BRIDGING GAPS BETWEEN ONLINE & OFFLINE

Omar Tello:At sensalytics, we like to compare ourselves with Google Analytics, the common tool for tracking websites. "In a nutshell, we use 3D sensor technology to track the movements of people on a surface, e.g. in retail, but also at events and trade fairs, at airports, etc. The resulting information can then be used both strategically and operationally, for example to inform staff about increased visitor numbers. The information gathered from this can then be used both strategically and operationally, for example to inform staff about an increased number of visitors or to call advisors to the area.

Our biggest and best-known customer is certainly ALDI SÜD, for whom we developed a digital access control system at the beginning of the first Corona wave. This relieved the security staff and was able to count the visitors in the shops with high precision. If there were too many people in the shop, the entrance doors were closed automatically so that hygiene measures could always be observed.

Omar Tello:My co-founder Dominik Laubach and I met in 2014 as part of a joint project and shared both a passion for e-commerce and for stationary retail with its very own advantages. Both of us were already working in the field of data analytics and had also had our first experiences with tracking in physical spaces (at that time in bars and parties). We thought "analytics software must also be available for brick-and-mortar retail and not only for e-commerce", and developed sensalytics. We wanted to combine the best of both worlds and thus strengthen retailers. In 2015, we founded sensalytics.

Our vision is to optimise the use of commercially used spaces, both for the benefit of those in charge and for the people who enter the spaces. sensalytics should be the tool of choice to bring retail into the data-driven world of tomorrow.

Unsere Vision ist es, kommerziell genutzte Flächen in ihrer Nutzung zu optimieren, sowohl zum Vorteil von Verantwortlichen wie auch für die Menschen, die die Flächen betreten. sensalytics soll das Tool der Wahl sein, um den Handel in die datengetriebene Welt von Morgen zu überführen.

Omar Tello:We track all movements of people in commercially used areas, for example in retail, but also at airports, at trade fairs, in stadiums and everywhere where people move and stay in public and semi-public spaces. With visitor flow analysis, various parameters can be tracked, first and foremost, of course, the number of people in an area, but also the movement routines of individual people or the length of time spent in a particular place. What we explicitly do not track is personal data such as age or faces - data protection is very important to us in our work.

The slogan "Tracking for the real world" comes from the comparison with e-commerce, where tracking is common practice. By real world, we mean places where people actually move from A to B and spend time.

Omar Tello:It always depends on what kind of area it is, tracking in a supermarket has different benefits than at trade fairs, etc. What unites them all is that the analysed data provides a sound basis for strategic and operational process optimisation. In retail, in stadiums or at the airport, for example, waiting times can be demonstrably reduced. At trade fairs, capacity utilisation can not only be felt, but also analysed; and cleaning staff can be better deployed, which increases visitor satisfaction enormously. In short, tracking in the real world opens a "black box" that was previously closed and thus helps to gain a better understanding and make optimisations.

Omar Tello:We can classify visitors according to employees, browseers and customers (actual buyers) and thus relate the number of actual purchases made to the frequency, i.e. the total number of clientele on day X. With a sales sensor, we can also pick up and analyse sales as well as product and goods groups directly at the point of sale. The advantage for salespeople is that no intervention in the POS system is necessary, so there is no interruption to the buying process. This sensor sits between the POS system and the printer and processes the information from the receipt parallel to printing. After automatic processing by sensalytics, the data is immediately available for analysis.

Omar Tello:Data is a real treasure. And as with any treasure, it is important to protect it from falling into the wrong hands. That's why data protection is enormously important to us. We work closely with e-privacy, who confirm that our work is DSGVO-compliant. In addition, the measured data always belongs to the customer and not to sensalytics - so it is never used for advertising purposes (unless the customer explicitly allows it).

Furthermore, we do not track any personal data, i.e. not "Mr. Müller" or "Ms. Schneider", but "Person X and "Person Y". In this way, we ensure that no individuals are tracked, but only the movement sequences of the persons. We cannot and do not want to track who is behind the moving point on the heat map at any time.

Omar Tello:Our big vision is to help brick-and-mortar retail to regain its "old" strength in order to continue to inspire customers and attract them to the shops in the future. For this to succeed, retailers must no longer rely solely on their gut feeling, but should use the technical possibilities of visitor flow analysis to learn more about their clientele. Our firm conviction is: only those who know their customers can make them the best offer. Optimised spaces and optimised service lead to an enhanced customer journey, which in turn is reflected in measurably higher sales - a win-win situation for everyone!

Omar Tello:A meeting place like POP KUDAMM is of course particularly exciting for us. It corresponds to our idea that modern stationary retail is no longer the sole main attraction of the city centres of the future. The smart city of tomorrow brings together different areas of social life, e.g. technology, art, culture - and also the shopping experience.

At POP KUDAMM, we have installed a sensor in the large main hall that measures the frequencies of the people who spend time there. In the back area, on the terrace, the technology is used as access control to ensure that no more than the permitted number of people are there. If this is the case, security is immediately informed to ensure the safety of all guests. We have also fully equipped two of the front containers with sensor technology. In addition, we measure the passers-by in front of the actual area to determine the frequency of passers-by in relation to the actual number of visitors.

Omar Tello:Absolutely! I understand the astonishment or fear of many people when they are told where they are already being tracked everywhere in the real world. No one wants to be permanently monitored, either online or in public. That's why it's very important to me to clearly highlight the benefits of tracking for consumers. Because it's not all bad as long as you comply with data protection regulations.

Our tracking primarily serves to optimise the customer journey, i.e. the customer's shopping experience. Retailers who know their customers better can also tailor their service accordingly and, for example, provide better advice or position their products better. In practical terms, our tracking can, for example, reduce waiting times at the checkout many times over, which of course benefits the customer.

By the way, shopping experience is exactly the right keyword, because in the future it will no longer be about stationary shopping, but rather about being sprinkled with new, interesting products, browsing and receiving professional advice. If I know exactly what I'm looking for and need, the trip to the online shop will be shorter and more pleasant. In future, it will no longer matter where you buy, but the question must be: Where and in what way do I inspire potential customers with my product?

Omar Tello:Of course, data analysis can help optimise spaces. It is one of many building blocks and pieces of information that urban planners need to consider when organising public spaces. However, we have not yet worked with urban planners, but we would like them to recognise the potential of data analytics. Places are being designed more and more flexibly to respond to new development. This is exactly where our collected data can help to recognise the changing use of squares and public spaces more quickly and to improve the quality of stay through optimisations.

Omar Tello:We are constantly optimising our product and fine-tuning new ways to further develop our tracking. There are some new promising projects in the pipeline that we can't report on yet. But I can already say one thing: we will build the bridge between online and offline.

In the future, we will open up other sectors in addition to our core sectors, food and non-food retail. Our product is not tied to any specific industry, but can in principle be used wherever people are in public or commercially used spaces. In any case, we won't get bored, we can promise you that.