Two innovative SMEs, Cliris and Innorange, together with EIT ICT Labs have created a reliable and realistic customer flow measurement by filtering the sales force from the traffic flow measurements in retail stores.

Cliris’s flow measurement solution was improved with Innorange’s radio technology. This technology detects specific badges given to the staff of the store. The badges detections are correlated with the Cliris process.

A radio antenna and a specialized treatment unit are added to the usual equipment of Cliris solution (camera and box). This part of the system can be hidden in a suspended ceiling. Badges given to the sales force can be plastic cards the size of a credit card or sticker.

On the Internet the customer’s behaviour is today fully optimised through different tools like Google analytics and Criteo. However most of the business is still done in physical shops. The challenge is how this sector can maintain and develop its market share and how the retail outlet can analyse customer flows. Pure video analytics technologies cannot differentiate a shopper from a member of the staff and radio technologies only detect people equipped with sensors.

“This innovation will allow us to bring to the retail market a set of tools which deliver key indicators that empower business, in fact manage your retail network as a web platform” says Alexandre Zeller, CEO of Cliris”.

The invention was made possible by EIT ICT Labs, which aims to transform European innovations into business success through its Technology Transfer and Business Development Programs. One of the first cases was the “Brick and Mortar for Retail Analytics” project.

EIT ICT Labs helped Cliris and Innorange to develop a strong R&D partnership to create an innovative solution for optimising “the traffic flow measurement” within the retail sector. EIT ICT Labs also did some lobbying to create industrial interest within companies like Nokia, SAP, and Alcatel-Lucent.

Simulations of such a technology needed to be validated through real life experiments. EIT ICT Labs supported the organization of these tests, leading to a speed-up of the validation of the technology. This means a shorter technology and knowledge transfer cycle time, followed by the creation of a spin-off by Institut Mines-Télécom.

The tests are currently being conducted in a French pharmacy. Results already show a clear improvement in heatmaps accuracy.

Cliris (stand D28-1 / Hall 7): The French company Cliris revolutionizes behavioural analysis of “shoppers” and is
 a benchmark for measuring performance by image processing. The Cliris solution identifies automatically and in real-time the customer flows, the attention brought to marketing supports or the customer navigation inside the store. The captured images are instantaneously translated in numerical data, and no video is registered. Cliris then combines these measurements with additional data from the client information system and externalities. Retailers benefit from unique dashboards to steer their points of sale. For more information, visit www.clirisgroup.com.

Innorange (stand D28-3 / Hall 7): The Finnish company Innorange offers innovative solutions for People Flow Management needs in physical spaces. The Innorange solution gives real-time information on how different services (shopping malls, air and seaports, theme parks and trade fair centres) are used. The solution is built on sensor networks that observes movement of mobile devices on the area, and does not require any installed applications. For more information, visit www.innorange.fi.

EIT ICT Labs (stand D28 / Hall 7): EIT ICT Labs is one of the first Knowledge and Innovation Communities set up by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, as an initiative of the European Union. EIT ICT Labs’ mission is to drive European leadership in ICT innovation for economic growth and quality of life. Since 2010, EIT ICT Labs has consistently brought together researchers, academics and business people. By linking education, research and business, EIT ICT Labs empowers ICT top talents for the future and brings ICT innovations to life. EIT ICT Labs’ partners represent global companies, leading research centres, and top ranked universities in the field of ICT. For more information, visit www.eitictlabs.eu.