People counting is a crucial component of any business management since it enables them to estimate the number of potential customers in their space. Today, retail establishments have the power to draw clients and close deals.
They are a challenging prospect for retailers looking for information about what their consumers buy and where they come from. Installing a people counter enables businesses to gather useful information about consumers’ shopping preferences.
Door counters can easily provide information regarding traffic in shopping malls in various ways. So, here we will discuss how door counters are used in retail and how you can benefit from them.
Table of Contents
What Is A Door Counter?
Many businesses still need to learn about door counters despite their relative popularity. A door counteris a device that allows retail stores to monitor visitor traffic on their physical sites with the help of door counters and people-counting equipment.
There are two types of door counters;
- 3D Counter
- Infrared Counter
- Thermal Counter
1. 3D Door Counter
It is one of the most amazing gifts you can give yourself after starting a retail store. Even the busiest settings can use a 3D counter, which you can use for simple people counting and multi-directional crowd and group count.
The software can give true behavioral intelligence in various contexts, from retail to smart buildings, thanks to its advanced capabilities like the singular staff detection capability and dwell time monitoring.
2. Infrared Counter
Infrared counters work best when installed on the top side of the entrances. These counters precisely count persons coming in and going out using infrared light. Infrared light ensures the privacy of everyone entering and leaving because personal identification information is not recorded.
3. Thermal Counter
Thermal counters track human body heat to detect the presence and movement of humans using sophisticated thermal arrays.
How Are Door Counters Used In Retail Stores, Shops, And Malls?
Since the main purpose of a door counter is to monitor the store traffic, it helps keep track by counting the number of customers. Let’s find out how a retail door counter worksin detail.
1. Helps Monitoring People Counting
Installing a door counter is vital to track your retail footfall accurately. We’re living in a time when you must keep track of sales, and for that, the initial step is to monitor the number of customers visiting the store.
A door counter helps you monitor who enters or leaves your store daily by shining an electronic ray across a door, entrance, or exit and sensing their presence. Some counters offer a simple headcount, while departing and arriving clients can be distinguished from others.
In simple words, it makes it easy to keep an accurate track of people counting. This way you can easily understand whether the traffic is increasing with every passing day.
2. Helps Tracking Store Occupancy
After the Covid-19 Pandemic, retail stores and shopping malls have started a practice to promote social distancing. Even though the pandemic has passed, people still follow social distancing for safety purposes.
Head counters are highly suitable for observing store occupancy ratio. For this, choosing an overhead sensor is the best option. It can attract customers even if they pause to look around the store occupancy close to the entrance of your establishment.
3. Helps Tracking Conversion Rate
Placing the device at the right spot is the most crucial step. When installing the counters, make sure to install them in the passages, corridors, and entrance and exit doors of the store if the entryway of your retail space features product displays that promote browsing.
It will give you an accurate picture of sales data and customer conversion rates. Also, it can help you gain a thorough picture of your customer’s purchasing patterns and suggest strategies to boost sales and improve the conversation rate by taking steps to grow business due to having a better idea.
How To Select The Suitable Counter For Your Business?
Selecting the right type of Counter is crucial to monitor accurate head count. You should pick a retail door counter, depending on the type of entrance.
1. Overhead Counter
An overhead sensor is the best option if your business or shop has a large entryway accommodating multiple customers arriving or leaving simultaneously. When people enter in groups, a horizontal sensor may overlook them.
2. Horizontal Counter
In tiny openings, horizontal sensors perform well. In light of this, a horizontal detector will function if your door slides. Since the swinging door may obstruct the electronic sensors that count customers as they enter or leave your establishment, they are not compatible with swinging doors.
3. Single-Directional Counter
Single-directional counters come with only one horizontal beam that functions best for retail customer counting. So, if you are for a single-directional counter, you must divide the total number of visitors by two at the end of the day.
4. Dual-Directional Counter
These counters are much more advanced than single-directional counters that provide a clear headcount. Dual directional counters come with two horizontal beam counters that accommodate individuals coming in and going out.
The Final Say
Door counters are of three types, and you can pick the one that you find suitable, depending on your requirements.
Modern door counters use innovative technologies to provide an accurate image of customer traffic inside the store. These systems use sensors, cameras, and other technology to monitor footfall and track the accurate number of customers.
