Making a weekly trip to the grocery store has become like entering full on combat. Kitted out in our face masks, surgical gloves and full-length sleeves, we've become super vigilant when visiting the store. However, there is merit in this added level of caution. As we know, supermarkets can be a potential hotspot for COVID-19 infections.
Nevertheless, there seems to be a missing science in determining how busy a shopping centre will be before heading out from home. At any given time there may be no more than a few people mulling around. On the other hand, there may be what seems like a horde of bodies waiting in line to do their shopping. This not only increases anxiety in many of us, but may play a key factor in the spike of COVID-19 infections. So how can you tell when and where to do your grocery shopping?
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ShopSafe App
Data analytics company, Lightstone and Tracker recently launched the ShopSafe app, which provides consumers with up-to-date information on vehicle attendance at their chosen shopping destinations. Their website application is mobile-friendly, so you can use it on the go. Using your geo-location, the app provides a comprehensive analysis on the number of visits each hour of a seven day week to your nearest shopping centre. Aimed at minimising the number of COVID-19 related risks to consumers, the app helps you to find the least busy time to shop in your area. The data is updated weekly to accurately reflect changing dynamics and help keep you safe using Tracker's aggregated and anonymised data. This data includes around 1 300 shopping centres from across South Africa. "The aim of lockdown is to minimise our exposure to other people, to ensure the risk of the virus spreading is as low as possible," says Michael du Preez, Head of Product and Marketing at Tracker. "ShopSafe will provide you with a view of when and where it's safest to do your next shopping trip to reduce exposure to a crowded space." [caption id="attachment_112805" align="alignnone" width="660"] https://www.freepik.com/evening-tao[/caption]
How It Works
There are a few different ways to access the required information related to the shopping mall you would like to view.- The app will prompt you to identify your location. Click allow.
- Put your latitude and longitude into the relevant fields.
- Choose the shopping centre that you are interested in from the drop-down list.
