Compare · People counters
People counters for supermarkets: what the door count misses
A people counter tells you how many came through the door. In a supermarket, the sale is decided in the aisles. Shoppermotion follows every trolley and basket from the entrance to the till and matches each trip with its receipt.
In short
A people counter measures entries and exits at the door, usually with infrared beams, overhead 3D sensors or cameras. That gives footfall and a store-level conversion rate. In a supermarket, it can't show which aisles shoppers walked, where they stopped or what they bought. Shoppermotion measures that from every trolley and basket trip, matched with its receipt.
The basics
What a store people counter measures
A people counter records each crossing of the entrance as an entry or an exit. From that you get footfall, occupancy, hourly and daily trends and, divided into the number of tickets, the store conversion rate (tickets ÷ visits). It's the usual answer to "how can I count how many people come into my shop?". New to the term? Read what is people counting and footfall.
Beam
Infrared beam
A beam across the door counts each break. Simple and low cost; groups walking side by side can count as one.
Thermal
Thermal sensor
Detects body heat from above the entrance, without images of people.
Overhead
Overhead 3D / stereo
A ceiling sensor with two lenses sees depth, so it can tell directions and separate people walking close together.
Video
Camera-based
Computer vision on CCTV or dedicated cameras counts people in the camera's view.
Wireless
Wi-Fi presence
Estimates visits from phones with Wi-Fi switched on; a sample, not a count. See Wi-Fi and Bluetooth tracking.
Trips
Trolley and basket tags
Shoppermotion's approach: tags on shopping tools, located inside the whole store and matched with each receipt.
Supermarkets
Why supermarkets outgrow the door count
In a supermarket the decision happens at the shelf, not at the door. A door count can't tell you how many trips walk the main aisle, how few reach the back corners or which aisles shoppers skip; the traffic metric shows that zone by zone. We wrote about this shift in the evolution of store people counters.
Supermarkets also have several entrances, staff walking in and out and families who arrive together: a door counter may count each of them as a visitor unless it filters them. And the number that matters, conversion, is only available per store, not per aisle, end cap or bay.
Your online store
Every step measured- Impressions
- Views
- Product page visits
- Add to cart
- Purchase
Your physical store
- Passed the shelf12,480unknown
- Looked at the bay7,310unknown
- Stopped to engage3,905unknown
- Picked the product1,640unknown
- Paid at the till1,588unknown
Illustrative figures for one coffee bay over a week.
Shoppermotion vs door people counters: side by side
| Criterion | Shoppermotion | Door people counters |
|---|---|---|
| Store traffic / footfall | Tagged trips per store, zone and bay | Entries and exits at the door |
| What is measured | Full trips of trolleys and baskets | Entries and exits at the door |
| Path inside the store | Yes, bay by bay | No |
| Dwell time by zone | Yes | No |
| Real-time occupancy and alerts | Yes, with email or SMS alerts on capacity or density thresholds | Occupancy from entries minus exits |
| Store conversion | Per trip, per category and per bay | Tickets ÷ visits, per store |
| Link to the receipt | Each trip matched with its ticket | Only totals: tickets vs visits |
| Shoppers without trolley or basket | Not included | Counted |
| Personal data | None | Usually none |
| Staff | Only tagged trolleys and baskets are measured | Often counted as visitors |
| Infrastructure | Ceiling anchors and tags | A sensor at each entrance |
| Typical use | Layout, category, media and attribution decisions | Footfall trends and store conversion rate |
| Door-counter data | Integrated natively in the platform | Their own entry and exit counts |
Last reviewed: 2026-10. General comparison of technologies; results depend on each deployment.
Sources: Traf-Sys: retail people counters · Dor: retail people counter · FootfallCam: people counting system · V-Count: people counting sensors and BoostBI · Xovis: retail customer counting · Vemco Group: people counting software · Sensormatic: ShopperTrak Traffic Insights · RetailNext: platform · Flame Analytics: AI video analytics
Trips, not people
What Shoppermotion counts, and what it doesn't
Shoppermotion counts traffic per trip in every zone, not only at the door: traffic penetration per aisle and bay, occupancy and density in real time with email or SMS alerts, and power hours.
It counts trips, not people. A family sharing one trolley is one trip, and shoppers who don't take a trolley or basket aren't included. If you need every entry, a door counter is the right tool, or the two together.
Already have counters?
Using a people counter and Shoppermotion together
Keep the door counter for total entries, including shoppers without a trolley or basket. Shoppermotion integrates your door-counter data natively in the platform, so total entries and what happens between the door and the till sit side by side. You can also take everything to your own tools through the REST API and BI integrations.
- TrafficPassed the bay0%0
- Visual contactSlowed below 45 cm/s0%0
- EngagedStopped below 25 cm/s0%0
- BuyersProduct on the ticket0%0
Door counter or Shoppermotion: which fits your store?
Choose Shoppermotion if
- You need to know where shoppers go, stop and buy inside the store, not just how many came in.
- You want to measure end caps, promotions or in-store media and attribute sales to them.
- You run supermarkets or hypermarkets where most trips are made with a trolley or basket.
Consider the alternative if
- You only need entries, exits and footfall trends per hour or day.
- Most visitors do not use a trolley or basket, as in fashion stores, and store-level conversion is enough.
- You need a low-cost sensor across a large network of small stores.
Already have door counters? Keep them: Shoppermotion integrates their data natively. See what happens between the door and the till, matched with every receipt. Book a 30-minute demo →
Price
How much does a people counter cost?
There's no single price. A people counter's cost depends on the number of entrances, the sensor type, installation and the software subscription. Ask each vendor for a quote per store.
Shoppermotion has no public price list either: each project is quoted from store format and size, number of stores, trolleys and/or baskets, ticket matching and service level.
Vendors
People counting vendors and how they differ
Door and overhead counters: Traf-Sys (infrared and 3D counters), Dor (thermal, no cameras, POS integration), FootfallCam (people counters and IP cameras) and V-Count (3D stereo sensors and BoostBI) count entries and exits, occupancy and store conversion. See V-Count.
Wide-area 3D sensors: Xovis and V-Count also sell sensors that cover larger areas for zones, dwell and visitor paths in sensor coverage. See Xovis.
Traffic analytics platforms: ShopperTrak (Sensormatic), RetailNext and Vemco Group combine counting with analytics such as conversion, benchmarks, heatmaps or zones. See ShopperTrak, ShopperTrak alternatives and RetailNext.
Video analytics: Flame Analytics turns existing CCTV into traffic, journeys and dwell; RetailNext uses its own ceiling sensor. See cameras.
Trolley and basket tags matched with receipts: Shoppermotion follows the full path of each trip and matches it with its own receipt. It doesn't include shoppers without a trolley or basket.
Last reviewed: October 2026 · based on each vendor's public website. Check each vendor for current specifications.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What is the best people counter for a supermarket?
It depends on the question. For entries, exits and hourly trends, a door counter is enough. For which aisles, shelves and promotions turn visits into sales, you need trolley and basket tracking matched with receipts, such as Shoppermotion. Many chains use both.
How does a people counting sensor work?
A sensor at the entrance, an infrared beam, a thermal sensor, an overhead 3D or stereo sensor or a camera, detects each person crossing a line and records it as an entry or an exit. Software adds up the crossings into footfall, occupancy and trends.
What is an overhead people counter?
A sensor mounted on the ceiling above the entrance, usually 3D stereo or time-of-flight, that looks down at the door. Seeing depth helps it tell directions and separate people walking close together.
Can a people counter measure conversion?
Only at store level: tickets divided by visits. It can't tell which aisle, end cap or bay converted, because it doesn't see the trip inside the store.
Does Shoppermotion count visitors too?
Yes. It counts trips per store, zone and bay, plus real-time occupancy, alongside paths, dwell time and conversion. A family sharing one trolley is one trip, and shoppers without a trolley or basket are not included.
Do people counters measure customer flow?
A door counter doesn't: it counts crossings at the entrance, not routes or dwell time inside the store. Some vendors also sell wide-area sensors that follow paths within their coverage area.
Is Shoppermotion anonymous like a door counter?
Yes. Tags identify trolleys and baskets, never people, and trips are anonymous from the first signal.
Can I use a people counter and Shoppermotion together?
Yes. The counter gives total entries, including shoppers without a trolley or basket, and Shoppermotion gives what happens inside. Shoppermotion integrates door-counter data natively in the platform, so you see both in one place.
How much does a people counter cost, and how much does Shoppermotion cost?
A counter's price depends on the number of entrances, the sensor type, installation and the software subscription. Shoppermotion is quoted per project from store format and size, number of stores, trolleys and baskets, ticket matching and service level. See how pricing works at shoppermotion.com/pricing.
Next steps: How pricing works · Estimate your ROI
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