Department-level traffic in a fashion store is tracked by measuring in-store traffic at defined zones rather than at the front door alone: IAB Europe defines in-store traffic as the number of measurable shoppers located at various zones, including total store, entrance, near screens, shelves, aisles and check-out 12. This zone approach maps onto the way fashion floors are built, since the racetrack layout used by most large department stores and fashion stores divides the floor into separate areas grouped by merchandise type 3.
How the data is collected
- Technology solutions such as sensors, door counters and beacons, alongside transaction data and panels, are listed as collection methods for store traffic and footfall data 12.
- Passive Wi-Fi gathers anonymised customer presence data covering customer numbers, dwell time and recurrence 2.
- In-store intelligent cameras analyse traffic data to give information about customer behaviour and support strategic product display 4.
What the traffic data is used for
A department store example in the IAB Europe material describes measuring customer presence in each zone in real time to guide staffing levels, and historically to compare traffic between zones and across stores 2. Leading retailers capture footfall data including movements within the store to improve scheduling decisions 5. Foot traffic patterns are also analysed together with purchase history and external factors to optimise store layout and design 6.