People Counter Technology: Everything you need to know
People counter technology is a hot topic as organizations around the world want to use data and technology to deal with such issues that include occupancy management, traffic congestion, staffing optimization, and more, and this has only been accelerated by the COVID pandemic. If you are considering using people counter technology, it is important to understand how these systems work, the data they generate, and what benefits they can provide for your organization and others.
What they are
First, you may have heard the term "people counting technologies" or simply "people counters" and immediately thought of a clicker in the doorway of a retail location. While clickers are a tool for people counting, there are a number of technologies available in the marketplace.
Overall, people counter technology is used to gather accurate and real time data on the number of people inside your business, in your store, or in a certain location. Using people counter systems, it is possible to monitor traffic flow into various areas, both inside and outside a facility.
When implemented, it can help improve the way your business operates, with uses from an overall security strategy to prevent crime to marketing purposes. Before choosing a people counting system, you need to get a clear understanding of what modern technologies are available, how they work, and what benefits they offer.
Technology options
There are a variety of people counter technologies available today that can help you better understand occupancy and traffic flow in your business. These range from the sophisticated camera and sensor based systems to the simple clickers and even manual methods via apps and more.
The popularity of these systems has grown substantially over the last several years as businesses have discovered their value for a variety of applications. People counting technology options come in both hardware and software varieties, each having their own benefits. Some of the options on the market are listed:
Cameras
Floor Sensors
Wifi Monitors
Bluetooth monitors
Beam counters
Counter apps
For more information on the benefits of the different technologies, you can learn more about each here.
Data and analytics
People counting technology is able to collect some interesting and useful data about people using a space or facility. Before these technologies were in use, it took first-person observation or surveys and questionnaires to gain insights into how people were using spaces. This was obviously a difficult and in accurate way of getting results.
With people counting technology, data can be collected accurately and discreetly with great granularity. While the capabilities of each technology varies, most can provide you with enough data to measure, test, and improve the performance of your spaces even with a small investment. Some of the following are a few metrics and data points that can be collected:
Passes - Movement through a space in any direction
Entries - Movement that is qualified as “into” a space
Exits - Movement that is qualified as “out of” a space
Occupancy - Live traffic in a building or space
Engagements - A visit or stay in a specific area
Engagement time - The duration of the stay in the area
Triggers - Number of times a sign, audio, video, lighting, etc. were activated due to traffic
Paths - The exact route a visitor took through that space
Heat maps - Visualization of entries, engagements, or paths in a space
Benefits and savings
So how can companies and organizations benefit from an investment in people counters and a strong people counting system? Like anything, a monetary investment into people counters isn’t enough to see a strong return. A system is only as strong as its operator. But a commitment to analyzing and acting on data can provide strong returns to both your bottom line and customer satisfaction through deeper insights and control over the following.
Insights and Trends - Identify baselines or “normal” trends for your foot traffic, changes in those trends, outlier events, and more
Staffing and Security - Better align your employees with the traffic that’s coming through your doors, helping you cut costs and improve customer satisfaction
Energy, HVAC, Lighting - Cut usage costs by triggering or adjusting building utilities according to traffic trends
Orders and Resources - Ensure spend is aligned with baseline and forecasted traffic and demand
Space Design - Make and test space design changes for optimal engagement and conversions
Marketing - Plan displays and marketing to improve traffic and conversions
Conversions - Track traffic and POS conversion rates and amounts side-by-side
Testing and Comparatives - Compare changes to baseline traffic data to determine what changes help you boost your bottom-line and improve customer satisfaction
System creation
As we mentioned, people counters are only as strong and helpful as the system you have set up to make the most of their capabilities. Building a foot traffic analytics system doesn’t have to be difficult, and can be done in four easy steps outlined below.
Choose a technology - There are a number of people tracker technologies on the market. Find one that fits your budget and goals
Set a reporting threshold - Commit to consistent reporting of the metrics that matter most to your operations
Prepare for analysis - Make use of your reports with equally consistent analysis of your data
Plan your tests - Take your data one step further by making changes, tracking effects, and identifying what improves the performance of your space
For more information on building your own people counter and foot traffic analytics system, check out our helpful guide!