Foot Traffic Secrets: The Most Detailed Guide

Choosing a location for your arena is one of the most critical decisions for your VR Business.

A mistake in this matter can lead to significant financial losses or even the closure of your event center. To avoid this, carefully read our guide and follow the advice described.

So, you've already chosen the type of VR arena, decided on the list of necessary equipment, and the staff you need to hire. Now it's time to find the perfect location that will attract customers like a magnet. And the first point to pay attention to is traffic.

Traffic analysis is a key factor in the process of choosing a location for virtual reality entertainment. Certainly, proper advertising and strong SMM can help attract attention. But even so, the number of potential clients in areas with poor foot traffic will be fundamentally lower than in a prime traffic location.

And at this point, you should have a question: "How do you count this traffic?"

Let's figure it out together.

In different countries, traffic counting methods face legal and ethical restrictions, especially concerning privacy. We will tell you about the most modern and convenient ways to collect this critical data. However, before applying your preferred method, we strongly recommend checking its legality regarding your national and local laws.

Before choosing a method, it's important to understand three main principles that apply in most countries:

Privacy First. The collection of data that allows for personal identification is strictly regulated by laws. Your goal is to collect anonymized and aggregated data. That is, statistics about the flow, not video or photos of specific people.

Property Matters. Recording on private property (parking lots, mall entrances) requires the owner's permission. Recording from public land (sidewalks, streets) is usually more accessible but also has caveats. Check the law before you start.

Purpose Determines Method. Decide what you want to measure: total traffic, peak hours, approximate age, gender, dwell time. The shorter this list, the easier the measurement.

Professional Research Agencies. The Safest Path:

This is the most reliable way, which removes all legal risks from you.

How it works: You hire a specialized company that already has proven, legal methodologies and equipment for traffic counting.

What they provide: Detailed reports with traffic analysis by hour, day of the week, and season. They often combine this data with demographic information.

Pros: Complete legal cleanliness, professional analysis, saves your time.

Cons: The most expensive option.

AI-Based Computer Vision Counters. A Method for the Tech-Savvy:

In the modern world, AI successfully collects and processes various types of complex information. This technology is suitable for traffic data collection if it is permitted in your country/city, and you can handle the setup.

How it works: Cameras are installed that analyze video footage in real-time using AI algorithms. The raw video is immediately deleted, and only meta-information is saved: "person," "car," "time." The system does not recognize faces or license plates.

What you get: Aggregated data: "On Monday from 11:00 AM to 02:00 PM, 450 people passed by location X."

Why this method rarely faces legal problems: Since personal data is not collected or stored, this method often complies with strict GDPR and other laws, especially if a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is conducted.

Manual Counting:

How it works: This involves visual counting at a selected location during specific time intervals. You can do this yourself or hire temporary staff. For manual counting, you need to visit your point of interest at the same time intervals and record the flow of people, identifying your target audience.

Pros: This is the cheapest method compared to those mentioned above. It also provides a good understanding of peak loads.

Cons: This method has the largest margin of error.

Pro Tip: Before starting your traffic analysis, try contacting the owners of the property where you are considering opening your business virtual reality room. Large shopping malls and management companies often conduct their own traffic studies. This is a very valuable and reliable source of information.

When choosing the ideal place for your virtual reality franchise, it's crucial to consider not just foot traffic intensity but also the goals, mood, and willingness of the pedestrian flow to pay for entertainment.

BATTLE START VR arenas are attractive to customers of almost all ages, making this business very flexible. However, we still advise you to define your primary target audience. Based on these goals, you should choose your location.

Let's look at these examples:

Let's say you decide to open a large event center focused on family and children's celebrations. Which high-traffic locations would be completely unsuitable and why:

• A premises next to a large business center / office district.

High foot traffic? Yes, on weekdays, especially during lunch breaks and rush hour, it attracts thousands of office workers.

Why is the audience unsuitable?

The target audience isn't there: Children are at school during the day, and in the evening, they won't be brought to a deserted office district.

Mood mismatch: Office employees on a break look for quick coffee, lunch, or a quiet walk, not organizing kids parties. They think in terms of work, not children's entertainment.

Logistical problems: Difficult access, paid parking, lack of child-friendly infrastructure (cafes with kids' menus, safe pedestrian zones). It will be inconvenient for parents with strollers and groups of children.

• In close proximity to a major medical institution.

High foot traffic? Yes, huge. A constant stream of patients and visitors.

Why is the audience unsuitable?

Context excludes entertainment: People come to a medical institution with anxiety, stress, and poor health. Thoughts of celebration and fun are largely inappropriate here.

Parents are not in the right mood: A parent who has just waited in line with children to see a doctor is unlikely to want to take them to a noisy and active event immediately. Their goal is to get home as soon as possible.

Ethical dissonance: Proximity to a hospital creates negative associations. Advertising a children's party against the backdrop of people feeling unwell will seem insensitive and off-putting.

Now, here is another example.

Let's say your goal is to open a new vr arena focused on an adult audience that primarily chooses the best virtual reality games: free-roam shooters and quests from BATTLE START.

This means you need to target customers seeking adrenaline and willing to pay for it. Opening an arena in which of the following high-potential-traffic locations would be a mistake:

• Inside or immediately next to an elite spa complex.

High foot traffic? Yes, and the people themselves are a wealthy, solvent crowd.

Why is the audience unsuitable?

The complete opposite of the relaxation concept: Spa visitors come for relaxation, quiet, rest, and wellness. The shouts, gunfire, adrenaline, and physical activity from a new vr arena would grossly violate this atmosphere.

Mismatch of interests: The main audience of such places values tranquility. Your target audience is lovers of gadgets and action. Those kinds of people rarely visit spas.

Image conflict: Spa owners rarely want such a neighbor, and their clients may perceive the arena as an annoying hindrance to their rest.

• In a shopping mall focused on home goods and renovation.

High foot traffic? Very high, especially on weekends.

Why is the audience unsuitable, even though we always say malls are the most winning territory?

The Wrong Kind of Mall: Traditionally, such places attract a huge flow of people; the logic here isn't broken. But different malls have different focuses. If it's entertainment-focused, feel free to look for premises for your arena. But if it's about construction and renovation, you won't find enough of your target audience. People come to such centers with a specific practical goal—to buy building materials, furniture, and appliances. Their minds are occupied with renovation and furnishing, not leisure.

Non-target family composition: Often, these are couples 30+ with children who, during such a trip, try to finish their shopping quickly. Also, youth don't come to such malls to "hang out," meaning you'll lose a large stream of spontaneous clients.

Unsuitable mood: After several hours of choosing paints or tiles, a person is psychologically unprepared to switch to an intense gaming session. They are more likely to look for a food court than entertainment.

These examples clearly show that what matters is not just the flow of people, but the qualitative composition of that flow. Analyze your target audience requirements and look for a location where they are most commonly found.

As you can see, traffic analysis is not a complicated metric if you apply the right measurement tools.

In this article, we have gathered both obvious and non-obvious points to pay attention to.

Coupled with a strong marketing strategy, for which BATTLE START also provides consultations, all you have to do is launch and watch as your virtual reality arcade franchise becomes the main entertainment spot and starts generating profit.