Using surveillance cameras, marketers can now take advantage of analytics to understand how to layout their store better.
This is the premise behind SingTel's video-analytics-as-a-service (VAaaS), which was just launched this week.
Using run-of-the-mill IP cameras which can connect to the Internet, SingTel will use their cloud-based platform to analyze the surveillance images streaming in.
This allows stores to get a better sense of visitor flow: how many people are coming in, what paths they take, how long they stay, and which parts of the store they go to the most.
The service is priced at S$200 ($160) a month for a four-camera system, which Singtel will set up for retailers, making it affordable for SMBs.
Mr Lee Han Kheng, SingTel’s Vice President Global Products, Group Enterprise said: “SingTel's VAaaS is a subscription service that leverages analytics to extract information from video images. With this technology, businesses can gain insights into customers’ in-store behaviour and configure their operations to better serve customers’ needs.”
“By applying VAaaS in the retail industry, businesses can design better store layouts, drive sales of popular products and deploy manpower more efficiently. It is a solution which eases two main concerns retailers face today – pressures from high upfront costs and manpower shortage. As it is accessible on mobile platforms, the VAaaS is a useful tool for retailers to maintain constant line-of-sight of operations in multiple outlets,” he added.