Retail Staff Levels: Get them right and 93% of people more likely to buy

Thousands of shoppers walk into stores looking for guidance on what to buy, but nearly 90 percent leave empty handed when they can’t find the help they need, according to a consumer survey by TimeTrade.

If these shoppers had received the help they needed then 86 percent of them would have bought more than they planned.

The survey found that when consumers aren’t sure of what to buy, and actually get the help they need:

• 93% are more likely to buy
• 86% buy more than they expected
• 84% leave more satisfied
• And nearly 90% would shop at the same store the next time

When visiting a store or bank, 50 percent of respondents indicate that they “Always” or “Frequently” have difficulty getting assistance from a knowledgeable associate in a timely manner. The result? No sale.

But retailers have limited resources to devote to staffing. To ensure they optimise the number of shop assistants available, managers need to know when are their busiest footfall. With store traffic counters they can see hourly, half-hourly or even a 5-minute break-down of the number of shoppers.

Identifying key selling periods lets managers allocate more staff at busy periods, and choose to have their best shop assistants on the floor at these times.

Counts from video store traffic counters can be integrated with point-of-sale (POS) data and sales conversion figures calculated throughout the day. This means that retailers have hard data as to whether increasing the amount of staff present increased sales efficiency. And if not, investigate why not.

Knowledgeable sales associates are more powerful – and vital to retailers’ success – than ever before.

To find out more about counting shoppers using CCTV cameras, and allocating staff efficiently to maximise profits, contact sales@retailsensing.com.