Grocery Shopping In The Time Of A Pandemic

If your retail business has managed to stay safe and afloat during the rough ride of coronavirus – congratulations. Many haven’t been so lucky. As of November 2020, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) — a labor union comprised of 1.3 million members — reported that over 17,400 grocery workers have now been infected or exposed to  Covid-19. Grocery shopping, once an ordinary chore, has become a hazardous outing and one many avoid for fear of infection.

 

What Scientists (& Legislators) Are Saying

Coronavirus is an airborne virus, so it’s not exactly mind-blowing news that essential workers are especially vulnerable. Tight indoor spaces, like those found in grocery stores, allow viruses to linger and infect those nearby. The EPA even claims that indoor infections can occur beyond the previously reported 6-foot range.

Of course, research suggests that minimizing the number of people in an indoor space can reduce the spread of Covid-19. And some legislation has already gone so far as to drastically limit in-person dining and retail capacity.

 

So, What Now?

While many of these measures are necessary for the health and safety of the general public, retail and grocery store owners are forced to foot the bill.

So if your livelihood depends on in-person traffic, Docent is here to help. With its patented Indoor Positioning System (IPS), Docent Corp aims to counteract the negative impacts of tough in-person protocols. Complemented by the company’s intelligence software, IPS is a comprehensive system that increases the operational efficiency and safety of retail spaces.

How? Let’s outline a few benefits that Docent’s IPS software makes possible in a post-pandemic universe.

 

Asset and personnel tracking

With Docent Corp’s micro-positioning system, anything from merchandise to grocery carts, strollers, and of course, visitors and employees, can be viewed real-time on a facility map.

Asset tracking allows retail stores to immediately send employees to areas that require quick attention (spills, a customer in need) while also preventing overcrowding. This defense against overcrowding protects both employees and visitors from the risks of airborne infection. 

 

Visual analytics and heat maps (Chromap™)

There’s no need to be a data and analytics expert to interpret data from Docent. Chromap™ has you covered with graphics and other visual aids that anyone can understand. Both Docent’s Asset Tracking and Retail Visitor Traffic applications use visual data, depicting graphs or animated sequences that highlight a specific window of time. These visuals make data interpretation easy and provide a top-down view of your visitor traffic. In simple terms, see where people are headed, when, and what that means for your business.

 

What Else?

Yes, there are other geopositioning systems out there. But traditional systems have a limited scope of reach, only catching bigger waves of movement and products at a distance. It’s no secret that grocery stores are tightly packed. Luckily, Docent’s micro-positioning makes it uniquely suited to catch every nook and cranny of your store.

 

The Bottom Line

While highly advanced equipment may sound pricey (astronomically so), it’s actually quite the opposite. Some of Docent’s supermarket systems cost as low as $____ per month. So don’t wait — bring your business to the future at yesterday’s prices.

Just think, once customers (and legislators) catch wind of personal tracking, the grocery store will suddenly feel less like a warzone and instead like a haven that’s safer than ever before. After all, how many hospitals have tracking technology like this? Not many.

 

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About Docent Corp

Based in Los Angeles, Docent Corp is a leading developer of location-based IT solutions used for large-scale venues. It provides one-stop solutions for navigation, product promotions, and people-locating tools.

Docent Corp works with a wide spectrum of clients including supermarkets, major shopping centers, airports, theme parks, performance venues, hospitals, emergency responders and other private and public institutions.

About Docent Corp’s Indoor Positioning System (IPS)

Patented in 2013, Docent Corp’s IPS is a super high-precision indoor positioning system that utilizes sound waves to accurately locate items and chart movements. It is especially efficient in indoor spaces: Docent’s asset tracking system provides a pinpoint accuracy ranging from 6 inches to 1.5 feet.

For further information or to schedule a demo, please visit www.docentcorp.com or email us to askus [at] docentcorp.com.