Running your own retail operation can be a rewarding pursuit – the challenge of acquiring products that will be enjoyed by customers should be relished. The caveat to this though is the prospect of these pursuits not working out, leading to financial shortfall – and often, it isn't always due to the products not being purchased that leads to a loss.
The most recent annual statistics by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) indicate that retail crime costs the British economy upwards of £700[i]– theft and shoplifting being a major factor. Clearly, store owners need to be applying better retail loss prevention to ensure that their business isn't affected.
This is where we can help. Here at Tagmax, we are retail security specialists who have spent over 20 years helping all manner of store owners to improve their security. Through our range of devices and the different techniques we employ, we can offer you the opportunity to create a safe and secure shopping environment. This not only helps to save you on the cost of retail crime but also allows your staff and customers to enjoy their time in your store too.
How retail loss prevention helps to curb crime
The often-overlooked benefit of improving the security aspect of a retail store is to promote that safe and secure environment. Whilst the theft of products will cause a short-term financial hit, the prospect of customers being 'put off' shopping in a store that has grown a reputation for being 'easy to steal from' will heavily affect long-term profits too.
If customers understand they are shopping in a safe environment, one in which they are able to access help from staff, they will be far more likely to place value on the store they're shopping in. This is crucial in attaining their long-term custom; affecting long-term profits in a positive sense.
Then there are staff to think about too. Everyone should be able to feel safe and secure at work, not constantly 'on edge', having been charged with watching out for any incidents, creating an 'overly watched' environment in the minds of customers. Retail loss prevention techniques can help staff to not just ensure the security of everything (and everyone) in-store, but also allow them to go about their primary roles without the pressure of having to constantly keep an eye out.
To treat these issues, it's vital to understand why theft happens in the first place:
Why Does Shoplifting and Theft Happen?
When we talk about retail security in general, thoughts will immediately go towards CCTV cameras that monitor particular areas of the store. Whilst CCTV has indeed been a retail loss prevention help, identifying perpetrators of crime for many years, the trouble is that as time has grown old, so have the cameras.
This maybe something that store visitors with bad intentions have picked up on; regardless of them being seen on CCTV, they know that the system's image quality isn't great and/or the speed of which it operates at will see them long gone before the store can react. Then there are the monitoring and scalability issues presented by older, stationary cameras – particularly determined shoplifters can work out 'black spot' areas that the cameras cannot see.
It should also be considered that most shoplifting incidents occur because of opportunism;if anyone with nefarious intentions sees a chance to take an item without being detected, they'll take it. Although loss prevention devices are designed to detect and monitor, they are predominantly used as a deterrent. If the store does not have any deterrents in place, or draw attention to them, this will provide opportunists with the chance to steal.
The Retail Security Devices That Can Help
Thankfully, time allows us to learn and improve. Today, we can safely say that these particular issues are fading away. With a modern high-definition system that can work in a fully scalable network, an operator to see in-depth images of every inch of floorspace in the store. HD security cameras can zoom in and read a label stuck on the packaging and even measure footfall, such is the quality of the images.Then there are its storage and viewing capabilities that offer the ultimate security; gone are the expensive tapes and hard drives, footage can be stored virtually, on The Cloud and can be accessed at any time (or live) via any internet-connected device. So no longer will a retailer have to worry about the security, of their security footage!
It isn't just CCTV that provides a strident retail loss prevention method, of course. EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) gates have been common sights in many different stores throughout the years. They offer a tried, tested and cost-effective method of protecting particularly high-value or popular products. The addition of a tag on these products can be picked up by the gate's monitoring system, which 'looks out' for the tag passing through its field of monitoring. Whilst the technology hasn't changed that much over the years, a more-modern system is able to offer a much wider field of monitoring;presenting the retailer with more customisation when it comes to organising the layout of the store. So you could say that retail loss prevention devices aren't just for security.
Improve your retail security systems
Here at Tagmax, we work with some of the most innovative and well-respected security device manufacturers and as a result, are able to present a wide range of different products that will allow you to create your ideal security infrastructure. Regardless if you're looking for EAS gates, a single IP camera to act as a conduit or a whole host of cameras to establish an assured network, we can advise and supply you with whatever you need to protect your stock.
If you would like more information on how we are able to put in place a bespoke retail loss prevention system for your business, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today. Give us a call on 0800 044 3160 or 07770 870 875 or alternatively, you can send us an e-mail at sales@tagmax.co.uk
[i] https://realbusiness.co.uk/price-tag-700m-put-uks-rising-retail-crime/