Routing analysis / observation

Routing Analysis / oberservation

Keeping track of the customer – ways of optimising exhibition stands and shop floor space
The discrepancy between the planned shop or stand concept and reality is sometimes enormous. Customers do not always behave as they ideally should. Systematic behavioural observations are a suitable survey method to check the agreement between the layout concept and the visitor reality. Routing analyses, in particular, deliver meaningful results here. Structured observation shows how an exhibition stand or sales floor is accessed by visitors.

What exactly do routing analyses achieve?
Routing analyses allow visitor flows and visitor activities on your exhibition stand or in your shop to be visualised. Insights that may be derived include:

the dwelling times in the individual areas
the degree of interest shown in the respective products and exhibits
the consultation requirement and interest in consultation in the various areas (Where and for how long are consultative conversations held?)
possible congestion points or possible turning points at which visitors switch direction

Further insights, which are of special significance at the POS, include:

the information and purchasing patterns of customers on the shelf
the search times the visitors spend directed at the shelf to find products
the shelf quality (shelves and shelf facings with high and low purchasing probability)
optimal locations for dual placement of goods

Data collection: Undercover observation and cartographic reconstruction
The techniques of data collection used by FairControl are (a) undercover routing analysis (from FairControl employees or video-based) and (b) the reconstruction of routes and visitor behaviour on a schematic floor plan by the interviewee themselves. In undercover routing analysis the persons observed do not know they are observed, i.e. they behave completely naturally und unperturbed. The routes taken by the individual visitors are traced out on a schematic floor plan of the exhibition stand or shop floor space. A less accurate, but cheaper alternative is cartographic reconstruction by the visitors themselves of routes taken. As soon as the visitor leaves the stand or shop they are presented with a floor plan on which they can specify their routes or the sequence of areas visited.

Analysis and documentation of visitor behaviour
In addition to routing, the precise behaviour of the shop or stand visitor is recorded at the respective dwelling points. This is performed with the help of a detailed, standardised observation plan. The observation plan defines exactly which situation and behavioural processes are to be observed in what way. It contains the observation occurrence (What occurrences should be observed?), the observation units (the object of the observation), the observation categories (Where attention has to be paid for the occurrence and to which categories it has to be assigned?) and general information on time and place.