Shoppers and regular visitors to Stockport town centre are being invited to take part in a consumer behaviour study using smartphone technology.
Stockport Council, Vision Stockport and Business in the Community are working with GeoTask to launch the study which measures the behaviour patterns of local people as they walk around the town centre, visiting shops, cafes, offices and attractions.
The App records the phone movements of the user through anonymised GPS location data and proximity beacons which have been placed at key locations around the town.
It in the background and the data from that phone will be combined with data from hundreds of other devices to provide valuable insights into how people behave in the centre.
The data will be used to help shape and improve the experience provided to shoppers and visitors in future. It will help the town understand what makes people come to Stockport Town Centre, what makes them stay, what they like and dislike as they move around and whether marketing activity in certain locations affects their behaviour.
Jean Walker, chair of Vision Stockport, said: “This type of data will be increasingly important in future and will help Stockport Town Centre compete successfully with other towns.
“The study will help us understand the motivations of our customers as they move around the town and what influences their behaviour. I urge local people to download the App and help us collect this valuable and interesting information.”
In return for joining GeoTask, participants will gain cash reward points every day.
The cash reward points can be redeemed for guaranteed PayPal cash or donated to a charity of your choice, plus there are weekly and monthly cash prize draws.
Any data provided through the study will be in an aggregated and anonymised form so individual users can’t be identified.
Participants can opt out at any time by simply uninstalling the App and they will not receive any marketing from any other companies.
Councillor Patrick McAuley, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Thriving Economy, said: “We are working very hard to make Stockport town centre a vibrant place to visit and I’d encourage our residents to participate in this study. This app will help us understand more about what people do and where they shop in the town centre.
“With the collected data, we will then be able to enhance the current shopping experience and attract many visitors to Stockport.”
For more information about the study or to download the App to take part, visit the Geotask website www.geotask.co.uk.
