Retail Traffic Counting System – 3 WC Blog 684
Door Counting Sensor-3
Visual Merchandising Enhanced With A Door Counting Sensor Part 2
In Part 1 I talked about how a door counting sensor can help retailer owners gain more data to determine the impact of new displays on increasing customer foot traffic. We looked at suggestions for how stores can make visual displays can be complimentary and market more than just a singular item. An article I referenced suggested having a bed display but adding throw pillows to the bed and bedding to help with suggestive selling. The conversation started because of a trip I made to a favorite grocery store of mine. Your Point of Sale system will give you the total number of transactions at the end of the day and you can research the number of sku’s sold that you have on display. My concern is whether your data will actually tell you if your displays worked. Did you bring in new customers or only appeal to the people who already shop in your store. I don’t want merchants to ever be comfortable with the status quo. You have to seek out new clients and give shoppers a reason to return to your store. Advertising and merchandising will draw them in, customer service, value and a welcoming environment will keep them returning.
Guessing that numbers are improving by looking at sales transactions is not going to provide business owners with the best data about foot traffic. That is best done with a retail traffic counting system from Sensormatic. Stores with electronic article surveillance towers from Sensormatic may already have a compatible system that can be readily upgraded with the equipment. Retailers not enjoying the benefits of a Sensormatic security system can contact Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. to learn more about all of the advantages a door counting sensor and a retail anti-theft system can provide. As a leader in Loss Prevention consulting and theft reduction since 1983, the team at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. is led by CEO Bill Bregar. Bill brings to the table experience as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer, a B.S. degree in Private Security Administration and Management and he has been a Regional and National Loss Prevention Director. In my own right I have 17 years of Loss Prevention and Loss Prevention Management experience and 28 years of retail experience in total. We both recommend a Sensormatic security system and the integrated retail traffic counting system to reduce theft and to improve sales.
Without knowing how many people have walked into your store you have no way to measure how many people did not buy anything when they visited. Your sales transactions only reflect the number of purchases made but you cannot interpret that into actual visitors. IF on the other hand you have the door counting sensor you can sort the numbers and get a better picture of how many customers are entering your store and of those how many are making purchases. It may take some time to get a baseline of your store activity but once you know that, you can begin to add into the equation the sales of sku’s you have put on display and see what the impact of that display had on purchases.
I would be remiss as a Loss Prevention Manager if I failed to tell you that your increased traffic may bring in more shoplifters. It is just a fact in retail that there is going to be a criminal element that is going to go to where they can get their hands on merchandise. You can deter a major portion of this theft activity if you have Sensormatic security in your building. Shoplifters generally are not looking for risk. They may look for excitement in stealing but risking being caught is not part of their agenda. When a crook walks into a store and sees there are electronic article surveillance towers at the doors they get antsy. If they don’t turn around and leave they begin looking to see how much merchandise is protected. Are just a few items tagged or does it look like everything has an EAS tag or label? The more aggressive the tagging the more likely they are to leave. They will find somewhere else to go that does not take merchandise protection so seriously.
Grow sales with great visual merchandising and advertising. Appeal to what people desire and not just what they need. Cross merchandise and pull them into your store. Track your headcounts with a retail traffic counting system. Finally keep merchandise in stock for those new customers with a Sesnsormatic security system. Don’t settle for the status quo, grow your business by growing your foot traffic!
Need information on a door counting sensor? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
In Part 1 I talked about how a door counting sensor can help retailer owners gain more data to determine the impact of new displays on increasing customer foot traffic. We looked at suggestions for how stores can make visual displays can be complimentary and market more than just a singular item. An article I referenced suggested having a bed display but adding throw pillows to the bed and bedding to help with suggestive selling. The conversation started because of a trip I made to a favorite grocery store of mine. Your Point of Sale system will give you the total number of transactions at the end of the day and you can research the number of sku’s sold that you have on display. My concern is whether your data will actually tell you if your displays worked. Did you bring in new customers or only appeal to the people who already shop in your store. I don’t want merchants to ever be comfortable with the status quo. You have to seek out new clients and give shoppers a reason to return to your store. Advertising and merchandising will draw them in, customer service, value and a welcoming environment will keep them returning.
Guessing that numbers are improving by looking at sales transactions is not going to provide business owners with the best data about foot traffic. That is best done with a retail traffic counting system from Sensormatic. Stores with electronic article surveillance towers from Sensormatic may already have a compatible system that can be readily upgraded with the equipment. Retailers not enjoying the benefits of a Sensormatic security system can contact Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. to learn more about all of the advantages a door counting sensor and a retail anti-theft system can provide. As a leader in Loss Prevention consulting and theft reduction since 1983, the team at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. is led by CEO Bill Bregar. Bill brings to the table experience as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer, a B.S. degree in Private Security Administration and Management and he has been a Regional and National Loss Prevention Director. In my own right I have 17 years of Loss Prevention and Loss Prevention Management experience and 28 years of retail experience in total. We both recommend a Sensormatic security system and the integrated retail traffic counting system to reduce theft and to improve sales.
Without knowing how many people have walked into your store you have no way to measure how many people did not buy anything when they visited. Your sales transactions only reflect the number of purchases made but you cannot interpret that into actual visitors. IF on the other hand you have the door counting sensor you can sort the numbers and get a better picture of how many customers are entering your store and of those how many are making purchases. It may take some time to get a baseline of your store activity but once you know that, you can begin to add into the equation the sales of sku’s you have put on display and see what the impact of that display had on purchases.
I would be remiss as a Loss Prevention Manager if I failed to tell you that your increased traffic may bring in more shoplifters. It is just a fact in retail that there is going to be a criminal element that is going to go to where they can get their hands on merchandise. You can deter a major portion of this theft activity if you have Sensormatic security in your building. Shoplifters generally are not looking for risk. They may look for excitement in stealing but risking being caught is not part of their agenda. When a crook walks into a store and sees there are electronic article surveillance towers at the doors they get antsy. If they don’t turn around and leave they begin looking to see how much merchandise is protected. Are just a few items tagged or does it look like everything has an EAS tag or label? The more aggressive the tagging the more likely they are to leave. They will find somewhere else to go that does not take merchandise protection so seriously.
Grow sales with great visual merchandising and advertising. Appeal to what people desire and not just what they need. Cross merchandise and pull them into your store. Track your headcounts with a retail traffic counting system. Finally keep merchandise in stock for those new customers with a Sesnsormatic security system. Don’t settle for the status quo, grow your business by growing your foot traffic!
Need information on a door counting sensor? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Retail Traffic Counting System –3 WC Blog 683
Door Counting Sensor-3
Visual Merchandising Enhanced With A Door Counting Sensor Part 1
I walked into my favorite grocery store today and saw the new weekly sales displayed at the front of the store and it started my mind churning about a retail traffic counting system. I began thinking about the role that customer counting has in relationship to visual merchandising and advertising. This store puts out a weekly flyer on Wednesdays and has weekend sales specials they advertise in it. Now I recognize that there is a certain customer base that will always come in. You have the loyal customers, the customers on the way home from work and then the shopper who responds to advertising and merchandising. The goal of every store owner, regardless of what you sell should be to increase foot traffic and in the process increase sales. To do that you can’t depend on just your loyal customer and the customer making a quick stop for a specific item (although if you merchandise properly you could turn this customer into a new “regular” shopper). IF the goal of advertising and visual merchandising is to draw in people, doesn’t it only make sense to measure/count the number of people coming to the store? A door counting sensor makes customer tracking easy for any retailer.
The Integrated EAS Traffic Counter from Sensormatic can be placed on the Sensormatic electronic article surveillance pedestals. This retail traffic counting system tracks people entering AND exiting the store and is not affected by shadows or weather. That means your counts are going to be accurate. It also means that you will have real numbers to use in assessing and interpreting sales activity. Is your store without an EAS system? Are you interested in preventing shoplifting, reducing shortage, improving profits and increasing sales? Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you do ALL of these things with the installation of a Sensormatic system and yes, track customers as well.
Before we go further you might want to know why visual merchandising is so important to your store. I used to think it was annoying when the stores I worked in would rearrange planograms or move merchandise around. Sure, a new endcap display made sense to me but other aspects seemed counter-intuitive. Don’t customers like to go directly to where they know merchandise is located in a business? Some may, but here are some other points to consider when it comes to merchandising. Here are some tips from snapretail.com, “11 Visual Merchandising Tactics To Increase Sales”:
1. Window Displays Make First Impression – They suggest making a story out of the window display, even giving the illusion of movement.
2. Appeal to Desires – “Display nearest the entrance should feature solely desires” (as opposed to needs).
3. Create a Connection – The idea they want conveyed is to put items together to show what it may look like as part of a set. The writer mentions having a scarf displayed as part of an outfit or a Stand mixer on a counter with baking goods.
4. Keep it Fresh – They suggest changing displays every two weeks and keep the seasons in mind. Don’t leave holiday displays up after the holiday is over.
5. Regularly Update POS Displays – “Your regular customers will remember what’s on display as they check out and are more likely to grab an extra item if the display is fresh.”
These are my top favorites from the website’s article but I encourage readers to review it for the other tips they offer. What I will add is that this can be very time and labor intensive. How do you know if that window display was worth the effort you and your team put into it? Did sales increase? If they did was it only because your regular customer came in and happened to purchase an item that was displayed? Sales data won’t give you that information. A door counting sensor can provide more insight into the people flowing into your shop.
Assuming you can now see the advantage a retail traffic counting system can have in assessing your sales data you may still be wondering if you really need a Sensormatic EAS system. You could increase your sales with the displays and bring in more people but if some of those people intend to steal from you they will look for signs of a merchandise protection. The first sign is the Sensormatic EAS pedestals at the front doors. In Part 2 of this article I want to talk more about the correlation a door counting sensor, visual merchandising and marketing have with each other and how they can improve sales.
Get more information on retail traffic counting systems contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I walked into my favorite grocery store today and saw the new weekly sales displayed at the front of the store and it started my mind churning about a retail traffic counting system. I began thinking about the role that customer counting has in relationship to visual merchandising and advertising. This store puts out a weekly flyer on Wednesdays and has weekend sales specials they advertise in it. Now I recognize that there is a certain customer base that will always come in. You have the loyal customers, the customers on the way home from work and then the shopper who responds to advertising and merchandising. The goal of every store owner, regardless of what you sell should be to increase foot traffic and in the process increase sales. To do that you can’t depend on just your loyal customer and the customer making a quick stop for a specific item (although if you merchandise properly you could turn this customer into a new “regular” shopper). IF the goal of advertising and visual merchandising is to draw in people, doesn’t it only make sense to measure/count the number of people coming to the store? A door counting sensor makes customer tracking easy for any retailer.
The Integrated EAS Traffic Counter from Sensormatic can be placed on the Sensormatic electronic article surveillance pedestals. This retail traffic counting system tracks people entering AND exiting the store and is not affected by shadows or weather. That means your counts are going to be accurate. It also means that you will have real numbers to use in assessing and interpreting sales activity. Is your store without an EAS system? Are you interested in preventing shoplifting, reducing shortage, improving profits and increasing sales? Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you do ALL of these things with the installation of a Sensormatic system and yes, track customers as well.
Before we go further you might want to know why visual merchandising is so important to your store. I used to think it was annoying when the stores I worked in would rearrange planograms or move merchandise around. Sure, a new endcap display made sense to me but other aspects seemed counter-intuitive. Don’t customers like to go directly to where they know merchandise is located in a business? Some may, but here are some other points to consider when it comes to merchandising. Here are some tips from snapretail.com, “11 Visual Merchandising Tactics To Increase Sales”:
1. Window Displays Make First Impression – They suggest making a story out of the window display, even giving the illusion of movement.
2. Appeal to Desires – “Display nearest the entrance should feature solely desires” (as opposed to needs).
3. Create a Connection – The idea they want conveyed is to put items together to show what it may look like as part of a set. The writer mentions having a scarf displayed as part of an outfit or a Stand mixer on a counter with baking goods.
4. Keep it Fresh – They suggest changing displays every two weeks and keep the seasons in mind. Don’t leave holiday displays up after the holiday is over.
5. Regularly Update POS Displays – “Your regular customers will remember what’s on display as they check out and are more likely to grab an extra item if the display is fresh.”
These are my top favorites from the website’s article but I encourage readers to review it for the other tips they offer. What I will add is that this can be very time and labor intensive. How do you know if that window display was worth the effort you and your team put into it? Did sales increase? If they did was it only because your regular customer came in and happened to purchase an item that was displayed? Sales data won’t give you that information. A door counting sensor can provide more insight into the people flowing into your shop.
Assuming you can now see the advantage a retail traffic counting system can have in assessing your sales data you may still be wondering if you really need a Sensormatic EAS system. You could increase your sales with the displays and bring in more people but if some of those people intend to steal from you they will look for signs of a merchandise protection. The first sign is the Sensormatic EAS pedestals at the front doors. In Part 2 of this article I want to talk more about the correlation a door counting sensor, visual merchandising and marketing have with each other and how they can improve sales.
Get more information on retail traffic counting systems contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
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
Retail traffic counting -3 wc blog 673
Customer Counting Device-4
Effective Payroll Management With The Help Of A Customer Counting Device
Retail traffic counting is important when store managers are trying to maintain profitable stores. It is no easy task to balance payroll, staffing and how many and when to schedule employees to work. Do you assign a person to cashier AND work the salesfloor? Do you assign one person to the salesfloor and merchandise stocking? What time of the day should you have an extra person come in to work? Is it easiest to simply make a schedule that is recycled every week except during holidays, such as during a Black Friday event? You can choose the easy way and just make a set schedule but you are probably doing yourself a disservice in the long run. A cut and paste schedule does not take into account when customers are in the store shopping. If foot traffic is heaviest at specific times of the day and specific days of the week your system of scheduling employees may not be serving the needs of the customers OR the financial interests of the business.
Store sales can be increased through improved scheduling and that doesn’t mean just throwing more dollars at the payroll dart board hoping to hit a bullseye. In order to have a more effective payroll management strategy a customer counting device installed in an electronic article surveillance tower is a must. The Integrated EAS Traffic Counter from Sensormatic can be installed in compatable Sensormatic pedestals allowing merchants to continue to reap the benefits of merchandise protection while tracking customers as they enter and leave the store. Data obtained from a retail counting device can include the time of day and the day of the week of activity taking place. Think about the implications that can have for your sales and how you staff your store. Knowledge is power so the saying goes and knowing your customer shopping trends is power!
For those who may not see the correlation between the customer counting device and payroll allocation think about the reporting tools you will have available. You can see the times customers are in your store and it takes the guessing out of the equation. If shoppers tend to come in to your establishment at noon and then again around 6:00pm those will be the times you want to have the most salesfloor coverage and cashiers available. It is going to drive your sales if you have employees available to assist your customers. Not only will they help the customers find what they need but it provides the opportunity for suggestive selling. As a side note, if you are not training your staff on this skill you need to make it a focus but that is a topic for another discussion. The addition of cashiers when foot traffic is highest will help speed up the checkout process which will increase customer satisfaction and ultimately customer loyalty.
You can also use the numbers generated from a customer counting device to plan for other work projects. You don’t want to stock merchandise or set new planograms and displays when most of your customers are shopping. Customers must always be the priority for your business. Using the information from a retail traffic counting system you can strategize when it will be best to get tasks completed. You may choose to have stockers in the store from 8am-11am and transition to a client oriented service from 11am until your next slow period. You may also determine that Saturdays are better for project completions than a Monday or Tuesday. All of these factors can play a part in improving payroll allocation.
Retail traffic counting can help improve scheduling effectiveness and in turn increase income for stores. If your business doesn’t have a Sensormatic security system, invest in one and get it with the customer counting device included. You’ll improve profits through increased sales AND decreased theft.
Retail traffic counting is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Retail traffic counting is important when store managers are trying to maintain profitable stores. It is no easy task to balance payroll, staffing and how many and when to schedule employees to work. Do you assign a person to cashier AND work the salesfloor? Do you assign one person to the salesfloor and merchandise stocking? What time of the day should you have an extra person come in to work? Is it easiest to simply make a schedule that is recycled every week except during holidays, such as during a Black Friday event? You can choose the easy way and just make a set schedule but you are probably doing yourself a disservice in the long run. A cut and paste schedule does not take into account when customers are in the store shopping. If foot traffic is heaviest at specific times of the day and specific days of the week your system of scheduling employees may not be serving the needs of the customers OR the financial interests of the business.
Store sales can be increased through improved scheduling and that doesn’t mean just throwing more dollars at the payroll dart board hoping to hit a bullseye. In order to have a more effective payroll management strategy a customer counting device installed in an electronic article surveillance tower is a must. The Integrated EAS Traffic Counter from Sensormatic can be installed in compatable Sensormatic pedestals allowing merchants to continue to reap the benefits of merchandise protection while tracking customers as they enter and leave the store. Data obtained from a retail counting device can include the time of day and the day of the week of activity taking place. Think about the implications that can have for your sales and how you staff your store. Knowledge is power so the saying goes and knowing your customer shopping trends is power!
For those who may not see the correlation between the customer counting device and payroll allocation think about the reporting tools you will have available. You can see the times customers are in your store and it takes the guessing out of the equation. If shoppers tend to come in to your establishment at noon and then again around 6:00pm those will be the times you want to have the most salesfloor coverage and cashiers available. It is going to drive your sales if you have employees available to assist your customers. Not only will they help the customers find what they need but it provides the opportunity for suggestive selling. As a side note, if you are not training your staff on this skill you need to make it a focus but that is a topic for another discussion. The addition of cashiers when foot traffic is highest will help speed up the checkout process which will increase customer satisfaction and ultimately customer loyalty.
You can also use the numbers generated from a customer counting device to plan for other work projects. You don’t want to stock merchandise or set new planograms and displays when most of your customers are shopping. Customers must always be the priority for your business. Using the information from a retail traffic counting system you can strategize when it will be best to get tasks completed. You may choose to have stockers in the store from 8am-11am and transition to a client oriented service from 11am until your next slow period. You may also determine that Saturdays are better for project completions than a Monday or Tuesday. All of these factors can play a part in improving payroll allocation.
Retail traffic counting can help improve scheduling effectiveness and in turn increase income for stores. If your business doesn’t have a Sensormatic security system, invest in one and get it with the customer counting device included. You’ll improve profits through increased sales AND decreased theft.
Retail traffic counting is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
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.
