Morphean’s Andy Martin, Segment Lead – Retail, looks at the importance of understanding occupancy and using the data to support business and security decision making in times of crisis, and beyond.
The
COVID-19 pandemic has added to the challenges already being faced by many retailers.
As numerous shops remain closed for the foreseeable future, it is the providers
of essential items, such as grocers and convenience stores, that have worked
hard to remain open against the odds. Most notable has been the requirement for
staff, management and security teams to enforce social distancing regulations
for customers, staggering those entering and exiting the store, and applying
appropriate signage to direct customers once inside. While not fool proof,
retailers have done what they could with the resources available to them.
The ability to
successfully monitor customer movement and behaviour once inside will have
presented a real challenge. Unfairly, but predictably, some retailers have come
in for criticism. While their efforts have been heroic, the guidance they have
received has not always been timely or complete, and has resulted in some ‘trial
and error’. With pressure to ensure the health and safety of customers, and
provide evidence of operation in accordance with the necessary guidelines, many
retailers are already considering the options necessary to help them in the
wake of a predicted second wave. The pandemic has taught the retail industry
that it’s better to be prepared for every eventuality in an increasingly uncertain
world, and those with the foresight are eager to source appropriate solutions.
Intelligent
occupancy
Utilising cloud
technologies, specific tools have been developed to aid store managers and
security teams, not just for immediate crisis management, but as they plan for
the longer term too. Being able to determine, control and measure occupancy
levels can prove invaluable in the transition from lockdown towards a ‘new
normal’, and beyond. Understanding
and being able to respond to occupancy data is an important part of not only
improving onsite security and situational awareness, but also integral to
delivering great service, resourcing tasks appropriately and creating a secure
and positive shopping environment.
Through the use of
sensors placed at entrances and exit points, a dedicated system can count the
number of customers coming and going, calculating how many people are inside
the shop at any one time. Downward placement ensures GDPR compliance by
performing a head count rather than identifying individuals. When combined with
information from the instore surveillance system, managers and security teams
can monitor customer movement around the store, to remind customers of the
importance of maintaining a safe distance or issuing warnings to alert of
breaches of the social distancing regulations.
Health
and safety over the longer term
With a
greater need to be able to guarantee staff and customer safety it’s also
necessary to take a long range view of business decision making, in which data
around store occupancy can play an important role. Occupancy data can be relied
upon to prove that a store has taken appropriate measures with video
surveillance footage, combined with accurate customer counting, providing
documented evidence of full compliance. Customer limits can be set according to
the size of the store, or other factors, ensuring that the system can be made
bespoke and tailored specifically for each store’s requirements.
Occupancy data can also
be combined in the cloud with the data from other devices employed in store, to
produce powerful insights that can be used to produce business intelligence.
The data from the same system that monitors customers entering a store, for
example, can be combined with data from video surveillance cameras and the
access control system to gather information about customer behaviour and buying
preferences to improve the customer experience. Another use could be the
monitoring of operations for greater efficiency, for example, alerting staff
when more checkouts need to be opened, or to better deploy staff around the
store to meet business demand.
Remote monitoring in the new normal
In an environment where
the return to a more normal way of interacting is part of a slow and controlled
operation, measures should be taken to ensure that only those personnel
necessary for operations are on site. Remote monitoring and operational
insights can be managed virtually by security and operations personnel, via
tablet or mobile, without the need to unnecessarily enter the premises. This
can revolutionise an environment which traditionally relies on management being
very hands on, by utilising the technology to enable key decisions to take
place from a safe distance.
Monitoring occupancy
generates insights that can lead to improvements in operations, security and
safety. It
can enable the retailers to enforce and prove compliance in the case of social
distancing, together with optimising store performance more generally. While of
great benefit in these changing times, intelligent occupancy should not be
viewed purely as a tool for a crisis, but as a mechanism for encouraging the
right behaviours at the right time. Greater visibility results in the ability
to coordinate operations across stores and, ultimately, to serve the customer
better, which is always the priority.
Find out more about the benefits that occupancy tools can provide for your business:
ANDY
MARTIN – SEGMENT LEAD, RETAIL – Morphean SA
With over 30 years’ retail experience, Andy has held
senior retail management roles across operations, supply chain and loss
prevention with Morrisons, Dixons Stores Group and HMV. In 2014 Andy joined the
world market leading network video company Axis Communications and led their
retail business development function across Northern Europe, before joining
Morphean in 2018, focusing on delivering hosted solutions, as a service, across
the retail, banking, hospitality and leisure sectors. Andy is a regular keynote
speaker and industry thought leader providing insights on a variety of related
forums and events.
About Morphean SA
Morphean is a Swiss technology
company with a strong presence in more than 12 countries worldwide. Founded in
2009 and with over 60 partners across Europe, the secure Morphean platform
informs decision making and drives efficiencies for all organisations by
generating unique and actionable insights from a multitude of data sources.
With expertise across retail, transport & facilities management, among
others, the company is recognised as a leader in secure service platform
delivery through the use of cloud and AI technologies. The platform helps firms
prepare for the future by keeping their ‘Eyes Wide Open’ to the intelligence
gathered from a variety of network connected devices. www.morphean.com
