COVID-19 - Using Occupancy Data to Streamline Cleaning Services

As retailers prepare for staff and customers to return to their stores, many retailers will be aiming to balance their hygiene and sanitation efforts with their limited cleaning service resources. The key question is - what is the most effective allocation of my cleaning resources, given the uncertainty around store traffic and occupancy?

INCORPORATE OCCUPANCY DATA TO INFORM SANITIZATION STRATEGIES

Retailers can address this question by using their existing security cameras to report on occupancy data. Occupancy data can be used to inform cleaning services to high-traffic areas. Occupancy data can also be used to forecast the costs associated with implementing new cleaning models.

WHERE SHOULD YOU BEGIN WITH REVIEWING OCCUPANCY DATA?

Retailers should review trend data over pre-COVID to gain a clear picture of the usage of your spaces. This data should be leveraged to inform where and when you’ll need to prioritize cleaning services and influence new cleaning policies. The following metrics will be especially helpful:

• Occupancy (% of time)
• Entrances
• Dwell time

Your study of occupancy data should focus on which spaces were occupied, when, and for how long. You may consider deploying cleaning services at peak times in high traffic areas for frequent sanitization. Retailers will take different approaches to welcome employees and customers back in-store. The key is to ensure that you have the ability to track core occupancy metrics and respond to the data swiftly.

SEGMENT STAFF FROM CUSTOMERS

It is important to segment your occupancy data into both staff and customer views. Without the ability to segment customers from staff it is impossible to have an accurate understanding of how customers and staff move throughout the store. The risks posed to both groups are quite different and in order to implement cleaning models that serve the best interests of staff and customers, staff/customer segmentation is essential.

IT'S AN ITERATIVE PROCESS

The flow of traffic in stores during the 'Great Reopening' will fluctuate, meaning that policies need to be changed over time. An initial strategy may not suit your long term needs. With Aura Vision's reporting and email digests, operations teams can utilize data to assess how both staff and customers use your space.

What data are you using to make these types of decisions? Are you currently leveraging all the data available to you?

To learn more about how you can leverage occupancy data, get in touch with us a hello@auravision.ai.

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