The leading Finnish retail solution provider, Puume, has introduced a new type of customer flow analysis to Finland. The analysis helps develop physical purchasing environments and increase sales.
According to IT Director Mikko Virtanen, the StoreFact customer flow analysis used by Puume Oy produces objective data on the buying behaviour of customers. Using the digital analysis, the factors that should be improved in the retail environment can be identified.
– There can be significant conflicts between what customers say they do and what they actually do. Using the StoreFact analysis, we are able to obtain precise and reliable data on how the customer actually behaves in a physical retail environment, says Virtanen.
A total of over 160 analyses developed by StoreFact AS have already been implemented in the Nordics. In total, over 160,000 individual observations have been recorded during the analyses. The analysis tracks and measures the behaviour of approximately 200 customers in the space being analysed. Data is collected, for example, from the cold and hot areas of the store, target groups and customer stay and routes in the store.
– The observer discretely monitors the customer and records the customer’s route and activities including, for example, the customer stopping, touching a product or taking it with them, Virtanen describes.
Based on the collected data, Puume experts draft a plan for developing the store. Customer behaviour can be measured again after the changes, which allows a practical comparison of the results of the analyses. The results provide certainty to the investments made in retail environments.
– Using the digital analysis, we are able to identify the factors that should be developed to increase sales. Based on the store plan drafted by Puume experts, the customer stay time and product encounters can be improved. As a summary, it can be concluded that purchase transactions have been increased by an average of 16 per cent and customer stay by 20 per cent, says Virtanen.
According to the Managing Director of the Norwegian StoreFact AS, Jøran Enger, the development of the technology began already in 2005 when store managers wanted to know more about their customers and their behaviour.
– We needed to observe customer behaviour in order to understand how the appearance of the store affected customer decision-making. The digital customer flow analysis is a method where we collect data using physical observations in the store. They are recorded digitally, which means that we store every movement and function completed by an individual customer using a digital pen and then transfer the observations on-line to our analysis system.
Enger also states that retail optimisation based on customer behaviour also improves customer satisfaction. Customers would rather shop in stores that make shopping easy for them.
– They are also exposed to more products, spend more time in the store and therefore make more purchases, summarises Enger.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V4LkvljtEw
Further information:
IT Director Mikko Virtanen, Puume Oy, +358 40 900 7106, mikko.virtanen@puume.pro
Brand Manager Miia Pöytälaakso, Puume Oy, +358 400 613 530, miia.poytalaakso@puume.pro
Managing Director Jøran Enger, StoreFact AS, +47 41 62 96 86, joran.enger@storefact.no