Ms Sophia Goh, second-generation owner of DMK, a fashion retailer for women’s footwear and accessories set up in 2000, wanted to understand how the company could improve its visual merchandising to attract customers and increase footfall to its stores. She sought to know if the items placed on the front display table, for example, would alter the traffic flow, and which combination will be best in terms of attracting customers.
Ms Sophia Goh saw the importance of improving engagement with its customers in the digital era. As more SMEs are going digital, businesses could not function solely on one-way communication. She realised the need to embrace digital solutions for better customer interactions.
She knew the traditional way to find out consumer preference by counting the number of people who stopped to view a new design was not the way to go. It would take time away from serving customers and was also not cost effective or accurate.
Use of technology brings actionable Insights
To enhance consumers’ shopping experience, Ms Sophia Goh looked to Prism Skylabs, a real-time video analytics system, a pre-approved digital solution under the IMDA’s SMEs Go Digital programme.
For the first time, the company is able to correlate the types of designs launched, in terms of heel height or colour, on the font display table or window displays with the traffic flow to their shops. With the insights gathered, they could effectively display the types of new designs that were well received, driving more foot traffic into their shops and boosting revenue across the board.
The video analytics system also enabled DMK to understand the percentage of traffic flow outside its stores that it had not yet captured. At the same time, the data revealed where customers went upon entering the store. These reports and visualisations helped DMK reorganise its displays and optimise shelving placement.
Make faster decisions, strategically
What’s most important was doing away with manual monitoring. With the data collated and presented coherently, there was no need to separately put everything together in a chart. Visually, this also made it easier for managers to make more informed decisions with hourly or daily updates.
This transformation has changed the job scope for staff, resulting in lower turnover and a more productive environment. They do not have to focus on the non-productive areas any more. Instead, they spend time on more tactical and strategic areas, like brainstorming ideas to improve a store’s foot traffic with the data insights.
Visit IMDA's SMEs Go Digital Programme for a list of Pre-approved Digital Solutions, or find out more about Accreditation@SGD.
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