How Grocery Stores can leverage Foot Traffic Data to improve Shopper Experiences and their Bottom-Line

Few establishments have a better opportunity to capture foot traffic data than grocery stores, and accordingly grocery and other similar stores are some of the greatest places to see what a difference data-driven decision making can have. While we walk around them every day, it can be hard to realize the importance of each square foot in securing your store’s future. In grocery, you’ve got to deal with stiff competition for shopper attention. You’re also operating on razor-thin margins, which mandate that you keep every part of your store – and its products – as cost-effective as possible.

By learning more about individual grocery store foot traffic data metrics, trends, and behaviors, stores can not only improve their bottom-line but also create a better experience for their shoppers too. Here are a few metrics grocery stores should focus on.

Historic Entries and Exits - Data on when shoppers are entering and exiting should be the baseline for all grocery store operations.

Live and historic Occupancy - Separate from entries, how busy the store is during a given time can help determine when resources and employees are needed.

Department Entries and Dwell Times - Where shoppers are traveling and spending their time is just as important as when they are entering your store. 

Line wait times - both manned and self-service check-outs can be analyzed to help determine where more investment should be made to improve the experience for customers.

With a greater understanding of shopper behaviors and traffic patterns, there are a number of things grocery stores can begin to test and adjust to improve both their foot traffic, bottom-line, and the experience for their visitors.

• Staffing adjustments

• Store and space design 

• Resource allocation 

• Energy usage 

• Marketing and advertising

• Sales and conversion rates

And while grocery store managers are focused on improving their locations, foot traffic data can also be captured and compared on a chain-wide basis, helping management better understand their complete audience and work to improve their entire organization from the ground-up. 

Learn more about how Scanalytics makes it easy for grocery stores to capture the data points listed above and more to improve their bottom-line and market-share.