Retail Security

Retailers increasingly need to be aware of the rising threat of crime and loss to their business. As with any industry sector, the objective is to maximize profits through reducing theft or shrinkage. Loss rates were highest in the retail sector; therefore retail security has come to the forefront of every retailer’s agenda. Tackling the problem with the most fitting systems will be crucial to preventing any unnecessary losses.

Retailers are seeking more advanced and integrated security technology solutions to help reduce losses, lower costs, and keep prices down. Employee theft accounts for the highest amount of losses. With many retailers already using cameras, new and continuing trends are required to give retailers more flexibility in recording and reviewing events.

In the forthcoming issues of Global Retail Management (GRM) in 2009, we will focus on retail security and the various technologies available to prevent administrative errors, shoplifting, shrinkage, vandalism, and customer or employee theft online or offline.

The types of retail security systems that retailers are employing involve newer, more sophisticated technologies. Retailers need to start tailoring and integrating retail security solutions in order to provide the most effective form of security.

Solutions include:

Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS)
Pre-employment screening
Access control systems
CCTV, monitoring and video surveillance equipment,
RFID, anti-theft tags, alarms,
E-commerce security
Audits and reporting
Physical or electronic retail security systems.

Topics for Discussion in 2009:

Integration of security systems into a single-management platform such as loss-prevention hardware and POS software
Single agent: are all-in-one security suites really the wave of the future?
Video surveillance, sales analytics, and tagging: valuable methods in the fight against shrinkage?
Loss prevention through environmental design: Proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime, and an improvement in the quality of life.
Business intelligence: the driving force behind video analytics in retail, making it easier for retailers to collect and analyze point-of-sale data to help limit losses and improve overall efficiency.