Glossary A–ZLetter F
Footfall measurement
Footfall measurement determines whether people visited a particular place after being exposed to an advert, usually a shop or a branch.
It is a common form of attribution in out-of-home advertising. It counts visits, not purchases.
It often relies on location data from mobile devices whose users have consented to the processing. Devices that were near a screen showing the campaign are compared with a control group, and for both groups the number that later visited the branch is counted. Other methods use counting sensors at the entrance and compare periods or branches with and without the campaign.
The results are extrapolations from a sample and depend heavily on its size and composition. Operators should ask about the method, the control group and the legal basis for using the data before adopting any figures in their own documents. More visits can also have other causes, such as weather, school holidays or price promotions.