Privacy-first, camera-free people counting for real-world spaces.

Measure footfall, occupancy, dwell time, and flow—then turn traffic into better staffing decisions, higher conversion, and smoother operations.

Camera-freeGDPR-firstReal-time dashboardsStaff exclusionZone analytics

What Is People Counting?

People counting is the science of tracking how many visitors enter, exit, or move through physical spaces to generate operational and commercial insights.

Ariadne uses passive smartphone signals and AI to estimate footfall and occupancy without cameras and without collecting personal data.

Accuracy

Up to 99% (optimal)

Typically 95%+ depending on environment.

Privacy

GDPR-first

Camera-free, no personal data stored.

Use cases

Footfall + occupancy

Zone analytics, dwell time, flow.

Deployment

Fast rollout

Pilot → calibration → scale.

People counting analytics dashboard

Why People Counting Matters?

  • Optimize Operations

    Allocate staff and resources precisely using real-time visitor density data.

  • Boost Sales & Conversion

    Correlate traffic with sales and improve in-store conversion by up to 12%.

  • Enhance Customer Experience

    Reduce congestion and streamline layouts based on live occupancy.

  • Ensure Safety & Compliance

    Monitor real-time capacity to meet health and legal regulations.

  • Cut Energy Costs

    Automate lighting, HVAC, and signage by aligning with visitor presence.

  • Make Data-Driven Decisions

    Use accurate people counting to drive business strategy at every level.

Ready to transform operations with people counting?

Book a demo and see how to improve staffing, conversion, and occupancy with privacy-first analytics.

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How Ariadne People Counting Works

A signal-based approach designed for privacy, scalability, and real-world environments.

Detect

Sensors passively detect standard smartphone signals—no app, login, or Wi-Fi connection required.

Anonymize

Signals are processed in a privacy-first way to avoid storing personal data and support GDPR requirements.

Analyze

AI models transform signals into footfall, occupancy, dwell time, and flow insights—available in real time.

Accuracy you can explain to stakeholders

Up to 99% in optimal conditions and typically 95%+ depending on environment, layout, and density.

We recommend a short pilot + calibration for high-confidence baselines.

See the methodology

Ariadne's People Counting System

Ariadne combines signal-based detection and AI analytics to deliver real-time footfall and occupancy insights—camera-free and privacy-first.

Key Features

  • Real-Time Analytics

    Live dashboards for entries, exits, and zone occupancy.

  • Staff Exclusion

    Automatically filter out employees for true customer-only counts.

  • Privacy-First Approach

    GDPR-first and camera-free.

  • Predictive Analytics

    AI forecasts peak hours and visitor trends.

  • Heatmaps & Flow Tracking

    Visualize traffic patterns and customer journeys.

  • Omni-Channel Insights

    Combine offline traffic with digital marketing impact.

  • Custom Dashboards

    Filter data by location, hour, product zone, or campaign.

  • Automated Reports

    Receive daily, weekly, or monthly performance summaries.

Privacy & compliance by design

Ariadne is designed to deliver actionable counting insights without cameras and without storing personal data.

Camera-freeGDPR-firstNo opt-in requiredAggregated analytics
Ariadne analytics UI

Integrations & data access

Connect people counting to BI, dashboards, and operations workflows.

BI toolsDashboardsAPIsPOSCRMCustom exportsScheduled reports

Compare people counting approaches

Different technologies fit different constraints. Here’s a practical comparison.

ApproachPrivacyDeploymentNotes
Signal-based (Ariadne)HighFastCamera-free, scalable, great for multi-zone insights.
Camera-basedVariesMediumCan be accurate but raises privacy/compliance & infrastructure needs.
Infrared/beamHighFastGood for simple entrances; limited for zones/journeys.
ToF/3D sensorsMedium/HighMediumOften accurate in entrances; hardware placement constraints.

Results depend on environment, installation, and calibration. Use a pilot to validate.

Implementation timeline

A practical rollout path from pilot to scale.

Pilot & baseline

Validate counts in a representative location and define success criteria.

  • Select zones/entrances
  • Define reporting needs
  • Baseline KPIs

Calibration & dashboards

Tune for your environment and create stakeholder-ready views.

  • Staff exclusion setup
  • Dashboards & reports
  • Operational alerts

Scale rollout

Expand to more sites and standardize reporting across locations.

  • Rollout playbook
  • Location templates
  • Multi-site benchmarking

Optimization cycle

Use insights to improve staffing, layouts, campaigns, and experience.

  • Conversion analysis
  • Peak-time forecasting
  • A/B testing in stores/terminals

Why Choose Ariadne?

Accuracy you can validate

Up to 99% (optimal), typically 95%+ depending on environment.

GDPR-first

Camera-free and privacy-first by design.

Fast deployment

Pilot → calibration → scale rollout.

Flexible architecture

Cloud or on-premise options.

Integrations

Connect to BI, CRM, POS and APIs.

Actionable alerts

Real-time occupancy/anomaly notifications.

Scalable

From single site to global rollouts.

Use the same people counting system across different environments, with industry-specific dashboards.

Retail Stores

  • Optimize store layout and employee scheduling.
  • Analyze visitor journeys and increase conversion rates.
  • Identify top- and under-performing areas by zone.
  • Use dwell time analytics to enhance product placement.
  • Measure ROI of in-store promotions and footfall changes.

Airports & Transportation Hubs

  • Track passenger flow to reduce congestion.
  • Improve staffing at check-in, security, and gates.
  • Enhance terminal layout based on crowd data.
  • Manage parking and transit more effectively.
  • Ensure real-time safety and emergency readiness.

Smart Cities & Public Spaces

  • Track pedestrian density to improve urban planning.
  • Optimize transport schedules with live foot traffic data.
  • Analyze public events' impact in real time.
  • Improve public safety with live movement mapping.
  • Manage restricted zones with smart access insights.

Shopping Centres & Retail

  • Optimize tenant placement and layouts based on heatmaps.
  • Measure flow between anchors and corridors.
  • Identify peak hours by wing to tailor promotions.
  • Analyze dwell time in food courts and event spaces.
  • Evaluate mall campaigns by zone performance.

Latest Resources

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Validate counts quickly with a pilot and stakeholder-ready dashboards.

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People Counting - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

People Counting - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the purpose of people counting?

People counting helps organizations understand entries, exits, occupancy, and flow to improve staffing, safety, space planning, and marketing decisions.

Who uses people counting technology?

Retailers, airports, public spaces, and smart cities use people counting to reduce congestion, optimize staffing, and measure performance by location and time.

How accurate is modern people counting?

Is people counting safe and private?