Are you a business owner looking to expand? Selecting a location can be a tedious, painful, and stressful experience. Choosing the right location for your business can be a nightmare. However, many business owners overlook the benefit that people counting systems can bring when choosing a location.
What are people counting systems?
People counting systems are systems that allow you to view how many people enter and exit your store. There are also counters available that, when placed in separate areas of your establishment, can tell you which areas of your store are the busiest and which receive the lease amount of foot traffic. That’s not all, though. People counters can reveal your daily, weekly, and seasonal trends, as well as which of your promotions are the most successful. They can even help you to determine if the layout of your store is as effective as it could be.
How can people counting systems help you choose a location?
Chances are, when searching for a new location, you’re going to want to find one that has a high number of people moving through it all the time. High foot traffic means a higher chance for increasing your customer base and is definitely something you should consider when looking at a new location.
Some realtors and landlords are willing to share the traffic count of the location that you are interested in. However, you may also find that others are not so straightforward in presenting you with traffic flow data. They may tell you that traffic counting systems are expensive and they cannot afford to place one at, or near, the entrance of the location due to the prohibitive cost. However, there are less expensive traffic counting options available on the market.
What happens when a realtor or landlord refuses to share the location’s traffic count?
When a realtor or landlord refuses to share the location’s traffic count with you, you should view it as a red flag. A landlord or realtor withholding information usually means that they have something to hide. If there is something to hide, then chances are you should know about it before purchasing a location or signing a lease.
In the event that you do not have traffic count information readily available, you can take matters into your own hands. For example, some retailers seeking traffic count information for a new location have hired teenagers to enter malls and count the number of shoppers. Usually these teens spend three or four days at an establishment counting shoppers. The teenagers look not only at the number of people passing, but also analyze how many of them are carrying shopping bags from neighboring stores. This additional information can reveal what prospective sales in that location would be like.
Traffic counting systems can help the business owner determine a new location. Traffic flow information is vital to predicting what sort of foot traffic you will have through your store. The higher the foot traffic, the better your prospective sales. Taking the time to find out what the traffic flow through a location is like before purchase is well worth the effort and the time.
