Retail Traffic Trends #132: May 2023 Metrics are in! 📊🕰️

This May, the furniture industry saw a 3% increase in conversion rate, while the mattress industry experienced a 9% boost in average ticket prices.

This week we will take a closer look at what drove these improvements in the industry and what they could mean for the future.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • May in the furniture industry: How the furniture industry increased conversion rate by 3%.
  • May in the mattress industry: Less foot traffic, higher average ticket, and more time spent with customers.
  • Q1 2023 Benchmark Report: Click HERE to see how your store compares to the industry average.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

May 2023: Furniture industry

May 2023: Mattress industry

Retail Snippets

A new era: Retail industry ad spend on YouTube to top $4 billion this year.

 

2023 Predictions: 85% of Gen Z says social media impacts purchase decisions.

 

Warning signs: Target sales flat as retailer warns of $500M profit hit.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

Inflation: Consumer prices in May rose at slowest annual rate since April 2021.

 

Earth 2.0: James Webb’s ‘too massive’ galaxies may be even more massive.

 

Stream-worthy: The 20 best TV shows of 2023 (so far).

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #128: April 2023 Metrics are in! 📊🕰️

This April, the furniture industry saw an impressive 12% increase in daily revenue, while the mattress industry experienced a similar 19% boost in average ticket prices. 

This week we will take a closer look at what drove these improvements in the industry and what they could mean for the future.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • April in the furniture industry: How the furniture industry increased daily revenue by 11%.
  • April in the mattress industry: Less foot traffic, higher average ticket, and more time spent with customers.
  • Q1 2023 Benchmark Report: Click HERE to see how your store compares to the industry average.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

April 2023: Furniture industry

April 2023: Mattress industry

Retail Snippets

A new era: Redefining the customer experience with computer vision and AI.

 

2023 Predictions: Walmart set to close all Stores in Portland amid record-breaking retail theft.

 

Warning signs: Target sales flat as retailer warns of $500M profit hit.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

Tik-Tok: Montana becomes first US state to ban TikTok.

 

Earth 2.0: James Webb’s ‘too massive’ galaxies may be even more massive.

 

Electric revolution: New electric car breaks 22 EV records.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #123: March 2023 Metrics are in! 📊🕰️

The furniture and mattress industry has faced unprecedented challenges over the past year, but in March 2023, there were signs of improvement.

The furniture industry saw an impressive 11% increase in conversion rates, while the mattress industry experienced a similar 11% boost in average ticket prices. 

This week we will take a closer look at what drove these improvements in the industry and what they could mean for the future.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • March in the furniture industry: How the furniture industry increased conversion rate by 11%.
  • March in the mattress industry: Less foot traffic, higher average ticket, and more time spent with customers.
  • Q4 Benchmark Report: Click HERE to see how your store compares to the industry average.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

March 2023: Furniture industry

March 2023: Mattress industry

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: Retail industry legislation and policies to watch in 2023.

 

2023 Predictions: Walmart set to close all Stores in Portland amid record-breaking retail theft.

 

New-age: Can NFTs revolutionize the retail industry?

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

DuckAssist: DuckDuckGo Releases Its Own ChatGPT-Powered Search Engine, DuckAssist.

 

Earth 2.0: NASA has discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its star.

 

Rise of the bots: U.S. considers vaccinating chickens as bird flu kills millions of them.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #118: February 2023 Metrics are in! 📊🕰️

As we start March, it’s time to look back on February to see how top-performing stores performed in the second month of 2023.

With increases in foot traffic for multiple industries, both the furniture and mattress industries found ways to start the year on a high point.

This week we take a look at the top 20% of stores with the highest conversion rates in both the furniture and mattress industry to see how February played out.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • February in the furniture industry: How the furniture industry increased daily revenue by 9%.
  • February in the mattress industry: More foot traffic, higher average ticket, and more time spent with customers.
  • Q4 Benchmark Report: Click HERE to see how your store compares to the industry average.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

February 2023: Furniture industry

February 2023: Mattress industry

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: Retail industry legislation and policies to watch in 2023.

 

2023 Predictions: Walmart set to close all Stores in Portland amid record-breaking retail theft.

 

New-age: Can NFTs revolutionize the retail industry?

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

DuckAssist: DuckDuckGo Releases Its Own ChatGPT-Powered Search Engine, DuckAssist.

 

Earth 2.0: NASA has discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its star.

 

Rise of the bots: U.S. considers vaccinating chickens as bird flu kills millions of them.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #115: January 2023 Metrics are in! 📊🕰️

As we start the new year, it’s time to look back on January to see how top-performing stores performed in the first month of 2023.

Despite this January having less foot traffic than last year, both the furniture and mattress industries found ways to start the year on a high point.

This week we take a look at the top 20% of stores with the highest conversion rates in both the furniture and mattress industry to see how January played out.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • January in the furniture industry: How the furniture industry increased average ticket by 4%.
  • January in the mattress industry: Less time spent with customers, higher average ticket, and higher daily revenue.
  • Q4 Benchmark Report: Click HERE to see how your store compares to the industry average.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

January 2023: Furniture industry

January 2023: Mattress industry

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: Retail industry legislation and policies to watch in 2023.

 

2023 Predictions: 10 Retail industry predictions for 2023.

 

Black Friday Sales: UPS projects handling up to 70M in returns from peak holiday season.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

Pinocchio: New take on ‘Pinocchio,’ filmed in Portland, wins Golden Globe as best animated movie.

 

Earth 2.0: NASA has discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its star.

 

Rise of the bots: ‘Scary’ AI ChatGPT could eliminate Google within 2 years.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #110: December Metrics are in! 📊🕰️

As we start the new year, it’s time to look back on December to see how things played out for top-performing stores.

Despite this December having less foot traffic than last year, both the furniture and mattress industries found ways to end the year on a high point.

This week we take a look at the top 20% of stores with the highest conversion rates in both the furniture and mattress industry to see how December played out.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • December in the furniture industry: More time spent with customers, higher conversion rate, and more prospects gathered.
  • December in the mattress industry: How the mattress industry increased average ticket by 4%.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

December 2022: Furniture industry

December furniture metrics

December 2022: Mattress industry

December 2022 mattress metrics

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: Retail industry legislation and policies to watch in 2023.

 

2023 Predictions: 10 Retail industry predictions for 2023.

 

Black Friday Sales: UPS projects handling up to 70M in returns from peak holiday season.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

Pinocchio: New take on ‘Pinocchio,’ filmed in Portland, wins Golden Globe as best animated movie.

 

Earth 2.0: NASA has discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its star.

 

Rise of the bots: ‘Scary’ AI ChatGPT could eliminate Google within 2 years.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #105: November Metrics are in! 📊🕰️

As we start December, it’s time we see what it takes to become a top-performing store.

Despite this November having less foot traffic than last year, both the furniture and mattress industry saw significant increases in their average ticket in November 2022.

This week we take a look at the top 20% of stores with the highest conversion rates in both the furniture and mattress industry to see how November played out.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • November in the furniture industry: Changes in traffic and increases in the average ticket.
  • November in the mattress industry: How the mattress industry increased conversion rate by 4%.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 40 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

November 2022: Furniture industry

November 2022 furniture industry metrics

November 2022: Mattress industry

November 2022 mattress industry metrics

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: Why reduced consumer spending requires smarter tactics in-store.

 

Amazon: Is Amazon done disrupting retail?

 

Black Friday Sales: Here’s what Black Friday sales tell us about the retail sector.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

Copyright showdown: ‘Goblin mode’ chosen as Oxford word of the year for 2022.

 

Near-miss: Microsoft Teams adds free communities feature to take on Facebook and Discord

 

Rise of the bots: ‘Scary’ AI ChatGPT could eliminate Google within 2 years.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #102: October Metrics are in!

As we start November, it’s time we see what it takes to become a top-performing store.

 

Despite this October having less foot traffic than last year, both the furniture and mattress industry saw significant increases in their average ticket in October 2022.

 

This week we take a look at the top 20% of stores with the highest conversion rates in both the furniture and mattress industry to see how October played out.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • October in the furniture industry: Changes in traffic and increases in conversion rate.
  • October in the mattress industry: How the mattress industry increased average ticket by 11%.
  • Gone missing: Free returns may soon be a thing of the past.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 40 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

October 2022: Furniture industry

October 2022 furniture industry performance metrics

October 2022: Mattress industry

October 2022 mattress industry performance metrics

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: How current World events have impacted the retail industry.

 

Gone missing: Free returns may soon be a thing of the past.

 

Report: 74% of Millennials Would Like Pre-Owned Gifts.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

Blood moon: The best images from the total lunar eclipse from Tuesday night.

 

Mattress Mack: ‘Mattress Mack’ scores $75 million payday with Astros’ World Series victory.

 

New discoveries: Eggo Waffles Puts Its Spin on Egg Nog.

Read More

Which Foot Traffic Counter is Best for Your Store?

people counter

Getting a new foot traffic counter for your store is an important decision to make. 

Whether you are a “mom and pop” with a single store or a 50-store chain, there is a wide range of options available.

Some of the variables to consider when selecting a system are total daily traffic, average sale value, and salesperson engagement level. Lets take a look at each of these variables and why they are important:

  • Total daily foot traffic – certain systems are designed for high-traffic environments like malls and large department stores. Depending on your level of traffic, you may be only interested in the raw count vs details about the customer experience in your store.
  • Average sale value – Typically, the larger the ticket, the more engagement required from a knowledgeable salesperson. In this situation, you want to track every step of the customer experience from the moment they walk into your store, talk to your salesperson, and beyond.
  • Customer engagement level – Depending on the two variables above, average daily traffic and average sale value, will determine your salespeople level of engagement with the idea that higher ticket items require more engagement than lower ones.

Other important variables you should consider include API connectivity, customer relationship manager, location tracking, and the technology used.

Which foot traffic counter is best for you?

Based on the criteria below, we have identified some options for your consideration as you try to find the best foot traffic counting system and turn your data into better insights about your business.

We have identified many foot traffic counter solutions that range from basic counts to robust real-time and future data analysis. These were chosen to help the customers we seek to serve and the criteria we mentioned above.

The following foot traffic counters have a wide range of pricing,  which makes it even more important that you choose the right system that meets the needs of your business. We have provided links for each foot traffic counter listed below for your convenience.

Blix

Blix Traffic sensors detect anonymous smartphone signals to provide detailed foot traffic, customer experience, and location analytics data.

Unlike traditional people counters, Blix Traffic measures spaces, not doors, and is up and running in minutes.

Dor

Dor utilizes thermal censoring and can be set up in seconds with a simple peel and stick.
This system gives you actionable data such as conversion rate, foot traffic, and effectiveness of advertising that can be accessed on any device, by any person in your organization.

DOR is best for retailers who aren’t looking for an up-board solution, but rather analytics to better understand the customer experience.

Trafsys

Trafsys provides three different options for their tracking: video-based door sensor, 3d overhead sensor, or a thermal imaging people counter.

In contrast to other people counter’s listed, Trafsys provides real-time occupancy tracking software rather than a traffic-counting software.

Trax sales

Trax sales use a photo up-board system and track metrics such as closing ratios, real-time occupancy, average time spent with customers, customer information gathered, and the percentage they’re above or below the store’s goal.

V-count

V-count uses Ai-based tracking in a sensor placed on the ceiling. The artificial intelligence is able to track que time, heat map the store, and track multiple key performance metrics.

V-count is able to track occupancy levels which have become a highly requested feature for all traffic counters during the pandemic.

Ai-based tracking combined with night-vision results in 99.9 count accuracy.

Who’s up

Who’s up uses proximity technology to keep the sales team in the designed area for receiving new Ups. This is primarily used in the automotive industry and uses features such as:
Sales team bi-directional messaging for instant communication.
Notifications of empty Batter’s Box (no reps in Up designated area).
Simple Check-In, Check Out for reps.
Configurable sales process steps and actions.
CRM integration.
Test Drive route tracking and capture.

In addition to the up system, Who’s Up has a customer relationship management system built-in.

foot traffic counting device vs. foot traffic counting system

First, you need to understand the different types of foot traffic counters.  There are basic traffic counting devices, and then there are full-on traffic counting systems.

  • foot traffic counting device – Strictly gives you a number of how many people walked through the door.
  • Sales engagement system – This aggregates the data from above and includes the result of the interaction with your sales team and any follow-up required.
  • foot traffic counting system – Typically gives analysis and reporting on key performance metrics about your foot traffic.

foot traffic counting technology

When it comes to traffic counting technology, there is a wide array of options to choose from. Here is a shortlist of the most popular:

  • Thermal imaging -Thermal imaging provides extremely accurate counts and hides personal identifying information due to the images not showing customer’s faces
  • Motion sensors – New algorithms allow for motion sensors to identify if a customer is entering or exiting a store.
  • AI-based tracking systems – AI-based tracking systems are the newest technology in the people tracking realm. AI tracking uses machine learning to improve the counts as time goes on.
  • Proximity tracking technology – Proximity tracking allows for heat-mapping of a store and allows for que-time tracking.
  • Wifi location tracking / mobile device tracking – Every phone has a unique MAC address that allows for customer experience tracking (ie, where did the customer come from)
  • Camera tracking – Door counters that use a camera often are paired with motion sensors within the camera to accurately track counts and an image on the up-board so salespeople never miss a sale.

In a nutshell

Where most people counters track and analyze foot traffic, we help your teams sell more…

That’s if you’re a  multi-store, large-ticket, brick-and-mortar retailer who wants to grow. We believe the more informed you are about your options, the more you will appreciate what we have created.  Again, every system is designed for a set of unique circumstances and when this is understood, you are more likely to find the people counting system that is right for you.

Obviously, we would love to have you as a Doorcounts customer, but only if it is the best option for your business.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DOORCOUNTS 3.0

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