What Is Footfall?
Footfall counts the number of people entering a retail location. Learn how to measure it, what affects it, and how to use it to improve performance.
Key Takeaways
- Footfall is the number of people entering a retail location in a given period
- Footfall x Conversion Rate x Average Transaction Value = Sales
- UK high street footfall has declined significantly since 2019 — location choice is more important than ever
- Footfall data by time of day drives staffing, promotions, and opening hours decisions
What footfall is
Footfall is the number of people who enter a retail location — a store, a shopping centre, or a market stall — in a given time period. It is the first link in the retail performance chain: without visitors, there can be no sales. Footfall is to physical retail what website sessions are to eCommerce — the raw volume of potential customers that the rest of the retail operation must convert into transactions.
How footfall is measured
Modern footfall is measured using electronic people counters — infrared sensors, thermal cameras, or video analytics systems installed above store entrances. These count every person entering and exiting and provide hourly or 15-minute interval data. Footfall measurement systems range from simple infrared beam counters (a few hundred pounds) to sophisticated video analytics platforms (thousands of pounds per location) that can distinguish staff from customers, count groups, and measure dwell time. The investment is typically justified for any location doing meaningful sales volume.
Footfall trends and the high street
UK high street footfall has declined significantly since 2019, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the structural shift to eCommerce. Footfall in June 2024 remained approximately 15-20% below June 2019 levels in many town centres, according to data from retail analytics provider Springboard. Location quality — proximity to transport, anchor tenants, parking availability, local demographics — has become more critical as overall footfall has declined. A location that was viable at 2019 footfall levels may not be viable at current levels.
Footfall by time and day
Footfall is not evenly distributed across the trading week or the trading day. For most high street retailers, Saturday is the highest footfall day. Footfall peaks in mid-morning and early afternoon for convenience-led retail. Food and drink has a different profile — lunch and after-work peaks. Understanding your own footfall distribution by hour and day of week is essential for staffing decisions — overstaffing quiet periods and understaffing peaks is one of the most common and costly retail operational errors.
Using footfall data strategically
Beyond staffing, footfall data drives several strategic decisions. Promotions timing: schedule promotional events and in-store activities to coincide with natural footfall peaks rather than quiet periods. Opening hours: reduce or eliminate trading hours with consistently low footfall and low conversion to improve labour cost efficiency. Lease negotiations: footfall data is a valuable negotiating tool when discussing lease terms with landlords — showing declining footfall relative to centre average supports a rent reduction request. Marketing attribution: spikes in footfall following a specific marketing campaign (social media, outdoor advertising, direct mail) help attribute offline marketing ROI.