Research: Video Surveillance In Transportation, Retail Sectors Set To Take Off
Security is the best-known application of video surveillance, but by no means the only one. Transportation systems and retail are both promising markets for video surveillance, where its uses extend to legal liability prevention, customer behavior analysis and store design.
Global spending on video surveillance for transportation markets will jump from about $630 million in 2006 to a projected $2 billion in 2013, while retail will account for a spending rise from about $1 billion in 2006 to almost $4 billion in 2013.
“Transportation and retail activities are found in every populated region, so video surveillance markets in both segments are poised for terrific growth,” said ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt.
We have come to expect security-related video surveillance in airports, but railways, buses, and port facilities are equally important, and often overlooked, markets. Buses, for example, may have video surveillance cameras facing both out and in, to provide documentation of any accidents and to disprove any spurious claims for “injuries.”
“Shoplifting prevention came first in the retail environment,” Schatt said. “But new video surveillance technologies enable market research, so funding for such systems will be available from sales and marketing budgets.”
Better cameras and new software mean an ability to determine what kinds of retail display are most effective. They track items that are picked up and then put down. They can also analyze traffic patterns within a store, allowing optimal layout.
“I also see a huge potential market down the road for managed video surveillance services,” Schatt said. “Marketing departments aren’t interested in the technology, just the results, and IT departments frequently don’t really want to get involved.”