Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
In Europe, MediaMarkt’s and Saturn’s stores, compliance with the permitted number of customers allowed inside will soon be quickly and effectively regulated using the digital entrance control system ‘Smart Entrance Manager’ by xplace GmbH.
The solution records the number of people entering and leaving stores in real time using sensors and this information is then shown on a display at the entrance along with how many customers can still enter the store. The display uses a simple colour scheme based on the traffic light principle. Customers will also be reminded of the need for social distancing in-store. Voice messages also draw attention to the information on the display.
Following successful trials in Hamburg and Göttingen, the digital access control system will now be installed in all 430 MediaMarkt and Saturn stores in Germany by the beginning of June. In addition, MediaMarktSaturn is planning to roll out similar systems in its consumer electronics stores throughout Europe.
Florian Gietl, CEO of MediaMarktSaturn Germany told us “Digital admission management offers us reliable assistance regarding compliance with infection control measures. Initial tests have shown that our customers welcome transparency about the number of people in a store by means of a display at the entrance. This creates more understanding if they need to wait. Moreover, this digital access system has enabled us to respond quickly to the increased requirements brought about by the corona crisis. After all, the health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority. And this is something we can offer reliably and transparently thanks to our ‘smart doorman’ while at the same time significantly reducing the time and effort required to comply with the relevant regulations. As a result, our store assistants will be able to focus on their main job: advising our customers”.
xplace’s Smart Entrance Kit is based on a modular design so that it can be adapted to the individual circumstances of each store. Even if stores have multiple entrances, information is reliably synchronized. The plug-and-play solution is immediately ready for use on different displays. Store managers have dashboards on which they can keep tabs on the current number of customers. If necessary, they can also adjust the maximum number of people allowed in at any time. A reporting function recording data for, say, public authorities or internal use is also available. No personal data is collected. Once the pandemic is over, the sensors and displays will still be able to be used separately for digital customer information and various other analyses.
xplace’s solution will soon be fitted at stores throughout Switzerland and Poland and is already being tested in the Netherlands.
A video showing how the system works can be found by clicking here.
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