News

Wincor people-counters measure shopper body heat

June 23, 2008

PADERBORN — Visitor numbers for Retail Solutions 2008 will be available in real time, thanks to Irisys people counters installed at the entrances of the ExCeL center. Both Irisys and Wincor Nixdorf will use the data during live demonstrations at the Wincor Nixdorf stand.

The infra-red detectors accurately monitor customer flows by using customers' thermal profile, generating live data for use in people counting and queue management.

Wincor Nixdorf is adding this technology to its range of solutions that help retailers manage and improve customer conversion rates and store performance.

"Customer service, and queue time in particular, is an important differentiator for retailers," said René Schrama, worldwide sales director for Irisys. "The checkout experience creates a lasting impression, and effective queue management helps promote customer loyalty and a positive image for the business. Many retailers both in Europe and the U.S. are now recognizing that better service, cost-effectively delivered by infrared technology, can drive both sales and bottom-line growth."

"Queuing is no longer an acceptable pastime for the British public," said Helen Wilde, solutions sales director at Wincor Nixdorf. "Customers will choose where to spend their money relating to many different factors, and time and ease of checkout is a key decision point. Time is precious, and dislike of queuing, unless for a serious benefit such as a major discount or sale items, makes customers go elsewhere, which clearly impacts a retailer's bottom line."

Irisys will feed the counts back to the Wincor Nixdorf stand B26 at Retail Solutions 2008, and demonstrate how retailers can respond to customer flows rapidly and cost-effectively with its queue management solution. Based on the data collected by the infrared sensors, the software automatically calculates average queue length, wait time and store checkout performance. The system also predicts how many checkouts will be needed in 15 or 30 minutes time to meet agreed service levels, with staff deployed in the right place at the right time.