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The past few years have made everyone from business owners to employees and consumers rethink the role of physical stores and office buildings. Online shopping and working from home rose in popularity during the pandemic, and business owners can learn a lot from the technology that made those areas thrive.
With many offices and stores open for in-person business again, it’s time to consider how technology can make these spaces even better for workflow and generating foot traffic. “Smart” isn’t just a title. Technology actually makes a difference in how employees work and how consumers appreciate their shopping experiences.
With more people heading back to the office after over a year of unexpectedly working from home, it’s important to consider how to re-optimize office spaces for better productivity. Now it’s up to you to recreate the comfort many employees experienced when working from home, while also increasing efficiency to boost your company’s performance. Smart offices use technology to improve everything from company sustainability to responses to employee needs.
Creating an energy-efficient workspace is one of many ways to use the intelligence of technology to your advantage. When you automate your lighting and HVAC systems, you can save money on your electric bill and reduce your environmental impact. Automated systems can track when people are most likely to be in certain rooms and use less lighting or HVAC when rooms aren’t in use, meaning you won’t be paying for energy you don’t use.
Heating and cooling levels customized to the number of people in the room can make employees feel more comfortable, which can lead to better work efficiency. Consumers will also appreciate that your company is dedicated to sustainable solutions.
You can use smart building trends to better understand the opportunities for floor plan use in your office. Occupancy sensors can track how many people are in a room at one time. You’ll also know where your employees are and who they interact with throughout the day.
Automated room management services can help employees save time by tracking when rooms are open or full, so people never have to spend time searching for available workspaces. You’ll also get information about whether you can use a different floor plan to make better use of your space, whether you have enough desks and equipment per person and whether you have the office space to hire more employees.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a software program that is able to learn and think similarly to the ways humans do. It collects and processes data to make decisions and help people and companies perform tasks. As AI gathers more information over time, it becomes smarter and increasingly useful for the specific responsibilities of your business.
Machine-learning technology is woven into the fabric of our daily shopping lives. AI is present in self-checkouts, store displays and smart shelf tags. Over the past few years, consumer behavior has actually changed due to what people now expect from AI capabilities. To get the most out of your store’s advertising efforts and consumer research, consider adapting your approach to bring shoppers what they want when they want it based on AI data. Satisfied customers will be excited to keep coming back.
AI can do more than directly relate to customers. It’s also integral to internal business operations such as staff scheduling, managing inventory and keeping up-to-date with facilities maintenance via tracking and alerts. These factors contribute to a more helpful, organized in-store experience for consumers.
People counters can gather additional information to help your business’s AI calculate the success of promotions and sales and determine how you can improve in the future.
Other technological innovations can also help your business make smart decisions in the coming year. The Internet of Things (IoT) works together to communicate and create a successful environment for working, advertising and converting customers.
Sensors in people-counting systems can give you more information about how many shoppers visit your stores and what they do there. You can use this information to respond to the needs of real customers by acting in real-time to adjust marketing strategies and learn how to better attract customer attention in the future.
Beacons give promotions and coupons to shoppers through your store’s app based on their in-store location. Bluetooth tracks customers’ locations to send them promotions based on what section of the store they’re in. Shoppers can also receive reminders about products they may have shown previous interest in online. Customers are more likely to buy items when they’re already in the store looking at those options.
Smart technology can help you maximize your supply chain efforts. By knowing more about customer demand, you can strategize your inventory. You can save money by only making the number of products customers will buy, and you can also increase revenue by making more of the products that you continuously sell out of. All of this will improve customer experience by providing just what shoppers want when they want it.
AI, beacons and people-counting technology all contribute to a better customer experience. Your business’s job is to make stores enticing for consumers, and that means creating environments that customers feel connected to. Shoppers want to feel known and valued by your stores, and they’ll remember those positive experiences when deciding where to make future purchases.
Smart building industry trends such as tracking footfall analytics can help you create a shopping experience that customers will feel personally connected to. Knowing how many customers enter your store, where they go and what they look at tells you valuable information about their interests and needs. You can study this data for trends such as what products are often bought together, and use this knowledge to your advantage when developing future marketing strategies.
The future of smart buildings is here, and taking advantage of helpful technology has never been easier. From smart offices to AI, people counting systems help make consumer and employee satisfaction possible. Take your business to the next level with reliable, accurate people counting services from Traf-Sys.
