Customer entry is one of the more ignored topics in the retail industry. This is probably because the heads of the organistations are merchandise focused and therefore they work on merchandise for all the improvements. The store managers are responsible for operations and therefore they have a vested interest in showing lower entry. however, if you do not know the real customer entry of your store and the profile of the customers coming to your stores, you cannot take any corrective action either. This presentation has come out of my real life experience in retail.

1. Customer Entry

2. Once upon a time, there were two stores in two cities – A & B
The two store managers, Floyd and Bharat, were intelligent
and sharp people who helped business grow better until the
management noticed something….
Store A Store B
Manager : Floyd Manager: Bharat

3. While the customer entry in Store A was low, the conversion
was very high.
Floyd was given a pat on his back, while the HO and Marketing
Team wondered how to increase awareness and customer entry
in the city.
Let’s Spend more
on
How do Advertisements
we and Awareness
Increase
CE?
Conversion 56%

CE 200/Day 

4. They tried all the possible
methods of Increasing CE
and spent a handsome
amount of money on
advertisement and
awareness…but to no avail! NO CLUE
!!!
Why doesn’t
the CE
Increase?

5. In Store B, the case was Conversio
n : 14% 
opposite. While the
CE :
Customer Entry was high, 450/Day 
the conversion for the store
was somehow low in
comparison to We’ll see to
We’ll
it that your
other stores. Conversion have to
work very
Increases
hard!
Bharat was called for a
meeting with the HO, where
they discussed the steps to
be taken for increasing
customer conversion.

6. Many steps like
allocation of
merchandize on a
regular basis, product Steps to be taken:
training for staff and In 1) Merchandize
Allocation
store promotions were
organized to curb this 2) Product Training
problem. 3) In Store
Promotions

7. Store B
After six months of this
exercise, Store B emerged as
a clear winner and achieved
120% of its ABP

8. Store A was still struggling with less customers,
while Marketing Dept. Spent a huge amount of
money for driving customers in to the store…Every
one wondered what to do, until the management
noticed the clue…
Store A

9. Floyd was not using the We
need to
correct way to measure check
the
Customer Entry!!! method
Improving
CE
He was counting Group Entry
as one, and thus, the
customer entry was recorded Is CE
Really
low, even when it was not as low?
low.

10. Recording
Correct CE is
one of the
Management immediately most
took corrective actions to important That
aspects of
increase the conversion business
it
is!!!
and now,
Both Bharat and Floyd
are performing well and
competing hard with each
other…

11. Why do we need to record accurate Customer
Entry?
• Correct Market Awareness Leading to
Optimum Expense in Advertising
• Root of the problem is known
• Corrective actions for actual problems are
taken on time

12. Correct Ways to Measure
CE

13. Each person walking into the store on their feet will be
counted . – This to clarify that each individual who
walks into the store man / woman or child will be
counted as a customer if the person walks into the store
on his legs.
2 4
8
6
5
1
3
7
X

14. Each entrance to the store will be mapped
independently- Some stores have multiple entrances ,
some of which may have lower customer flow .
However it is important to independently man the same
and count customer entry independently for the same.
Entrance 1 Entrance 2
1
2
1 2

15. Even if the customer is entering the store for any
purpose other than shopping (mall entry etc.), he/she
should be counted
I’m only
using this
2
Store
staircase
I’ll go for for going
this to the mall
movie
through
this
store
4
1
3

16. I Have to Count
The security person all the
standing at that particular customers
entering into the
entrance will map the store
customer entry for the
entry – This is a dedicated
person who will be
standing right at the door,
greeting customers and
clicking the entry.
All the time, his attention
should not divert from the
entrance

17. Records will be
maintained hour wise /
entrance wise – Each
security person manning
CE Record
the entrance will record Entrance 1:
Hour 1
his tally at the end of Hour 2
-
each hour . Total
Entrance 2:
Hour 1
Hour 2
-
This hourly compilation Total
records will be
maintained by the store
for understanding,
analysis and audit.

18. Remember….No assumptions
should be made!

19. Thank You