Turning Window Shoppers into Store Customers with CountR

Retail stores with street front entrances depend heavily on attractive displays and good locations, yet it is often unclear how many people actually slow down, notice what is on offer and then decide to enter. Without hard data, store managers are left guessing whether a new frontage concept, a seasonal campaign or a special promotion truly changes behaviour.

CountR storefront analytics gives retailers a clear view of how many people walk past, how many pause near the entrance, how many step inside and how often the same people return. By combining outside traffic, in store entries and returning visitor analysis, chains can invest in the frontage layouts and promotions that truly move passers by to become customers.

A regional retail chain with five city centre locations installed CountR sensors facing both the street and the store entrances. Over the first month the system recorded around 104 500 people walking past the storefronts and about 21 000 visitors entering the stores. Point of sale data showed roughly 7 200 purchases in that same period.

Managers had long believed that rainy days, late afternoon hours and payday weekends brought more customers, but they had no precise numbers. With CountR they could finally see how each entrance display, promotion concept and seasonal campaign performed. The data revealed three important patterns.

• Many people walked past the stores every week without ever entering, so the frontage was noticed but not convincing enough.

• Entry numbers increased when a small number of clear offers and products were highlighted at eye level near the entrance, but not when displays focused only on generic discount posters.

• Smaller neighbourhood branches enjoyed a high number of returning passers by, yet they converted only a modest share into in store visitors.

Based on these insights the retailer adjusted its entrance strategy rather than completely replacing it. New displays focused on a few clearly visible hero items with simple price communication, supported by small signs inviting people to step inside to see full ranges and matching items. For stores near offices, entrance messages highlighted quick pick up options and small everyday needs. For locations near residential areas, the frontage focused more on regular top up shopping and items for family occasions.

Within three months the chain could design promotions based on evidence instead of intuition. Across the five stores the average number of entering visitors grew from about 21 000 to roughly 23 300 per month, while monthly purchases increased from around 7 200 to about 8 100. Total revenue for the chain rose by approximately 17 000 dollars per month in the same period.

The uplift came mainly from more people deciding to step inside, with a smaller but measurable improvement in the share of visitors who bought something. The retailer also saw that branches with the most frequent returning passers by responded best to tailored entrance messages. In those locations local campaigns and service focused offers helped turn regular pedestrians into regular shoppers, without relying on large discounts.

By combining storefront traffic counting, in store visitor analytics and returning visitor insights, CountR enabled the retail chain to turn its entrance areas into a measurable growth driver and to refine promotions that increased both entries and sales in a gradual, sustainable way.