FOOTFALL IN FREDRIKSTAD: HOW A CITY RUNS ITS CENTER LIKE A MALL

In Fredrikstad, footfall analytics isn’t a side project — it’s part of the city’s operating system. City leadership and the local business association use live people counting and weekly reports to understand how visitors move, which actions increase traffic, and where merchants need support. The approach mirrors how a modern shopping mall operates: measure, compare, act.

THE CONTEXT: FROM SIX SENSORS TO A CITYWIDE NETWORK

Fredrikstad began with a small deployment — just a handful of counters — to establish reliable visitor baselines. Over time, the network expanded to cover key gateways and high streets, combining 3D sensors with secure Wi-Fi analytics for area-level trends. Today, the city can see entrance flows, cross-streets, and dwell patterns across the core.

THE CHALLENGE: TURNING CIVIC AMBITION INTO OPERATIONAL REALITY

City centers need more than anecdotes to thrive. Without trusted data, it’s hard to align merchants, plan events, or evaluate policies like public transport changes. Fredrikstad wanted an objective, shared picture of what’s working — and what isn’t — to avoid unproductive debates and focus on actions that move the needle.

OUR SOLUTION: CITY-SCALE PEOPLE COUNTING + WEEKLY INSIGHTS

CountMatters fuses Xovis people counting with area analytics and reporting. Stakeholders receive consistent weekly KPI packs covering total visitors, peak hours, and flows through the main streets. The result: faster decisions, better coordination with shop owners, and a clear link between initiatives and outcomes.

PROOF: DATA THAT ENDS GUESSWORK

• Citywide coverage: Entrance and street counters reveal how visitors enter and circulate.
• Policy evaluation: Temporary measures (e.g., free bus trials) show measurable impact on inner-city traffic.
• Merchant alignment: Shared numbers replace opinion-only discussions and speed collaboration.

USE CASES ACROSS THE CITY CORE

• Main gateways: Measure inflow to understand event, weather, and campaign effects.
• Street segments: Compare flows block-by-block to target activations and wayfinding.
• Event planning: Track lift during festivals and market days; plan stewarding and signage.
• Public transport: Quantify how fare changes or new routes shift inner-city footfall.
• Merchant support: Share weekly KPIs to align opening hours and staff to demand.

HOW IT WORKS: DEPLOYMENT IN WEEKS

1. Survey & design: Map entrances, cross-streets, and natural funnels to place sensors.
2. Install & calibrate: Fit Xovis sensors with minimal disruption; verify accuracy in situ.
3. Dashboards & alerts: Live views for the city team; weekly report packs for stakeholders.
4. Integrations: Optional feeds into signage, city apps, or incident tools.
5. Enablement: Brief training so everyone reads the same KPIs and acts consistently.

ROI & CIVIC IMPACT

With shared facts, the city accelerates decisions, merchants staff smarter hours, and planners iterate on policies with confidence. The payoff is a livelier center, better service, and fewer “opinion-only” debates.

MINI-FAQ

HOW RELIABLE ARE COUNTS IN BUSY STREETS?

Proper mounting and calibration maintain high accuracy in bi-directional flows and crowded scenes common to main streets and plazas.

WHAT ABOUT PRIVACY?

Counts are anonymized and aggregated; no images or personal identifiers are stored. The setup is designed to support GDPR and municipal policies.

CAN WE PILOT BEFORE SCALING?

Yes. Start with key gateways and a signature street segment; expand once the team sees operational value in weekly KPIs.

CONCLUSION

Fredrikstad shows how city centers can run with the discipline of top malls. With CountMatters footfall analytics and people counting — powered by Xovis — leaders move from debate to data and make streets work better for everyone.