The benefits of IP surveillance in security and reducing shrinkage are well documented, but Axis’ retail business development manager, Atul Rajput, has been explaining the benefits of measuring in-store activity to optimise merchandising, store layout, and in-store operations.
By monitoring the flow of customers through a store, management are able to identify opportunities where displays could work harder, and can see any bottlenecks forming due to the layout of the store.
Staffing levels across the shop can also be monitored, to ensure that there is an adequate level of staff in the correct locations.
Perhaps the most compelling element of the technology is the fact the system can flag up queues exceeding a certain level, or when shelves become empty meaning staff can be moved around the store to deal with the most pressing issues identified by the system.
Mr Rajput also says that IP surveillance can be used to see how customers respond to in-store advertising and digital signage, giving them opportunities to optimise campaigns.
Understanding customer behaviour with CCTV
Rajput said, “Valuable input on improving store design can also be gathered using IP surveillance. By integrating these systems with heat map analytics, retailers can immediately evaluate the impact of floor change layouts on customer flow and sales, by combining mapped traffic patterns with point of sale (POS) data.”
Understanding customer behaviours is at the heart of this strategy, and could offer an edge over competitors at a time when high street retailers are really fighting to stay competitive. Mary Portas had complained that the High Street “is working in the same way that it did in the 1960s, but the 1960s are no longer here.”
But while her recommendations seem to hark back from to the 1960s (free parking and deregulation), perhaps a high-tech solution is just what the UK economy needs?