You know how many prescriptions were dispensed. Waiting time and the visits that never reach the counter do not show in that figure.
Dispensing figures cannot show how long people wait at the prescription counter, or how many come in for the self-care shelves and never reach it. Footfall analytics shows both, hour by hour and without identifying anyone, so pharmacist hours, opening hours and the shop floor can follow the customers.
For pharmacy chains and independent pharmacies. The measurement is anonymous, needs no cameras and is approved by a data protection authority.
Trusted by
Three questions every pharmacy asks
-
When does the prescription queue build?
Dwell in the counter zone by hour and weekday shows when waiting time climbs and when the counter stands quiet, so pharmacist hours can follow the queue.
-
How many come for the shelves, and how many for the counter?
You see, hour by hour, the share of visitors who stay in self-care and the share who reach the counter, so the shop floor and the counter can be staffed as two different visits.
-
What about privacy?
Nothing about what anyone buys or collects is measured, no images are stored, and the method is approved by a data protection authority.
On this page
Footfall analytics for pharmacies shows waiting time at the prescription counter, self-care visits against counter visits, and the hourly curve. The measurement runs on the pharmacy’s Wi-Fi, and an optional sensor above the entrance adds exact counts. Bumbee Labs is the company behind the only footfall method in Europe approved by a data protection authority.
Which pharmacy decisions can footfall analytics support?
On which days and at which hours does the prescription queue form?
The prescription queue forms when the time people spend at the counter starts to climb. Footfall analytics for pharmacies follows that time hour by hour and weekday by weekday, without identifying anyone. You see the busy stretches and the quiet ones, and pharmacist hours can follow the queue. Time at the counter is measured as dwell time.
Where do we place the pharmacist hours we have across the opening day?
Put pharmacist hours where the prescription queue is. Footfall analytics measures the counter queue by the hour, and pharmacies we measure have moved pharmacist hours onto that curve, both within one pharmacy and across a chain. Staff planning with footfall data explains how the curve becomes a rota.
Self-care or prescription: which one brings customers in at each hour?
Both, but dispensing figures only describe the counter visits. Footfall analytics for pharmacies adds, hour by hour, how many visitors stay with the self-care shelves and how many reach the counter. Pharmacies we measure have staffed the self-care floor separately once that split was visible. The data comes from the pharmacy’s own Wi-Fi through Wi-Fi people counting.
Do the health centre’s clinic hours set our peaks?
Beside a health centre, they can. Pharmacies in that position have seen their visitor peaks follow the clinic’s hours, and staffing can follow the same pattern. Visitor counts by the hour put the peaks next to the clinic’s opening times, and how to count visitors compares the methods for getting those counts.
Should we stay open in the evenings and at weekends?
Look at the flow outside the door at those hours before you decide. Pharmacies we measure have set evening and weekend opening hours on that flow, and the hourly curve shows when the pharmacy fills and empties while it is open. To see how customers move through the store itself, use retail heatmaps.
How many of the shopping centre’s visitors come into our pharmacy?
Read it from the centre’s own flow. A pharmacy in a shopping centre can measure its capture rate against the centre’s visitors and judge the location on that figure. Where exact in and out counts are wanted, 3D sensor counting adds them with a sensor above the entrance.
Which other questions can a pharmacy’s footfall data answer?
- How many people leave before it is their turn?Dwell in the prescription zone, hour by hour, shows how long people wait at the counter.
- What staffing norm fits a chain of pharmacies?The same measurement across every pharmacy in a chain shows each one’s hourly flow, so the norm is set on real flow.
- Should the pharmacy move, or a new one open?Pharmacies we measure have drawn on flow data when a pharmacy was relocated or a new one opened.
- What if the pharmacist is alone in a full pharmacy?The hourly curve shows when the pharmacy fills and empties, so staffing can follow it.
- How do hay fever, colds and vaccination season change the day?A seasonal rush shows up in the hourly curve, split between the self-care shelves and the counter.
- How long do customers wait to collect a web order?Waiting is measured in the zone where people queue, whatever they have come for.
- Do you measure what people buy?No. Only anonymous flow is measured, and what people buy or collect stays outside it.
- What do we ask suppliers when privacy is a procurement requirement?GDPR footfall analytics lists the questions to put to them and what the method does and does not collect.
How does a pharmacy get started?
Most pharmacies, whether chains or independent chemists, start on the Wi-Fi already in the premises, add an entrance sensor where exact counts are wanted, and have staff filtered out of the counts. The first month shows counter waiting times, the self-care split and the hourly curve. A chain adds more pharmacies on the same setup and reads the data in the dashboard or through the API in its own BI.
Curious what this looks like for your venue?
What pharmacies do with the data
Pharmacies we measure have moved pharmacist hours onto the measured queue curve at the prescription counter. They have staffed the self-care floor separately once the hourly split between counter visits and shelf visits became visible, set evening and weekend hours on the flow outside the door, and used flow data when a pharmacy was moved or a new one opened. Pharmacies in shopping centres have measured their capture rate from the centre's own flow, and pharmacies beside health centres have seen the visitor peaks follow clinic hours. Several chains run the same measurement across their pharmacies and set staffing norms on the measured flow as well as on sales.
We are very excited by this collaboration with Bumbee Labs as their data expertise will complement our IoT know-how providing an unparalleled service to our clients across several verticals, industries and markets in the Middle East.
Frequently asked questions
What does footfall analytics measure in a pharmacy?
Only anonymous flow: how many people are in the pharmacy, in which zone and for how long, hour by hour. Nothing about what anyone buys, collects or asks is measured, no personal data is created, and no images are stored. The output is aggregate statistics.
Can footfall analytics measure waiting time at a pharmacy's prescription counter?
Yes. Dwell in the counter zone by hour shows the waiting time, and it is the earliest sign that pharmacist hours and the queue are out of step. It is measured without identifying anyone.
Does footfall analytics for a pharmacy work in a shopping centre or beside a health centre?
Yes. In a shopping centre you see the pharmacy's capture rate from the centre's flow. Beside a health centre the visitor curve follows clinic hours, and staffing can follow it too.
Does footfall analytics for a pharmacy need cameras?
No. The measurement is approved by a data protection authority. Its core runs anonymously on the pharmacy's own Wi-Fi. Where exact in and out counts are wanted, a small 3D sensor or LiDAR unit above the entrance adds them, and it stores no images of anyone either.
Where this fits
Part of
Industries and segments
Data protection:GDPR-compliant footfall analyticsThe IMY decisionGDPR CCTV