Shopping malls enter the people counting system 4.0 era: evolution from single person counting to whole customer process analysis

In today’s technologically advanced world, shopping malls are embracing the era of People Counting System 4.0, where the focus has shifted from simply counting the number of people to analyzing the entire customer process. This evolution is a testament to the progress of technology and the growing demand for digitization in the market. From the early days of basic head and shoulder counting to the current sophisticated 3D space-time visualization, the journey of the people counting system reflects the synergy between technology and reality.

People Counting System 1.0: No-ID
The initial phase of people counting systems, known as People Counting System 1.0, relied on computer vision technology. This system involved cameras capturing top-down footage and counting customers based on head and shoulder recognition. However, this system had limitations, as it couldn’t remove duplicates and often resulted in significant errors.

People Counting System 2.0: Face-ID
With the advancements in artificial intelligence technology, a brief phase called People Counting System 2.0 emerged. This system aimed to solve the limitations of the previous version by utilizing face recognition. However, due to privacy concerns, this system was not widely implemented in shopping malls.

People Counting System 3.0: ReID
As face recognition faced privacy restrictions, companies turned to Person Re-identification (ReID) technology to achieve cross-mirror recognition based on non-face ID human appearance features. Referred to as Passenger Flow System 3.0, this system employed oblique photo ReID or top video ReID as two technical approaches. However, challenges such as identifying the same person and capturing the entire shopping process remained.

People Counting System 4.0: 3D Space-Time Visualization
The latest phase, People Counting System 4.0, represents a significant leap in digitization. It utilizes 3D space-time visualization technology to achieve AI precise people counting and digitizes the entire customer process. Importantly, this technology ensures customer privacy by not collecting or storing any personal information or biometric data. The system provides accurate data support for digital operations while protecting customer privacy.

Benefits and Value of AI Precise Passenger Flow System
The advent of AI precise passenger flow systems brings numerous benefits and value to shopping malls, particularly in terms of in-depth operations. In addition to providing overall site visitor numbers and floor-specific visitor counts, operators can now access operational indicators such as floor climbing rates. This information allows them to understand the flow between floors, different business types, and individual stores. The digitization of the entire customer process enables the creation of multi-level customer flow funnels, providing valuable insights for digital operations.

Conclusion
As shopping malls embrace the people counting system 4.0 era, the focus has shifted from simply counting customers to analyzing the entire customer process. Technological advancements have played a vital role in this evolution, driving the digitization of shopping mall operations. With the AI precise passenger flow system, shopping malls can now gain accurate and valuable insights into customer behavior, enabling them to make informed decisions and enhance the overall shopping experience. The 4.0 era signifies a new chapter in the history of people counting systems and highlights the positive impact of technology on the retail industry.

About OP Retail 

OP Retail (Suzhou) Technology Co., Ltd, headquartered in Suzhou, China, offers quality products mainly for retail stores, providing technical solutions for visitor analysis, customer behavior insights, store operation analysis, and more. OP Retail’s solutions are based on the principles of usability, high security, and flexible scalability. At OP, we take pride in the fact that our innovative solutions have been chosen by almost 70% of the leading pharmacy stores in China, as well as over 2,000 renowned brands and 300,000 stores worldwide. For more information, please visit our website or send us inquiries for details.