Business
Restricting Shopping Hours Causes a COVID Crunch, When Customer Traffic Soars in the Hour Before Closing
Restricting Shopping Hours Causes a COVID Crunch, When Customer Traffic Soars in the Hour...
About this update from Ineo Tech Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \n \n \n Restricting Shopping Hours Causes a COVID Crunch, When Customer Traffic Soars in the Hour Before Closing\n \n \n /* Style Definitions */\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n.prntac{\nTEXT-ALIGN: CENTER\n}\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Canada NewsWire\n \n \n \n \n \n \n INEO data shows restricting shopping on New Year's Eve Caused Customer Traffic to increase by 188% in the hour before closing\n \n \n \n \n \n SURREY, BC\n \n ,\n \n Jan. 20, 2021\n \n /CNW/ - An analysis by\n \n INEO Tech Corp.\n \n (TSX-V: INEO) (\"\n \n INEO\n \n \" or the \"\n \n Company\n \n \"), an innovative provider of location based digital advertising, data analytics and loss prevention solutions for retailers shows restricting retail store hours during the pandemic generates a troubling rise in consumer traffic patterns, challenging social distancing and crowd controls.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Using The Welcoming System, INEO's network of digital advertising and anti-theft devices located at the entrance of retail stores, INEO was able to analyze traffic patterns of more than 800,000 shoppers in the month of December, including on New Year's Eve, when BC liquor stores were ordered to close at\n \n 8 PM\n \n .\n \n \n Virtually the identical total number of shoppers visited liquor stores on New Year's Eve as Christmas Eve (40,817 vs 42,026). However, on New Year's Eve, in the hours before the BC Health mandated\n \n 8:00PM\n \n closing, store traffic increased by 188% over the Christmas Eve customer traffic.\n \n \n This data analysis clearly shows restricting store hours does not reduce the number of shoppers. In fact, it creates the COVID Crunch, where the last hour of the shopping day results in congestion and over-crowding which challenges social distancing efforts. INEO is publishing this data to assist public health decision makers, businesses, and the public to better manage this phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic.\n \n \n While the Company is publishing this overcrowding effect on key holiday dates in December, the effect can be seen whenever retail hours are restricted in stores which provide ess...