Luxury Fashion Store Uses PanelPilot People Counter to Support Safe Retail Reopening
Luxury Bubble, a women’s fashion boutique nestled in Fordingbridge in the heart of the New Forest, found itself navigating the same challenge as many independent retailers when the Covid-19 pandemic began: how to adapt to a socially distanced retail environment.
Like countless other shops, Luxury Bubble had to temporarily close its doors during lockdown. But as restrictions began to ease, owner Sian Currie started thinking ahead—specifically, about how to reopen safely while limiting the number of customers inside at any one time.
While floor signs and distancing markers help guide customers inside the store, there remained a problem: from the outside, it wasn’t easy to tell how many people were already inside—without poking your head through the door.
And for a small retail team, dedicating staff to monitor traffic flow simply wasn’t practical.
A Smarter Solution with PanelPilot
To solve the problem, Sian turned to the PanelPilotACE display with the free People Counter application—a smart, contactless solution that monitors customer flow electronically. Once installed with basic off-the-shelf components (listed below), the system counts people entering and exiting the shop, and clearly displays whether it’s safe to enter or if customers should wait.
The system is particularly well suited for single-door retail environments, where maintaining safe capacity is essential. Staff can easily set a maximum occupancy limit, and also configure an entry delay to help preserve social distancing between shoppers.
“During and post-pandemic, it’s vital that we maintain strict social distancing rules in the shop and maintain optimum customer numbers for the safety of my employees and my customers. Being able to do that electronically rather than manually is just one more way we can make this new retail normal a little less stressful and safer. I’m looking forward to seeing it in use.”
– Sian Currie, owner of Luxury Bubble
What You Need to Get Started
Luxury Bubble’s people counting system was assembled using the following components:
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PanelPilot SGD 43-A display
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2 x photoelectric proximity sensor beams (e.g. RS 729-5117)
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12V 1A power supply (e.g. RS 121-7204)
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Enclosure to house display and sensors (e.g. RS 773-9651)
These parts may vary depending on your specific environment or door configuration, but the concept remains simple and accessible for most small businesses.
Free Software, Minimal Setup
The People Counter application is free to request and offers out-of-the-box functionality for most retailers. Need something more advanced? The PanelPilot technical team is available for guidance, and for more complex customisation, you can take advantage of their in-house design service or example templates.
By using PanelPilot technology, Luxury Bubble was able to reopen with confidence—giving customers peace of mind and reducing pressure on staff.