Okay, so I wanted to see what people were up to in the mall, you know, like where they go, what they look at, that kind of thing. So I started digging into this whole “visitor behavior tracking” thing for malls.
Setting Up the System
First, I had to figure out how to actually track people. I mean, you can’t just follow everyone around with a notepad, right? That’s creepy. I looked into a bunch of options, and finally settled on using the existing Wi-Fi network. Almost everyone has their phone’s Wi-Fi on, so it seemed like the easiest way.
I got this software – can’t remember the name, there’s a bunch of them out there – that basically uses the Wi-Fi signals from people’s phones to see where they are in the mall. It doesn’t get their names or anything personal, just a general idea of where the crowds are.
Collecting the Data
I installed some of these little Wi-Fi access point all around the area. After get them placed, I tested to make sure that all the coverage are normal.
Once I had the software and the Wi-Fi stuff set up, I just let it run. It started collecting data, showing me heatmaps of where people were congregating. It was pretty cool to see it all come together.
- Configuring the Software: Took some time getting this right. Had to set zones for different areas of the mall (food court, department stores, etc.).
- Calibrating the System: I walked around the mall myself with my phone to make sure the locations were accurate. Had to adjust a few things, but it worked out.
Analyzing the Results
After a few weeks, I had a ton of data. The software could show me all sorts of things:
- Peak Times: Turns out, Saturdays at 2 PM are crazy busy. Who knew? (Okay, everyone probably knew that.)
- Popular Areas: The food court was always packed, obviously. But I also saw that a lot of people were hanging out near the new shoe store.
- Dwell Time: People spent way more time in the coffee shop than I thought they would. Maybe they need more comfy chairs?
- Flow Patterns:It even created the moving path of people that I could see some people liked to go to the electronics store right after they ate.
Making Changes(and the fail)
So, I try to use the system, and then, after a week test. I made a simple report and showed it to the area manager, and guess what, she just looked at it said it’s too complicated for her to understand. And I realized I need to make it even more simple next time!
I’m still messing around with this, but it’s been a fun project. It’s like being a detective, but instead of solving crimes, you’re figuring out why everyone loves that one particular store display so much.