In-Store Customer Analytics...from the Ground Up!

"How do you do analytics in such a way you don't become creepy?" asked Jill Standish, Senior Managing Director of Retail at Accenture Consulting.

And her answer? A technology that looks at the shoes of customers as they walk in the store.

"You can actually get a lot of pretty accurate demographic information about the customer based on their shoes, such as their age, whether they are male or female, and even their income status. And it's not that intrusive, unlike facial recognition." 

Revealing "Foot Traffic"

That got us wondering: even without that technology, what might you be able to learn about your customers by looking at their shoes?!

• For example, with just the camera on your phone, get some pictures of the shoes on the shoppers entering your store. Then, take pictures of the customer's shoes at your cash wrap counter.
  
  Now compare those sets of pictures. How much consistency is there between the folks coming into your stores, and the ones actually buying from you?


• Considering a new location? Or a different location in a mall? Supplement your research with some "ground up" analysis. What can you discern about the "foot traffic" available in that new location? And how well does that match up with your present customers?

Intriguing, isn't it? It won't take much time, or even an investment in technology. (And it might be a great project for one of your newer and/or younger staff members.) You will undoubtedly find some surprises – and more opportunities!

Just a little time and effort can reward you with some revealing and useful insights. All free, too! One more way that independent retailers can work smarter, not just harder.

How to "See" Your In-Store Traffic Patterns - Free!

Yep, there's an app for that! 

Here's an FYI for you: we recently discovered a "time lapse" app to use with the camera of a smart phone.

• With your camera phone set to video mode, it automatically snaps the shutter at whatever time interval you set.
• Then, when you watch the video, it has condensed the action that occurred over hours into minutes.
• And best of all, it can be FREE!  Just search for "time lapse" on your app store. 

We can think of lots of ways for retailers to take advantage of this "in-store traffic copter".

• Which way do people turn when they come into our store?  
• Do folks hesitate once inside, not knowing where to go? 
• Which displays attract customers?
• Which ones do they seem to disregard?
• How many shoppers actually get to the back of our store?
• And, this one is fun: how often do we see our sales staff actually moving away from the cash wrap??

Pictures ARE worth a thousand words  

These time lapse sequences can highlight all kinds of opportunities in your store. Plus, they can help yourecognize any trouble spots.  

Then, after you've made some adjustments, do another time lapse study to see whether that helped!  

It's free (well, some apps are free.) It's fun. And it's a great way to involve your staff as well.  Just check on any of the app stores for "time lapse".