Parco

About: Gaining new insights into customer behavior

Parco, a popular chain of department stores, wanted to better understand how visitors move through their stores and engage with different areas. By gathering real-time data on customer traffic and location, the retailer could gain valuable insights to support sales and marketing strategies.

To explore these possibilities, Parco launched a pilot project at the Parco Museum. The initiative focused on collecting visitor information using image-sensing technology that could detect and analyze traffic patterns without storing or transmitting personally identifiable data.

This innovative approach gave Parco a new way to capture actionable insights while respecting customer privacy. By linking IoT technology with its existing operations, the retailer set the stage for smarter, data-driven decision-making.

The Connectivity Challenge: Balancing cost-effectiveness and security

As a competitive retailer, Parco needed a solution that was not only affordable but also highly secure. The company knew that the reliability of its connectivity would directly impact the success of its consumer analysis system.

Because the project involved collecting information derived from images, data protection and compliance were critical. While the system discarded specific images after sensing customer movement, Parco still needed to ensure that any transmitted information remained safe from outside threats.

At the same time, Parco wanted to avoid the limitations and risks associated with Wi-Fi networks, which can be difficult to secure and manage at scale. They needed a solution that offered secure, flexible, and cost-conscious connectivity right out of the box.

Building a Smarter Analysis System: Secure data transfer with Soracom Air and Beam

To meet these requirements, Parco turned to Soracom. By installing Soracom Air SIM cards into their IoT devices, the company was able to establish secure, cellular-based connectivity without any additional equipment. The ability to connect virtually anywhere gave them the flexibility to deploy quickly across multiple locations.

For transmitting data, Parco used Soracom Beam to handle protocol conversion. By converting HTTP to HTTPS in the cloud, Beam ensured that data could be sent securely to Amazon API Gateway without requiring additional relay servers. This also helped reduce device power consumption and data usage, streamlining the entire process.

Beam’s credential management and custom header functions were especially valuable. These allowed Parco to authenticate access to AWS at scale without requiring an individual authentication key for each device – saving significant time, cost, and operational complexity.

Why Soracom: Security and scalability at a reasonable cost

Soracom gave Parco the right combination of affordability, security, and scalability. With Soracom Air, they had reliable connectivity that could easily be deployed and managed across their devices. With Soracom Beam, they gained the ability to encrypt and transmit data securely, all while reducing power and bandwidth demands.

This comprehensive solution allowed Parco to implement authentication and data protection measures without compromising ease of use. Instead of investing in costly infrastructure or managing a complex set of device keys, they were able to manage everything directly in the cloud.

Ultimately, Soracom’s services helped Parco stay competitive while ensuring that their customer analytics project was both secure and cost-effective, a critical balance for a retailer operating in today’s fast-moving market.

Future Plans: Expanding analytics for smarter marketing

Looking ahead, Parco plans to extend its consumer analytics system beyond the initial pilot. Future enhancements include customer tier analysis to better segment visitors and track repeat behaviors, as well as detailed route mapping to understand how customers move through different parts of the store.

By combining IoT data with marketing strategies, Parco hopes to refine promotions, optimize store layouts, and create more personalized shopping experiences. These insights will allow them to strengthen customer engagement while increasing operational efficiency.

With Soracom’s secure connectivity and data management tools, Parco has the flexibility to continue scaling its analytics capabilities and unlock even greater value from real-time customer data.