Mining Your Surveillance Video For Real-Time Business Intelligence

By Dr. Jumbi Edulbehram, Axis Communications

When retailers think of video surveillance, it is usually in the context of loss prevention and security. But there is a whole other arena where surveillance video provides enormous value: gathering real-time, in-store intelligence to help you improve your margins.

With the embedded analytics in network video cameras, you cannot only observe customer behavior in-store, you can garner real-time statistics to help you improve store layout and product and display placements, and identify bottlenecks and dead areas on the floor. Unlike the hit-or-miss approach of customer surveys and mystery shoppers, network video gives you an accurate and unbiased report of the immediate situation and of changes over an extended period of time. You get a clear view of how customers move along the aisles, making it possible to optimize floor plans and merchandising strategies to drive your sales and profitability.