Store Intelligence & Heatmaps

Store Intelligence gives store managers and partners a data-driven view of how shoppers move through their stores. For shoppers, it means knowing the best times to visit and which aisles tend to be crowded.

How It Works

As shoppers use Map Your Store to navigate stores, anonymized and aggregated traffic data builds up over time. This data powers heatmaps, congestion models, and popular route analysis. Store managers access these insights through the Store Partnership Dashboard. Shoppers benefit indirectly through crowd-aware features like suggested visit times.

Traffic Analytics

Understand which parts of the store get the most foot traffic.

• Aisle traffic data -- See which aisles are visited most frequently, broken down by time of day and day of week.
• Heatmap visualization -- A color-coded overlay on the store map shows high-traffic areas in warm colors and low-traffic areas in cool colors.
• Historical trends -- Track how traffic patterns change over weeks and months to identify seasonal shifts or the impact of store layout changes.

Congestion Models

Know when the store is busiest -- and when it's not.

• Best times to shop -- Congestion models predict the least busy times based on historical patterns. Shoppers can check before heading out.
• Worst times to avoid -- See peak hours so you can plan around them if you prefer a quieter shopping experience.
• Real-time indicators -- When enough data is available, see approximate current congestion levels.

Popular Routes

See how shoppers actually move through the store.

• Common paths -- Identify the most frequently traveled routes through the store layout.
• Route optimization insights -- Store managers can use this data to improve product placement, signage, and aisle organization.
• Bottleneck identification -- Spot areas where shoppers tend to slow down or cluster, indicating potential layout improvements.

Store Partnership Dashboard

Store managers and partners access all intelligence features through a dedicated dashboard.

• Visitor metrics -- Total visits, unique visitors, and visit frequency over time.
• Heatmap view -- Interactive heatmap overlaid on the store's map.
• Actionable insights -- Data presented in a way that helps inform layout decisions, staffing, and promotional placement.
• Manager access -- Store owners can add managers who get access to the dashboard without full ownership permissions.

Tips

• Heatmap data becomes more reliable over time. A store with hundreds of tracked visits will show much clearer patterns than one with a handful.
• As a shopper, check congestion indicators before heading to the store if you have flexibility on when you go. Early mornings and late evenings tend to be quietest.
• Store managers should review popular routes periodically. If most shoppers follow the same path, placing promotions along that path increases visibility.
• Traffic patterns often shift seasonally. Holiday periods, school schedules, and weather all influence when people shop.