A people counter is a sensor, usually mounted above an entrance, that detects and tallies people entering and leaving a space. Its data shows how many visitors a store, centre or venue receives hour by hour, so operators can measure traffic, staffing needs and marketing results against real visitor numbers.
Most counters sit overhead and use infrared beams, thermal imaging, stereoscopic 3D vision or video analysis to detect a person crossing a defined counting line. The device records direction, so entries and exits are counted separately, then sends totals to cloud software over Wi-Fi, Ethernet or a mobile network. Accuracy depends on the technology, the mounting height and the width of the entrance.
Retailers use the counts to calculate conversion rate, compare stores and judge whether a campaign actually brought people through the door. Hospitality venues and shopping centres use them to monitor occupancy and report on tenant performance. Staff movements should be filtered out, either with a tag or a rule, otherwise they inflate the totals.
Common pitfalls include wide doorways that need more than one sensor, groups walking side by side, and installations that are never checked. A good practice is to calibrate against a manual count after installation and repeat it periodically. Counting people without identifying them generally raises fewer privacy questions than facial recognition, but organisations should still consider their obligations under the Privacy Act.
Without a visitor count, sales figures tell only half the story. A store can have strong sales yet still lose most of its visitors. RetailCare supplies and supports V-Count people counters for Australian retailers and venues.