Mastercard launches KiedyDoSklepu.pl – an online tool showing foot traffic in nearby grocery stores
KiedyDoSklepu.pl enables planning convenient and safe shopping trips, with a greater likelihood of avoiding crowds and queues in stores. Mastercard's analysis shows that in the early morning and late evening hours, the number of people in a store can be even 70% lower than during peak shopping times.
Mastercard has launched KiedyDoSklepu.pl – a tool that, based on an analysis of shopping trends, allows determining the foot traffic in grocery stores across Poland at different times of the day and week. This lets consumers plan their shopping for a time when it's easier to maintain physical distance from other customers, as recommended during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In this way, Mastercard helps consumers do their essential daily shopping in a safer and more convenient way.
How Does KiedyDoSklepu.pl Work?
KiedyDoSklepu.pl allows using several filters with which users can refine their query. All you need to do is enter your postcode, the type of grocery store (hypermarket/supermarket, discount/wholesale, or local store), and the day of the week (weekday or weekend). This way, consumers from all over Poland can check expected traffic in a chosen type of store at a given time of day and week to decide when it's best to go shopping if they want to ensure comfort and safety for themselves, other shoppers, and store staff.
The shopping trend analyses used for the KiedyDoSklepu.pl tool are updated on a weekly basis, so consumers can plan their store visit based on up-to-date information from the last few days.
Mastercard's new tool uses information on consumer spending trends, which is aggregated and anonymized in line with Mastercard's safe data processing principles.
"When we announced our responsible data processing principles in October 2019, we emphasized that innovative solutions in this area should benefit their owners – the consumers. KiedyDoSklepu.pl is an example of just such an approach. By preparing shopping trend analyses, we give consumers completely new possibilities. In this case, they can choose the optimal time for their daily shopping, thus taking care of their comfort and safety" – says Bartosz Ciołkowski, General Manager for Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Mastercard Europe.
Lowest Traffic in the Morning and Evening
Lowest Traffic in the Morning and Evening
Analysing spending trends in grocery stores allowed Mastercard to create an index of the number of transactions, illustrating store traffic throughout the day and week. The analysis shows that the new situation and movement restrictions, in particular working from home, have changed the shopping behaviours of Poles.
How Does the Mastercard KiedyDoSklepu.pl Tool Work?
For example, on weekdays, grocery shopping in small local stores is spread more evenly throughout the day than before the epidemic. The greater traffic intensity typical of the hours right after work dominates much less over the hours preceding the typical time of returning home. At the same time, the shopping peak has shifted one hour earlier, to 15:00–16:00, and increased traffic was also observed between 10:00 and 14:00. On weekdays, the lowest store occupancy continues to be seen early in the morning and late in the evening.
Changes in Weekend Shopping
Mastercard's analysis also shows that the epidemic changed Poles' shopping habits on weekends too. While weekdays are similar to each other, Saturday and Sunday differ significantly from one another. Taking the example of small local stores, which are often open on Sundays as well, it's clear that the shopping peak on these days falls at completely different times. On Saturdays, we visit them most often around 10:00–12:00, and on Sundays around 18:00, although on that day of the week the trend is more spread out over time.
In recent weeks, the effect of so-called senior hours (abolished on 4 May) was also visible, causing shifts in traffic during the day. Using the example of local stores, it can be seen that during senior hours (10:00–12:00) traffic decreased because it was limited to one social group, while immediately before and after there was a compensation visible in a higher number of transactions. Regardless of whether senior hours were in effect or not, the times of day when the fewest people shopped were consistently the morning and evening hours.
Better Decisions Thanks to Trend Analysis
Mastercard's KiedyDoSklepu.pl is an example of how insight into shopping trends can help make better business decisions. Mastercard is a partner for institutions such as retail chains, public administration, and local governments, which – by discovering dependencies and trends in spending – can better understand consumer behaviours and respond more accurately to their needs. For example, the KiedyDoSklepu.pl tool can help grocery store managers better plan the use of human resources as well as measures to protect the health of both their customers and employees.
At the same time, both consumers and Mastercard's business partners can be assured that the company analyses spending trends while maintaining the highest standards of security and privacy protection. These form the basis of Mastercard's business model and are an integral part of all the company's products and services. Thanks to innovative mechanisms of data aggregation and anonymization, including the use of tools such as Truata, information about specific transactions remains invisible and is never analysed or shared. This methodology also excludes the possibility of identifying specific retail chains, as well as analysing data for sets that do not meet the condition of sufficient size (this may apply to both the population and the formats of the analysed stores).
Summary
Mastercard has launched KiedyDoSklepu.pl, which, based on anonymized transaction data, shows foot traffic in grocery stores at different times of the day and week. The tool allows choosing the optimal shopping time to avoid crowds – analyses indicate that the lowest occupancy is early in the morning and late in the evening, while the peak fell at 15:00–16:00.
Importantly, the study revealed a change in Poles' habits during the pandemic – shopping is spread more evenly, and the effect of senior hours (abolished on 4 May) shifted traffic during the day. The tool can also serve retail chains, helping with resource planning and protecting the health of customers and employees.
