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Improve Retail Operation and Customer Service through People Counting

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October 20, 2021



Video surveillance is a must-have for any retail environment. It can help prevent potential theft and ensure the accuracy of Point of Sale (POS) transactions. In addition to security, there are other challenging tasks that modern brick and mortar retailers face on a daily basis: How to build customer profiles with accurate offline data and enable greater return on investment? How to control the flow of customers in the store? How to protect customer privacy? And the list goes so on. However, thanks to the continuous development in modern technology, various monitoring devices equipped with intelligent features are now available in the market to address these monitoring challenges.


The Dahua WizMind, for example, offers an array of human-based AI algorithms, including People Counting and Heat Map. These functions can assist retail owners in optimizing their day-to-day operations through intelligent analysis of customer flow. Users can flexibly customize the features of WizMind devices and solutions to better suit their actual business needs, while of course protecting people’s privacy at the same time.


If you are a retailer looking to optimize your shop operation, this article is perfect for you! Using the Dahua WizMind as an example, let’s take a look at the 5 ways you can improve the business operation and customer service in your store using people counting and heat map:


Limit In-store Capacity


Under the new normal, retailers – from grocery stores to big supermarkets and shopping malls – are overwhelmed by mandated customer flow restrictions. Why not let a WizMind 5 Series Camera sort this out? It can calculate the number of people entering and leaving the store based on the detection of moving human targets. Once the total number of in-store people hits the preset threshold, an alarm will be triggered and notifications will be sent to the administrator. Also, the real-time number of people inside the store can be displayed on a digital signage at the door, which helps improve customer experience and save labor costs.


For reference, check out this article about how WizMind IPC-HFW5442E-ZE helps the world’s oldest amusement park control customer flow.


Manage Queues at Cash Registers


A WizMind people-counting camera can discern how many people are gathering in a given area, making it ideal for monitoring of checkout lanes. At the same time, it can also keep track of how long they have then been standing on the line. By setting rules that can trigger the alarm, say three or more people standing in line for more than three minutes, store managers can be instantly alerted when they need to send more staff to the cash registers in order to reduce customers’ waiting time.




Compare Number of Shoppers with Number of Buyers


If people counting data at the store entrance shows that 100 people came into the store but POS data indicates that only forty of them actually made a purchase, then something must be done to keep this from happening.


With relevant data at hand, retailers can analyze what is happening in the store that affects their sales conversion. Are employees helping shoppers make better purchasing decisions? Does the layout of the store keep shoppers from finding what they need?


To alleviate this dilemma, retailers can avail the Dahua WizMind Fisheye Cameras with heat map function. It provides additional insight into the areas frequently visited by customers, which can help store managers to optimize the layout of their shop and create appropriate marketing strategies.


Reduce Loiterers Outside the Store


The WizMind people-counting camera can also detect the number of human-sized moving objects in an assigned “no loitering zone” and keep track of the detection time. If too many people linger in front of the store beyond the set time period, an alert can be sent to the store manager. This eliminates the need for staff to monitor loiterers outside the store, and automatically notifies managers if intervention is needed. It helps create a more secure and pleasant environment for customers entering the store.


Track Busy Times


“Power hours” are times when customers stream into the store in a seemingly endless flow. It is crucial to plan personnel schedules during these peak times in order to maximize sales. By collecting foot traffic data during the busiest hours of the day and times of the week, managers can efficiently organize staff allocation in the store and make sure that there are enough staff during peak hours. This enhances customers’ buying experience and encourages them to return.


Key Takeaways


Overall, the Dahua WizMind is more than just security devices and solutions. While providing early warning and playback for store managers to increase store safety, as well as aiding further analysis regarding customer complaints and employee activities, it also brings valuable data statistics to help business owners adjust their marketing and operation strategies more efficiently.


Up Next…


So far, we have already introduced the human-based features of WizMind including stereo analysis, privacy recognition 2.0, metadata, people counting and heat map. For the upcoming Dahua TechMonth articles, we’ll focus on vehicle-based applications of WizMind and how it benefits conventional parking lot management and illegal parking detection.

TOPIC:AIDahua TechMonthWizMindPeople CountingRetail
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