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Marketing works essentially by analysing behaviour and connecting the brand to the right customer. And the retail store buying experience is no different. The effectiveness of the in-store branding is tied to the flow and behaviour of the crowd in the store. So that the instore arrangements or strategies can be adjusted.

Instore heat mapping is one of the primary ways that the in-store analysis is tackled and like anything technical, there are pitfalls that the store can encounter. And even as the heat mapping is working fine, it can always be improved. Thus, here are three sure-fire ways to make sure that you are getting the most out of your heat map analysis.

MAKING THE MAP REPRESENTATION INTUITIVE AND ATTRACTIVE

Analysing the crowd flow and points of most interaction is an important task however over time and after many repetitions it can become monotonous, increasing the scope of laxness on the end of the analyser. Therefore, it is paramount that the representation of the data is both intuitive and engaging.

In addition to that, not everyone who is going to look at the data is going to be well versed in the terminology and working of the heat map. The heatmap results will be shared to streamline methods therefore the data representation will benefit from the incorporation of aesthetics, making it easier to understand and implement.

CATEGORIZING THE VISITORS

Heat mapping is done to analyse the bulk of the in-store customer base. The analysis is done on daily basis and the data is compiled however the retail store needs to understand that the behaviour of a repeated customer is not going to match that of a first-time customer and when there are limited-time offers or events, the patterns are going to vary drastically. And thus, to make sure that the in store heat mapping is accurate, it is best practice to calibrate the data for unique conditions besides the everyday retail workings.

LIMIT THE DATA

The world is moving faster and faster and the online world is already in the future. That makes the direct customer-brand interactions a mine of data and of course, in this economy of attention any insight that the brand can get into the customer’s psyche is invaluable, but on the flip side of that the brand can find itself in a tsunami of data.

And using all that data in the heat map will result in everything shutting down. Therefore, it is essential to make sure that meaningful data is used as opposed to all the data. The narrower and more specific the scope of your problem. The easier it would be to analyse and utilize the data, making instore mapping more effective.

When one strives for excellence, instincts become more important than the trends of data. The instincts in business developed over time as the brand manoeuvres the muddy waters of the market deals after deals, however, at times the instincts can lock up thus it is important that the retail store has a way to go back to its core philosophy and analyse how the strategies are impacting the ground zero of the business. And for that effectively using heat mapping technology is the right first step.