VCA releases surveillance software
to help retailers manage social
distancing within stores
intelligent PHYSICAL SECURITY
CA Technology, a leader in
V
video analytics, has released
a new software tool to help
retailers manage the monitoring of
footfall and occupancy in their stores.
The software is able to analyse
shoppers’ movements in, out and
around the store by simply mapping
their gait – or how they walk – which
is unique to everyone. By mapping this
nature of movement, retailers will be
able to differentiate shoppers while not
infringing on their privacy.
With retailers needing to manage
social distancing within stores for the
foreseeable future, this solution enables
them to monitor the store and apply
rules to trigger alerts. This is especially
crucial in queue management, which
would need rigorous manual oversight.
Alerts, on the other hand, can help focus
attention to where it’s needed; thereby
keeping staff safe.
Kevin Waterhouse, Managing Director,
VCA Technology, said: “The COVID-19
pandemic has rewritten the rules of retail,
and the social distancing policies we
have seen introduced will not disappear
when lockdown ends. The technology
we’ve created helps retailers manage this
new normal, by integrating with existing
software yet providing extra value-adds.
“For example, the one in, one out policy
is easy to manage in small shops, yet
for superstores with multiple entrances
and exits, it is much harder to regulate,
without funnelling everyone through
one door, creating queuing hazards.
This pose analysis will help manage
this digitally, thereby regulating store
occupancy in a more efficient way,
allowing for a seamless entrance and
exit strategy.”
This software can provide the data to
create the following information:
• Queue counting
• Unique identifiers to prevent
double counting
• Time-in-store analysis
• Heat maps
• Time at checkout analysis
• Staff detection
• Forensic search by unique ID
• Walk offs/basket abandonment
The technology is being trialled by a
number of European retailers and is
available to retailers globally.
Waterhouse said: “Store layouts
will probably change in light of
COVID-19 but until then, retailers
need technology to be doing the
heavy lifting and alerting to potential
distancing breaches. Retailers can
use this intelligence to help form store
strategies moving forward, to enable a
more sophisticated response, while also
ensuring shoppers’ privacy.” u
60 Issue 27 |
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