Why a sound threat deterrence strategy is vital for retail security
Any defence in the face of security threats is only as good as the security strategy over which it is built on. If the strategy is weak, so will be the security solution. And when it comes to choosing a retail security solution, one must weigh the overall security strategy that the solution supports.
Retail stores across UK, Europe, and the US are reporting steep losses owing to shoplifting. Given how widespread the problem is, several vendors have developed solutions based on what they consider would be the right strategy for protecting the store staff, genuine customers as well as the business in general.
Do we understand the shoplifter’s mindset?
Genuine customers queue up at the counter to make payments for the items placed in their shopping carts. However, it would be a folly to expect a regular shoplifter to show up at the counter, especially when the shoplifter’s goal is to quickly pick up items of interest and make a swift exit, without paying for the same. This implies that all the technology that is currently in use at the store counter, be it self-checkout or otherwise, is being skipped.
How about focusing on the shelves and the aisles?
Most retail stores have CCTVs monitoring the shelves that house the merchandise. However, the shoplifting graph is painting a bleak picture year over year, even though CCTVs have been in use for over a decade in retail stores. Almost all instances of shoplifting are caught post fact, relegating CCTV surveillance to a passive mode of defence at best.
What about complex human behaviour?
As retail stores are increasing their technology investments, shoplifters are also getting creative with their ways to steal. For instance, shoplifters are increasingly concealing items in their clothing or bags. Customer actions – such as switching items while scanning at the SCO, missing scans, stacking items while scanning to pay for only one item, and exiting the store without making a payment – are constantly evolving.
Another cause of grave concern for retail chains is that some of the regular genuine shoppers are now getting involved in casual shoplifting due to the perception that the chances of them getting caught and punished are low.
The ideal technology solution
Given the varied complexity levels and types of threats, the right choice would be a cost-effective Visual AI solution that can analyse the CCTV feeds from the store counter, SCO, and the aisles, and detect all these types of threat variants and behaviours.
SAI Group has adopted this holistic strategy and has considered all these types of threats and behaviours. The SAI visual AI platform can work with existing CCTV infrastructure and deliver return on investment within the first year itself.
The AI-powered platform is designed in a humane manner and gives sufficient opportunities to the customer to correct any anomalies that are detected in the aisles or at the counters. As the platform sends live alerts to the handheld devices of the store personnel, it offers a comprehensive view of the nature of threat or event and provides the store staff ample time to make meaningful and friendly interventions.
The platform greatly simplifies the aspect to crime reporting as it provides legally admissible video evidence on incidents, a huge timesaver for the store staff who currently need to wade through hours of footage to identify and extract the footage of interest.
The SAI visual AI platform also tracks the health of the CCTV systems and sends automated alerts to CCTV maintenance companies when issues are detected. The visual AI platform is currently live at hundreds of stores belonging to 3 of the top 10 retailers in the UK.
About SAI
As a leader in computer vision technology, SAI Group delivers cutting-edge, multi-modal AI solutions into retail environments. Using a unique platform approach, its technology uses existing camera systems to target losses, increase store safety, and underpin operational efficiencies.
All solutions are built from the ground up to ensure the highest levels of security and data protection, respecting the privacy expectations of the public and operating to stringent ethical standards while delivering substantial value to our clients. Globally, SAI monitors millions of transactions per day, protecting the revenues from tens of millions of product sales and hundreds of millions of customer interactions. Its models also accurately identify anti-social behaviour, aggression and violence, helping to de-escalate situations with real-time interfaces to security officers and operations centres.
