Yesterday Boris Johnson announced his plans for all shops to reopen on June 15. If we look at other countries such as the Netherlands and Germany where the visitor numbers do not deviate much from what they normally see in this period, we can expect the same for the UK visitors once the shops reopen. However, in the new 2-meter social distancing society these “normal” visitor numbers may lead to abnormal situation. To prevent situations such as possible evacuation of shopping centres or closure of shopping areas that happened in the Netherlands, PFM Real-Time and Heatmaps solutions can help.
The corona crisis has an unprecedented impact on everyday life. Family visits, an evening out for dinner, sports or cosy shopping, it is suddenly no longer so obvious. Even grocery shopping requires preparation. Since the start of the corona crisis, the government has advised to apply a visitor limit in public spaces. In this way it is possible to keep 1.5 meters away and to guarantee safe shopping. An active door policy is very important to ensure this, with people counting as the first step.
From manual to automatic counting
There are many different ways to count people. For example, you can put someone at the door with a hand counter or a mobile phone with a simple app with pluses and minuses. Or put a maximum number of baskets or carts at the entrance. Are the baskets empty? Then the customer has to wait for an available basket to be able to shop safely. People can also be counted fully automatically. At PFM, we have been specialist in this field since the early 1990s. By measuring, controlling and monitoring passer-by and visitor flows in public areas, we can counter the spread of the virus. With the counting systems of PFM, you can safely open your shop or shopping centre again, because you can actively manage incoming and outgoing visitors. In addition, you can deploy staff more efficiently and you will be alerted when the crowds per m2 increase.
What you need
Real-time insight into visitor numbers. This means that you can see how many people are present at your location at any time of the day. For Real-Time insight into visitor numbers you only need 3 things; a new generation of stereo motion sensor, a working internet connection on location and a screen or tablet for your employees. Based on a simple interface, your employees can conduct an active door policy with which the strict regulations can be observed.
Transparency to your customers
In addition to providing a safe environment for your customers and employees, we go one step further. We are happy to offer you the tools to be able to share this print image with your customers. By Heatmaps of your location, it is possible to provide an overview of the print image on a week / day / hour basis.
You can place these heat maps on your website or social media, so that your customers can see for themselves when it is a good time to go shopping. This way, busy peaks can be better distributed and everyone can shop safely.
"PFM ensured that we switched from existing systems to real-time insights into visitor numbers within a few days. Based on these data, a "crowded" meter has been published on the website of De Bijenkorf which allows our customers to see how busy it is so they can decide when it’s the best time to visit stores."
Jeroen Petit, IT program Manager De Bijenkorf
Clear dashboard
We offer a fully custom-made dashboard. In this dashboard we offer not only Real-Time data, but also total occupancy and zone occupancy. This means that even deeper insights are possible.
Within shopping centres, the Real-Time Dashboard provides safety from a broader perspective. Each retailer takes its own precautions at store level, but shopping centre owners have an even greater responsibility in this regard. By actively monitoring the maximum number of visitors, the safety of shop owners, staff and shoppers can be guaranteed.
Alarm showing you how busy your shop is
The maximum number of visitors for a particular location is determined on the basis of the area and the regulations. A message is sent when the maximum occupancy rate is likely to be reached. With this information, the influx of visitors can be better limited. A new message will follow when the maximum number has been reached and / or exceeded. This is a unique addition that really allows you to act immediately. You can see in one overview which entrances are busiest. This allows you to maintain in an effective and consumer-friendly way.
social distancing
Prepare your location for the economy where you have to keep a distance of 2 metres, today. Measure, control and monitor visitor flows to ensure a safe shopping environment for visitors and staff. Do you already have a counting system? Your current counting system may already be suitable and we can switch quickly. In any case, we would be happy to discuss a suitable solution for you.