AI-Powered Heat Map Analytics for Retail

At Incoresoft we’ve built a Heat Map module that extracts traffic intensity, dwell time and zone popularity from video streams — forming heat maps for any chosen period (hour, day, week, month). After putting it to the test, the dashboards make layout and promotional decisions measurably easier.

What is a retail heat map and how does it help?

Imagine sprinkling a thermal powder across a store floor: red where people gather, blue where they don’t. That’s a heat map — a visual summary of visitor density and movement. Instead of spreadsheets, you get intuitive, instant insights: which displays work, where bottlenecks form, and how foot traffic changes during promotions.

Core business benefits 

  • Optimize product placement — move high-margin items into warm zones.
  • Measure ad & promo impact — did that endcap really pull customers?
  • Staff smarter — place associates where customers need help, not where they don’t.

Prove ROI for store changes — remodels and campaigns become measurable.

Key Advantages of the Heat Map Module

Identify Warm and Cold Zones

Analysis of the buyer's activity at retail space

Analysis of the customer reaction to the ads, and promotions, or external banners

  • 01 Identify warm and cold zones — instantly spot high-traffic and low-traffic areas to optimize store layout and engagement
  • 02 Measure ad and promo impact — visualize how customers interact with banners, ads, and displays in real time
  • 03 Optimize product placement — position high-margin items in hot zones to maximize sales
  • 04 Improve layout and customer flow — analyze movement patterns to remove bottlenecks and enhance shopping experience
  • 05 Generate detailed reports — access performance data by hour, day, or week to make data-driven decisions
  • 06 Cross-platform and multilingual — operate seamlessly across devices and languages for global retail environments
  • 07 Enhance staff allocation — schedule employees around hot-zone activity to improve efficiency and service
  • 08 Integrate with Incoresoft modules — combine Heat Map with People Counting or Traffic Analytics for deeper insights
How Incoresoft Heat Map works

01

Capture: CCTV cameras stream live video into the analytics engine. Deployments often run on existing networks, avoiding the need for extra hardware.

02

Measure: The algorithm detects human presence, measures dwell times and counts detections within control zones. After conducting experiments with it, you can see how intensity changes by hour or day.

03

Visualize & Report: A heatmap layer is generated (static or kinetic), with reporting windows you choose — hourly, daily, weekly, or custom. We have found from using this product that the visualizations are the fastest way managers can spot problems and opportunities.

Metrics you should track with heat map module

Metric
Why it matters
Typical insight

Visitor count by zone

Understand interest distribution

Spot neglected aisles

Average dwell time

Proxy for engagement

Longer dwell → opportunity for conversion

Peak hours

Staff & promo scheduling

Place staff during peaks

Promo impact (pre/post)

Attribution for campaigns

Measure ad effectiveness quickly

Practical tips: What to measure and what actions to take

1. Measure dwell and path, not just headcount

Counting people is useful — but retail heat mapping shines when you combine counts with dwell and path analysis. After conducting experiments with it, teams often find that dwell time correlates more closely with conversion than raw footfall.

2. Use A/B testing for layouts and promotions

Try moving a promo display for two weeks and compare heat maps. Our analysis of this product revealed that small shifts can produce outsized returns (think better visibility, better flow).

3. Blend heatmap data with POS

Heat maps tell you where customers are — POS tells you what they buy. Put them together and you can quantify a display’s ROI.

4. Don’t ignore “cold” zones

Cold zones are opportunities — move seasonal items there, run micros-promos, or re-think signage. Through our practical knowledge, reassigning a cold shelf to a clear visibility spot often revives sales.

Why Choose Incoresoft for Heat Map Solutions

Incoresoft delivers advanced AI-powered heat map analytics that turn CCTV footage into actionable business insights. Our technology helps you track visitor flow, optimize layouts, and boost performance — all in real time.

  • Proven Expertise: Years of experience in AI and video analytics for retail, industry, and smart cities.

     

  • Easy Integration: Works seamlessly with existing CCTV and VMS systems.

     

  • Real-Time Insights: Monitor customer foot traffic and adjust your strategy instantly.

     

  • Data-Driven Optimization: Improve product placement and understand visitor behavior.

     

  • Scalable Solution: Ideal for retail chains, public areas, and industrial facilities.

     

  • Detailed Reports: Generate analytics by hour, day, or week for deeper insights.

     

  • Reliable Support: Our team provides continuous updates and professional assistance.

FAQs — Your top questions answered

Commonly CCTV video streams and dedicated people-count sensors. Incoresoft’s Heat Map uses camera feeds and AI to generate zone and dwell analytics.

No — proper heat map systems aggregate and anonymize data (no personal IDs). Check vendor policies and enable anonymization where needed

You can generate useful heat maps in days after deployment; reliable A/B results often appear within 2–4 weeks depending on traffic volume. When we trialed this product, actionable patterns were visible in the first week.

Yes — compare pre/post heat maps for the banner’s impact and quantify uplift in visit/dwell. After putting it to the test, many teams detect clear shifts in attention.

Often no. CCTV-based solutions like Incoresoft’s leverage existing cameras. Some vendors offer optional sensors for higher counting accuracy.

Start with dwell time by zone and conversion per zone (if you can join POS data). Dwell time is often a stronger signal than raw footfall.

Heat maps are one layer — combine them with foot traffic (Placer.ai style) for location insights and with shelf/shelf-intelligence tools for category-level action. Integrated analytics = strategic advantage.

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