This featured article by BriefCam CEO Liam Galin was originally published by A1 Retail in the November 2022 issue of the A1 Retail Magazine.
Many retail outlets have video surveillance cameras that are monitored by security and loss prevention teams. However, this video content also contains valuable information that can help operations, merchandising, marketing, and customer service teams create a top-tier customer experience for shoppers. Video content analytics software is a powerful, AI-based technology that can extract and contextualise this valuable data for driving intelligent decision making.
With video analytics, video can be filtered for searching or alerting on people or vehicles, as well as clothing colour and changes in lighting. For example, to prevent crowding or identify when heavy traffic areas – like restrooms and changing rooms – should be cleaned, occupancy thresholds can be set to trigger alerts when the parameters are exceeded, and employees can be deployed to strategically address the need. Similarly, people counting alerts can be set to notify customer service managers if a checkout area becomes too crowded, so managers can direct more sales associates to clear queues or redirect customers to other checkout areas.
Video analytics visualisations such as intelligence dashboards and heatmaps help merchandising and operations managers make data-driven, strategic decisions, particularly in terms of optimal store layout. By measuring where people linger and how long they typically dwell in an area and uncovering footfall trends around aisles and product displays, retailers can transform video surveillance into impactful strategy for their business.
Finally, operations managers can schedule employee shifts more effectively when their decisions are based on quantitative data about customer traffic flow throughout a store. Understanding how many customers entered a store or walked down a particular aisle, as well as which exits or entrances are most often used, empower informed decisions for more effective and efficient space utilisation.