Dwell Time
The average amount of time a shopper spends in a store, department, or in front of a specific fixture during a single visit.
Full Definition
Dwell time is a shopper behavior metric captured through video analytics, Wi-Fi sensing, or loyalty app data, used to assess customer engagement with store environments or specific product displays. Higher dwell time in a category is generally associated with greater purchase consideration, though excessive dwell near checkouts may indicate friction rather than engagement. Retailers use dwell time alongside conversion rate and basket size to evaluate the effectiveness of store layouts and visual merchandising. Editors should hyphenate 'dwell time' only when it is used as a compound modifier (e.g., 'dwell-time data'); otherwise, it remains two words.
Usage
Usage note: Two words as a noun phrase. Hyphenate as a modifier: 'dwell-time measurement.' Do not confuse with 'visit frequency,' which counts how often a shopper visits rather than how long they stay.
In Context
- "Dwell time in the wine section increased by 22 seconds after the introduction of the digital shelf-edge recommendation screens." — In-store analytics report
- "The analytics team correlated dwell time with basket size at the aisle level to identify high-opportunity fixture locations." — Merchandising analytics study