Installing footfall tracking solutions has become a must-have for retail property owners, operators, and marketing teams. But not all providers are equal — from sensor technology to data reliability, and from maintenance to reporting. Here’s a complete checklist of 20 criteria to help you choose the right partner with confidence.

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1. Define your goals: what are you really trying to measure?

Start by framing your use case. Are you aiming to:

• Track overall foot traffic?
• Measure entrances and exits?
• Distinguish floor-by-floor traffic (including parking)?
• Benchmark against competitors?

Pro tip: Write one clear sentence describing your main use case — this will help eliminate irrelevant solutions early.

2. Assess the provider's reliability

Look at fundamentals:

• Company founding date
• Number of employees
• Annual revenue
• References in similar contexts (retail, transport hubs, shopping centers, etc.)

⚠️ Be wary of very young companies or those with just one big client.

3. Understand the sensor technology

Ask for specifics:

• Type of sensor used (camera, infrared, LiDAR, WiFi, etc.)
• Claimed accuracy level (% margin of error)
• Data extrapolation method (do they fill in gaps? how?)
• Recommended number of sensors for your site layout

Request a live demo or real dataset from an installed site.

4. Check coverage & KPIs

• Can the system handle multiple floors (e.g. 3 underground parking levels)?
• Can it distinguish surface vs. underground users?
• Types of data provided:
  • Footfall by hour / day
  • Entry/exit
  • Time spent on site
  • Density or zone breakdown
  • Historical comparison
  • Competitor benchmarking?

Don’t settle for just raw volume — look for insights that drive action.

5. Data processing & accessibility

• Are figures actual counts, corrected data, or models?
• Where is the data stored (EU cloud, sovereign cloud, elsewhere)?
• Is there a data broker between you and the raw data?

Make sure you can access and export your data independently.

6. Maintenance & monitoring

Footfall data is only useful if it’s complete, reliable and up-to-date. Ask about:

• Real-time alerting:

Will the provider be automatically notified if a sensor fails? Or do you need to spot it yourself?

• Reaction time:

How fast will the issue be diagnosed and fixed?
Do they have a clear SLA (Service Level Agreement)?

• Data consolidation:

If one sensor is down for a day, will the missing data be flagged, extrapolated, or lost?
Can you trace when and how data has been corrected?

• Replacement & maintenance costs:

What’s the cost of replacing a damaged sensor?
Is the support included in the subscription?

• Operator flexibility:

Can you switch operators without reinstalling everything?

Ask for a documented maintenance plan with real-time monitoring and access to incident logs.

7. Understand installation & update costs

• Installation quote (per zone or sensor)
• Update / recalibration fees
• Data update frequency (real time, daily, weekly)
• Access to dashboards, API, or raw export formats

Watch for hidden costs in installation, maintenance, or sensor upgrades.

8. Local presence & international experience

• Has the provider worked in Belgium or similar markets?
• Are their tools and processes GDPR-compliant?
• Are local regulations or multilingual teams supported?

International experience is a real asset if your portfolio spans countries.

9. Ask how they use the data

"How do you use the data collected from our center?"

The right partner will go beyond reporting — they’ll help identify patterns, trigger alerts, and co-build insights with you.

10. Build your side-by-side comparison table

Summarize all your shortlisted providers in a table with the criteria above.
And don’t forget to add a final row:
→ “Key differentiators” to synthesize each one’s value.

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Choosing a pedestrian traffic provider is not a tech decision — it’s a strategic move.
It affects your investment decisions, tenant relationships, marketing campaigns and site operations.
Take the time to ask the right questions, simulate use cases, and demand clarity.
Your foot traffic is too valuable to leave to chance.

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