In the online world, software has enabled retailers to analyze visitors shopping patterns with a click of a mouse. In the brick and mortar world of retailing, developers, architects, and retailers each spend massive amounts of time and money designing projects and stores in ways which maximize foot traffic and stickiness, which for developers means maximizing rental rates, and for retailers sales per square foot.

A U.K. based company named Path Intelligence has devised a novel system which allows both mall owners and retailers to analyze foot traffic. It uses a combination of proprietary hardware and software to detect and triangulate on shopper’s cell phone signals to an accuracy of one meter. The software then uses that date to visually display data which can help determine traffic patterns and answers questions relating to store stickiness, bottlenecks, etc.