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From parking lots to sales floors: How digitalization transforms Colombia's leading supermarket group
Éxito, Colombia's premier supermarket chain, has deployed Hikvision's smart parking and retail intelligence systems across 27 stores nationwide. The implementation automates parking management, enhances security, and provides real-time operational insights while dramatically reducing costs.
Colombia's largest supermarket group, Grupo Éxito operates an extensive network of stores serving communities across the nation. With increasing customer expectations and the need to optimize operations, they set out to modernize their parking and retail intelligence infrastructures to deliver enhanced shopping experiences to their customers.
Éxito's parking facilities used to rely on manual processes that required significant staffing. Employees were stationed at each location to manually input license plates, manage traffic flow, collect payments and operate the barriers. Not only was this approach labor-intensive, but it created bottlenecks during peak hours.
"We wanted to create a unified experience across all our locations," explained Carlos Mario, the Head of the Technology Department at Éxito. "Our goal was to implement technology that would not only streamline parking but also help us understand our customers better and serve them more effectively."
Beyond parking, Éxito sought to implement intelligent features across their retail environments. Their goal was to use advanced analytics for counting people, security monitoring, and customer flow analysis. They recognized that capabilities such as these would enable them to allocate resources better, enhance security, and ultimately drive business growth through data-driven decision-making.
Working with system integrator Equipark, Éxito has now deployed comprehensive new parking solutions across their entire 27-store network. Featuring Hikvision's All-in-One E&E Machines (DS-TMC407-EHR/3m), barrier gates (DS-TMG520-H), and ANPR cameras (DS-TCG405-E), each location has three entrance and exit lanes, with around the same number of All-in-One Entry & Exit (E&E) machines and three automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras per store.
The All-in-One E&E Machines combine multiple functions into a single unit, including fast-speed barrier gates, cameras, LCD displays, anti-fall radar, help buttons, and two-way audio communication. This integration simplifies installation and maintenance while delivering robust performance.
Their 21.5-inch LCD screens welcome customers, displays license plate information, and shows promotional content. Their cameras automatically recognize license plates, enabling smooth entry and exit without manual intervention. The devices use video and radar detection to manage vehicle queues intelligently, keeping boom poles raised during busy periods to prevent congestion. When customers need assistance, the two-way audio system connects them directly with support staff for quick problem resolution.
The new parking system has eliminated the need for manual operations that once required extensive staffing. The HikCentral Professional platform is now seamlessly integrated with Equipark’s Ipark software, creating a unified solution that connects Hikvision hardware with Éxito’s parking management system. This setup supports various parking needs. For example, employees enjoy pre-registered complimentary access, shoppers can receive discounts by scanning their receipts, and visitors to nearby businesses—such as gyms and retail outlets—can be easily accommodated.
"The transformation has been remarkable," says Mario. "Where we previously needed staff at every entrance and exit to manually record plates and manage access, the automated system now handles everything. Our customers noticed the difference as soon as the new system was installed."
Éxito's innovation extends beyond the parking lot. Working with integrator Miro Seguridad, the company deployed comprehensive smart retail solutions throughout their stores to enhance security and gather valuable business intelligence.
Each store now has approximately six Dual-Lens People Counting Network Cameras (DS-2CD6825G0/C-IVS) installed at all entrances to detect customer flow patterns throughout the day. These insights allow store managers to optimize staffing levels based on actual traffic, ensuring adequate coverage during peak hours while managing costs efficiently. In other words, they can now make data-driven decisions about resource allocation rather than relying on estimates.
The deployment also includes around four DeepinView Fisheye Network Cameras (DS-2CD63C5G0-IVS(1.29mm)/Retail) per store. These cameras are equipped with deep learning algorithms that generate detailed heat maps which identify the shelves and product categories that attract the most customer attention at different times. Again, this provides actionable intelligence for merchandising decisions. "The heat map analytics have given us unprecedented insights into shopping patterns," says Mario. "These have helped us optimize product placement and maximize sales opportunities."
Additionally, six DeepinView Indoor Moto Varifocal Dome Cameras (iDS-2CD7146G0-IZS(2.8-12mm)/Retail) provide comprehensive video security coverage in the stores. All devices connect to HikCentral Professional, giving Éxito a centralized platform for video security, device management, and customer intelligence analytics. It’s a unified approach that simplifies operations and enables quick decision-making across the entire store network.
The 27-store deployment represents one of the largest integrated retail technology implementations in Colombia's supermarket sector. By eliminating over $100,000 in monthly parking management expenses and consolidating parking, security, and analytics onto a single platform, Éxito has fundamentally improved operational efficiency whilst enhancing customer service at the same time. This deployment stands as a defining example of how AIoT (AI-powered Internet of Things) technology is transforming retail across Latin America, proving that intelligent, interconnected systems deliver real business value at scale.
To learn more about Hikvision’s smart retail solutions, please visit our official website.
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