IntroductionShoe Sensation, a 250-door family footwear empire, has locations across 23 states. You’ve likely bought a pair — or several pairs — of sneakers from this reputable chain in your lifetime. With most of their stores spanning 6,000 square feet, each retail space stocks between 9,000 and 10,000 pairs. The franchise has also been trading for over 40 years and lists Palisade Capital Management as its main private investor with a cool $370 million.
One thing is clear from these statistics — the company is a success. However, as each store generates different traffic volumes, leveraging people counting solutions has helped the chain better understand its conversion rate. Review this case study for an overview of how Shoe Sensation has used foot traffic counters to obtain customer insights and reach their goals.
Conversion is a key metric for profitability. Yet Shoe Sensation store managers struggled to achieve an accurate indication of how many people walked through their doors and left with a purchase.
This data was crucial to understand whether their in-store promotions were effective and how weather conditions influenced purchasing decisions. In addition, they needed these figures to ensure more accurate forecasting. Understanding how many pairs of shoes sell over a certain period helps managers stock the store correctly, so customers can find and purchase what they need.
The Shoe Sensation team approached Traf-Sys and discussed implementing foot traffic counters in each of their stores. As each retail outlet was different, they needed a customized solution for maximum accuracy. Traf-Sys suggested they use a stereoscopic system, which relied on both hardware and software.
The image processing people counter uses VisiCount software on each store’s network to monitor foot traffic and generate comprehensive reports. It can easily track multiple entrances — even those that are significantly wider than most. The filter options also allow the technology to distinguish people from carts or baby strollers. The ability to register people correctly enables stores to gain accurate customer data.
Once the installation was complete, the Traf-Sys team carried out extensive diagnostic tests to ensure reliable results. The data reflects the following:
Over 20 years later, the company still relies on people counters for stores to produce traffic data. The systems allow for easy upgrades, making it simple to keep the software up-to-date.
Traf-Sys compiles a monthly report for each of its clients. Here’s how Shoe Sensation used the findings to benefit their bottom line.
With so many shoe styles and sizes available, footwear companies need to ensure they have enough stock on hand to meet customer needs. However, keeping large quantities of stock on the premises reflects higher inventory costs.
Shoe Sensation used Traf-Sys data to understand the relationship between traffic and conversion. This gave them better insights into footwear trends, so could stock their stores accordingly.
Optimized staffing refers to the number of employees on duty as well as their expertise. It is essential you have enough staff to assist customers during peak hours while also ensuring they have the right skills.
Peak holidays — such as Thanksgiving and Christmas — historically generate more sales yet individual stores experienced varying spikes in their sales at random times throughout the day. For example, a Shoe Sensation located in a mall noticed that more customers entered the store in the evening while they were waiting to collect their dinner. Insights like this help managers optimize their staffing rosters to ensure maximum customer satisfaction without unnecessary labor costs.
Without effective people counters, staff would have to watch the store entrance and record the number of customers walking in and out. This method is prone to human error and distracts staff from other core tasks.
By implementing reliable counters, the Shoe Sensation staff can be more focused on assisting customers and improving the overall store display. Engaging in these higher-level tasks will likely boost employee satisfaction.
Shoe Sensation likes to acknowledge its sales team’s performance and traffic data reports enable it to make fair assessments. For instance, if one store had an overall conversion rate of 36%, they can commend them on their efforts while encouraging them to increase these metrics by 1%.
Sharing sales data helps to motivate employees to create SMART goals and achieve targets. In addition, managers could reward top teams, helping to increase job satisfaction and reduce turnover.
Despite rising inflation and economic dips, Shoe Sensation reports a consistent increase in sales over holidays such as the Fourth of July, Black Friday and the remainder of the festive season.
By leveraging this data, marketing teams can justify ad spend on in-store promotions. If they’re using different advertisements, they can also track the success of a particular ad and adjust their campaigns accordingly.
When customers experience quality service and can purchase the shoes they want, they are likely to feel more satisfied. Stores with optimal forecasting can ensure they have enough stock on the floor to satisfy customer needs. In addition, having a better understanding of high-traffic times enables stores to put the most experienced staff on duty during these periods. Customers will appreciate dealing with knowledgeable staff during peak times.
Shoe Sensation aims to grow its empire by continuing to offer customers exceptional service. To do this, they will continue their partnership with Traf-Sys and rely on them to fit the appropriate people counters for retail in each store and utilize software to generate regular reports. They can use this data to uncover how seasonal changes, holidays and times of the day impact sales for better forecasting.
Shoe Sensation’s top management can then collate this data and determine if they are meeting or exceeding their sales plan.
Shoe Sensation is a classic example of a popular chain with varying traffic in each store. By harnessing people counting solutions they were able to understand their traffic in each area, enabling benefits such as optimized staffing and improved trend forecasting. 
Traf-Sys specializes in providing premium people-counting systems, software and support to over 50,000 businesses across the United States. By integrating our quality people counting solutions, you can gain the data you need to improve your business metrics. Discover how our team has helped other businesses or contact us today for a quote. We look forward to helping you obtain the data you need to boost your conversions!
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