• METRICS
  • BEHAVIOR
  • SITES
  • HUMAN

How to analyze retail foot traffic with your AI

Connect SafeGraph to your AI client to access location-specific movement data. You can then query specific sites for visitor volume and dwell time metrics.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I use AI to check retail foot traffic?

Your AI uses SafeGraph tools to pull historical visitor counts and dwell times for specific locations. You get a clear picture of how people move through a site and how long they stay. This breakdown shows you how to pull those metrics.

Data outcomes

Where your data lands.

The AI processes location identifiers and patterns to produce these specific outputs.

METRICS

Visitor volume reports

The AI pulls raw counts of people entering or leaving a site. You get a clean summary of traffic density over time.

BEHAVIOR

Dwell time analysis

Your agent calculates how long visitors stay at a specific location. This helps you understand engagement levels at different hours.

SITES

Location performance

The AI compares different sites by looking at their unique identifiers. You can see which locations are outperforming others.

HUMAN

Strategic decisions

The AI provides the data, but you decide if a location is worth a lease or a marketing push. You interpret the trends for your business.

The workflow

What your AI does when the data arrives.

The AI acts as a bridge between your questions and the SafeGraph dataset.

  1. Identify the site

    The AI finds the exact location you are interested in by looking up its unique identifier.

    lookup_placekey

  2. Find movement trends

    Once the site is identified, the AI looks for specific patterns in how people move around that area.

    lookup_place_patterns

  3. Calculate dwell time

    The AI uses the patterns to determine how long visitors spend at the location.

    lookup_place_patterns

  4. Summarize findings

    The AI converts the raw data into a readable format that answers your specific questions about site performance.

    lookup_place_patterns

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to begin your analysis.

Starting points

Replace the bracketed text with your actual target locations or timeframes.

SafeGraph GraphQL API Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_k1VELw4KIkAhLWgPfwAjiTkVivxf9F11OxjjYZy2/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — SafeGraph GraphQL API capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "safegraph-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_k1VELw4KIkAhLWgPfwAjiTkVivxf9F11OxjjYZy2/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Get the visitor volume and dwell time for the location with this placekey: [insert key].

  • Analyze the foot traffic patterns for [insert address] to see when it is busiest.

  • Compare the visitor density of [Location A] against [Location B] using their placekeys.

  • Show me the historical dwell time trends for [insert store name] over the last month.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect SafeGraph once, then ask.

You only need to link your account once. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can immediately start asking questions about retail data.

Connect SafeGraph to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves.

  • 01

    Can the AI change my SafeGraph account settings?

    No. The AI can only read data using the provided tools; it cannot modify your account or settings.

  • 02

    Can I use this to predict future foot traffic?

    No. The tools only allow the AI to pull historical data. It cannot generate future predictions.

  • 03

    Does the AI need a placekey to find a location?

    It helps. While you can search by other details, using a placekey is the most direct way for the AI to find the right data.

  • 04

    Can the AI delete my historical data reports?

    No. The AI has no capability to delete or overwrite any data in SafeGraph.

  • 05

    Will the AI automatically buy data for me?

    No. The AI only accesses the data you already have permission to view through your connection.

  • More questions about SafeGraph? The Connector page answers them. See everything the SafeGraph Connector can do

Connect SafeGraph GraphQL API to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more