“Selecting the Right Staff Exclusion Method for Your Business”
When selecting a people counter, the foremost criterion is its accuracy. Whilst most devices can count people adequately, businesses require precise customer counts, excluding staff members. Hence, the ability to filter out staff data is essential for accurate analysis and informed decision-making.
FootfallCam 3D Pro2 has integrated comprehensive staff exclusion techniques, allowing for the identification and exclusion of staff in various scenarios, such as:
- Store staff wearing uniforms
- Delivery and other staff without uniforms
- Security personnel hovering around the entrance areas
For businesses, especially in retail, utilising the Staff Exclusion function is crucial to achieving an accurate sales conversion rate by ensuring that footfall data reflects actual customer numbers, untainted by staff presence. Below are the pros and cons of different staff exclusion methods:
Staff Uniform Recognition
- Cost ★★★★★: No direct cost.
- Accuracy ★★★★☆: If you have a relatively unique staff uniform, accuracy is high.
- Suitable for ★★★★★: Without the need for staff to wear an additional accessory or take any action, any staff uniform that is unique and distinct in terms of colour or design.
- Limitations ★☆☆☆☆: The staff uniform must be distinctive in colour or design, clearly distinguishable from normal customer outfits.
Summary: FootfallCam 3D Pro2 is currently the only people counter that offers Staff Uniform Recognition. FootfallCam trains a specific model to distinguish staff uniforms from normal customer outfits, making it cost-effective without requiring additional hardware or accessories.
Patterned Badge
- Cost ★★★★☆: An accessory, available at an additional cost, requires one for each staff member.
- Accuracy ★★★★☆: It can be accurately detected as long as it is worn by the staff in the correct position.
- Suitable for ★★★☆☆: Any store staff can wear it on their uniform, around the chest area. It’s a badge that can be pinned onto any uniform and reused by any staff. It will be automatically detected by FootfallCam 3D Pro2 counters without requiring any action from the staff.
- Limitations ★★★☆☆: It’s an accessory that is visually noticeable from a distance; some luxury stores may prefer not to have such a conspicuously obvious badge on their staff uniforms, as it could affect their overall aesthetic.
Summary: Using AI analytics, the FootfallCam 3D Pro2 people counter intelligently recognises the unique pattern on staff badges to exclude them from counting. It is suitable for any store staff who wear it on their uniform and requires only one-time configuration and validation.
Wireless Exclusion Wall Button
- Cost ★★★★☆: An accessory, available at an additional cost, requires only one for each entrance.
- Accuracy ★★★★☆: Staff counts are discounted when the button is pressed upon entering or exiting, ensuring uncompromised accuracy.
- Suitable for ★★★★★: It can be wall-mounted at the store entrance and used by any store staff or even non-store staff, such as delivery personnel who are delivering stocks or parcels. Only one button is required for each entrance, and it runs on wireless connectivity, so no wiring is needed.
- Limitations ★★☆☆☆: Unlike other automated recognition methods, this system requires store staff or delivery personnel to press the button before entering or exiting to ensure their counts are excluded.
Summary: The Wireless Exclusion Wall Button offers versatility and ease of implementation due to its wireless connectivity. This feature supports various operational environments, accommodating both store staff and non-store personnel like delivery teams. It provides a straightforward solution for managing entry and exit counts, ensuring accurate data without the need for complex wiring installations.
Fabric Tag
- Cost ★★★★☆: An accessory, available at an additional cost, requires one for each staff uniform.
- Accuracy ★★★★☆: It can be accurately detected as long as it is worn by the staff in the correct position and is not obstructed.
- Suitable for ★★☆☆☆: Any store staff can iron or sew it onto their uniform, ideally on the shoulder area as recommended. It’s discreet as it becomes part of the uniform, with each staff member needing a pair on each uniform. The FootfallCam 3D Pro2 counters will automatically detect it without any action required from the staff.
- Limitations ★★★★☆: It’s an accessory that needs to be added to a standard staff uniform; some retail stores may prefer not to have an additional badge on their staff uniforms, as it could affect their overall appearance, even though it’s just a very small badge on the shoulder area, which is usually unnoticeable.
Summary: The 3D Pro2 people counter can accurately recognise the unique fabric material on the staff badge, excluding staff from counting. Its discreet design ensures minimal impact on staff uniform appearance, and the cost of the fabric tag is relatively low compared to other accessories.
Dwell Time Exclusion
- Cost ★★★★★: No direct cost.
- Accuracy ★★★☆☆: A person will be excluded from the count if they stay around the entrance for more than a predefined period of time. This configurable threshold can be customised with a dwell time tailored to your store’s use case.
- Suitable for ★★★☆☆: This is especially useful if you have security guards or meet-and-greet staff who linger around the entrance for extended periods.
- Limitations ★★☆☆☆: Useful when staff stay at the entrance for an extended period, but not suitable for identifying staff who frequently enter and exit.
Summary: The solution incurs no direct costs and operates solely through configuration, without necessitating any change in staff behaviour. It effectively addresses scenarios where retail stores need to discount counts from staff who frequently remain at the entrance, potentially triggering additional counts unrelated to actual customer traffic.
Staff Exclusion Line
- Cost ★★★★★: No direct cost.
- Accuracy ★★★★☆: Store staff need to use a designated “staff lane” for entering and exiting, which should be a zone that normal shoppers don’t pass through. The accuracy is good if these conditions are met.
- Suitable for ★★★★☆: For stores that prefer not to use accessories and have a wider entrance, a designated “staff lane” can be implemented.
- Limitations ★★★☆☆: The accuracy of the implementation depends on staff behaviour; they must walk in and out of a predefined zone to be excluded from the count..
Summary: The solution incurs no direct costs and requires only configuration, though staff education is necessary. It involves using a designated “staff lane” at store entrances, ensuring accuracy when staff adhere to this zone. Ideal for stores preferring minimal accessories and wider entrances, it depends on staff compliance for accurate counting, potentially limiting accuracy based on behaviour.
