day? If there is an increase in customers and sales, what can you do to build on that momentum? People counting systems become a key component in your business planning.

      Shoppers will come to your store but you may not always know how many or what brought them in. Using people counting systems will aid you in comparing your traffic by day and even seasons. Have a sale and see if customer traffic increases. Is one day regularly slower than the others? Try to drive sales that day or determine if you can save some payroll by adjusting your staffing to better serve customers during the times they are in the building. Make your business more prosperous by knowing your shopper’s habits.
For more information about people counting systems contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

People counting systems should be playing a part in your plans for strategizing to improve sales. It may not seem like a big deal on the surface but knowing how many people are in your store and the times of the day they are there can go a long way in improving the sales of your business. Let me give you an example of a recent incident which my wife experienced at a major retailer and it made her extremely angry. Since I bore the brunt of her anger it made me angry as well. My wife had gone to this store for a special sale they were having. She picked out her merchandise and got some very good deals that would have saved us a LOT of money. She got into this store’s self-checkout line and was waiting patiently. After being in line for a few minutes the store shut the self-checkouts down and forced patrons to go to a single cashier. My wife told me there was a long line of customers queued up at this single register. When she finally got to the register to make her purchase she was told the sale prices were no longer in effect because it was now past midnight. She reminded them that it was not her fault that they closed down the self-check while she was in line. The front end manager told my wife there was nothing she could do, it was a corporate decision (don’t get me started on my rant about what I think of the “we can’t help it, it is a corporate decision” excuses). This incident could have been avoided if the store had knowledge of how many people were in the building (and used some common sense before closing registers down since they operate on a 24/7 basis). Retail traffic counting has more uses than simply providing managers information on how popular their store is…or isn’t. My wife put the items back. An email from me did result in a sincere apology from the front end manager and they honored the prices from the sale.
     

A people counting system is a tool that is usually attached somewhere near a store entrance to count the number of patrons entering the establishment. They can be stand-alone units or for stores with an electronic article surveillance system it may be attached to the pedestals. A good retail traffic counting system will provide information on how many people have entered the store at specific hours of the day. So let’s say a store is having a special sale that ends at midnight, management could look at the foot traffic for the past several hours. Prior to hitting midnight they can get an idea of how many people are in the building before they close registers down and anger their customers (hint, hint). A better system will also provide information about electronic article surveillance alarms and employee responses. This information can be used to look for potential patterns that may indicate theft is taking place at certain times of the day. As a former Retail Loss Prevention Manager I can also say that stores that utilize a digital video surveillance system can easily review this alarm activity from the people counting systems to the cameras. Digital camera systems make it easy to review activity by time of day. 
     

While I am taking a poke at the store that inconvenienced my wife the fact is retail traffic counting can be helpful to retailers who use the information to improve sales. If a store runs a special ad it is important to know how many people visited. Did the number of transactions match the traffic counted? If not, why? Did the store run out of product? Did the sales floor not get replenished from the stockroom? Were there an inadequate number of registers open to serve everyone? As a positive statistic can you compare an increase in the amount of customers that visited on the special sale day over any other day? If there is an increase in customers and sales, what can you do to build on that momentum? People counting systems become a key component in your business planning.
     

Shoppers will come to your store but you may not always know how many or what brought them in. Using people counting systems will aid you in comparing your traffic by day and even seasons. Have a sale and see if customer traffic increases. Is one day regularly slower than the others? Try to drive sales that day or determine if you can save some payroll by adjusting your staffing to better serve customers during the times they are in the building. Make your business more prosperous by knowing your shopper’s habits.

 

For more information about people counting systems contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

 

Improve Sales and Shrink With People Counting Systems

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.