Aura Vision helped furniture retailer DFS discover a revenue opportunity valued at $2M by moving products with the highest engagement times and impressions away from the entrance to increase customer flow and navigation with other product categories. This merchandising tactic increased dwell time by 12% and subsequently increased sales too.
DFS is the leading retailer of sofas in the UK with over 55 years’ heritage and operates 115 showrooms in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and a leading web platform. The DFS retail brand is synonymous with upholstery and has become part of the national culture. In fact dfs is the most searched for term in the category with over 50% of the UK population spontaneously aware of the brand. DFS has a track record of working with top home and fashion brands, to co-create exclusive products designs and style for our customers. These sit alongside our exclusive in-house brands providing great customer choice
Why dfs Chose Aura Vision 📝
dfs recognized the need for advanced analytics to elevate its store experience and create a data-driven retail strategy for both existing and future store designs. Key drivers included:
- Understanding demographics: Segmenting customer data at entrances and product levels to inform aggressive rollout plans.
- Accurate footfall and traffic metrics: Capturing in-store and passing traffic data for new locations to refine store strategies.
- Optimizing future store designs: Analyzing shopper behavior to guide layout decisions for stores of varying sizes and formats.
- Evaluating campaigns and displays: Measuring the impact of marketing efforts on target demographics and overall capture rates.
The Solution: Powered by Aura Vision ⚡
dfs deployed Aura Vision’s full-store analytics at its Wednesbury store, paving the way for adoption across future launches. The solution delivered:
- Demographic heatmaps: Tracking customer movement and engagement across the store.
- Capture rate analysis: Measuring passer-by traffic, store entries. Aura Vision counts are 24% more accurate than traditional footfall counters.
- Product-level insights: Monitoring impressions, dwell times, and demographics for each display.
- Zone-specific entry metrics: Understanding how layout changes influence customer flow and engagement.
The Value Delivered 💵
dfs leveraged Aura Vision’s analytics to achieve actionable outcomes:
- Improved Store Design: Heatmaps identified underperforming areas, informing layout refinements leading to a 12% increase in customer engagement in key product areas
- Enhanced Customer Journey: Using gender segmentation we could pinpoint opportunities to influence customer movement.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Tailored reports provided actionable insights for store operations, merchandising, and marketing teams
- Customer segment analysis. A comprehensive demographic comparison between DFS and its sub-brands, Dwell and Sofa Workshop, hosted within the same location, detailing how different customer segments browse across categories.
Actions and Impact 🎬
Aura Vision empowered dfs to transform its physical retail strategy by:
- Redesigning stores based on demographic and heatmap insights.
- Enhancing customer experiences through better layouts and service areas.
- Refining marketing campaigns with measurable impact metrics.
- Scaling learnings across new stores
These advancements have secured dfs' position as a category leader in the furniture industry.
