In-Store Journey Assessment
Test a store change before you make it in every store.
A study of 3 to 6 months in 1 to 5 of your stores. 3D sensors on the ceiling measure how shoppers move before and after one change. The recommended design compares one test store with two similar control stores. A single-store study is a diagnostic.
- 3 to 6 months
- 1 to 5 stores
- Recommended: 1 test, 2 control stores
- 3D sensors on the ceiling
Selected Pygmalios clients
We have run journey projects for large grocery and drugstore chains.
Start with one question
Each study answers one question you choose.
The question decides where the sensors go and which change is tested. Typical questions:
- 01
Store layout
Does a new layout bring shoppers into the zones that matter, and do they stay longer there?
- 02
Category move or resize
After a category moves or changes size, do more shoppers stop there, and what do they walk past on the way?
- 03
In-store screens
Which screen positions do shoppers pass, and where do they stop in front of the screen?
- 04
Staffing by hour
When do zones and checkout queues fill up, hour by hour, so the rota can follow the shoppers?
Study design
The recommended design: one test store and two control stores.
The change goes live in the test store only. The two control stores carry on as usual. Comparing the same weeks in similar stores helps separate the effect of the change from season and promotions.
With a single store, the study is a diagnostic: a baseline and findings, without a controlled test.
Timeline
A typical 12-week core, from installation to report.
- Weeks 1–2
Site survey and installation
Sensor plan for each floor, sensors on the ceiling, zones drawn on the floor plan, staff areas marked.
- Weeks 3–6
Baseline
Paths, visits per zone, time spent in each zone and which zones shoppers visit together, in all three stores, before anything changes.
- Weeks 7–10
Test
The agreed change goes live in the test store. The control stores stay as they are.
- Weeks 11–12
Analysis and report
Test store against control stores, before against after. The report ends with a recommendation for more stores.
The core takes about 12 weeks. The study can run up to 6 months and cover up to 5 stores.
What you get
Evidence for your next store decision.
The report shows how the change moved shoppers and whether it is worth making in more stores. For a single-store diagnostic, you get the baseline and findings.
-
Baseline
Paths, visits per zone, time spent in each zone and which zones shoppers visit together. Each store, by hour and by day.
-
Test design, agreed up front
The change, the test store, the metrics that decide and the test period, written down before the test starts.
-
Before and after, against control
We compare the test store before and after the change with the same weeks in the control stores.
-
Recommendation for more stores
Whether and where to make the change in more stores, and how to keep measuring it once it is live.
Sensors and privacy
What goes into your stores, and what it records.
Sensors
Xovis 3D stereo sensors mounted on the ceiling. Coverage depends on ceiling height and floor size, and the sensor plan for each store is part of the site survey.
Rent or buy
The sensors can be rented from Pygmalios for the study or bought by you. Both are possible, and the choice is made per case.
Privacy
The 3D sensors send movement coordinates. Nothing is recorded as video and there is no face recognition.
Staff excluded
Staff are identified by badge or by position and excluded from customer metrics.
From Our Knowledge Hub
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Tell us the question you want answered.
Name the change you are considering and the stores you have in mind. We reply within 24 hours to set up a call about the study design.
The study at a glance
- Question
- One, chosen by you
- Duration
- 3 to 6 months, with a core of about 12 weeks
- Stores
- 1 to 5; recommended: 1 test store and 2 control stores
- Sensors
- Rented from Pygmalios or bought by you
Discuss your study
2,000+
locations measured
250M+
visitor sessions
20+
countries
Questions
What people ask before a study.
How long does the assessment take?
The study runs 3 to 6 months in 1 to 5 stores. The recommended design has a core of about 12 weeks: 2 weeks for the site survey and installation, 4 weeks of baseline, 4 weeks of test and 2 weeks for the analysis and report.
Why one test store and two control stores?
The change goes live in one store and the other two stay as they are. Comparing the same weeks in similar stores helps separate what the change did from season and promotions.
Can we run it in a single store?
Yes, as a diagnostic: a baseline of paths, visits per zone, time spent in each zone and which zones shoppers visit together, and the findings from it. A controlled test of a change needs control stores.
Do we have to buy the sensors?
The sensors can be rented from Pygmalios for the study or bought by you. Both are possible, and the choice is made per case.
Does it identify individual shoppers?
The sensors send the coordinates of a moving person, and the platform turns them into paths and heatmaps. Nothing is recorded as video and there is no face recognition.
What happens after the study?
You get a recommendation on making the change in more stores, and on measuring it in the stores that get it. Whether Journey Analytics keeps running after the study is a separate decision.