Black Friday 2021 The best devices to prepare your retail security with

After a non-eventual year in 2020, there is much hope that the retail sector will pick up in time for the festive season – heralded as it is nowadays by the arrival of Black Friday (26th November). The UK missed out last year due to the second nationwide COVID lockdown, so shoppers are primed to be ready to get some great deals.

While a busy store is always great news, how can you, as a retailer, ensure that your customers have a safe, fun shopping experience while you stay atop of your security? This is where, as retail security experts, we can help.

Read on to learn how you can protect your store and everyone (and everything) within it this festive season and beyond.

Why Black Friday requires a fresh look at retail security

Held over the final weekend before the start of December, Black Friday will often lead to more foot traffic into stores attracted by the great deals on offer. If you also factor in the advice given to people to shop early for Christmas this year (due to the strain on the supply chain), this Black Friday could well be the busiest one yet. While this is great news on one hand, it raises security concerns on the other.

The issue is that you need to be mindful of who is coming into your store – you simply do not know what anyone's intentions are as soon as they step over the threshold. With the shop floor being busier than usual and staff levels stretched during the festive period, opportunities will exist for anyone with nefarious intentions to steal.

While it's absolutely vital to put retail security measures in place, it should be remembered that having an overbearing, watchful environment may leave genuine customers feeling like they're constantly being observed. This doesn't just have the potential to put them off spending any decent amount of time on the shop floor, it also gives them a sense that the store is easy to steal from – potentially damaging its reputation in the long-run.

So, what's the solution? You need the increase in footfall, but you also need to be able to manage the security effectively. Then again, you cannot create an overbearing environment; you want to have a positive, open environment where everyone is welcome. So, what's the solution?

The right security solutions for your store

A great way to create that ideal balance of 'watching yet welcoming' for your store is through the use of EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance). EAS retail security systems can be installed next to the doors of a store and are designed to track product tags as they're taken through a designated monitoring field – an alarm will sound if so. These systems offer a better way of keeping an eye on products, without you having to assign staff to physically watch over people. Instead, you will be able to effectively manage staffing levels, placing them in areas where their presence is badly needed.

There are generally three main types of EAS systems that any retailer should consider. These are:

Pedestal systems

A pedestal system is designed to fit at the front of your premises, by the doors and exits. They are designed to prevent shoplifting by sensing tags that have been placed on products, to stop them from being taken through the area in which the pedestals are installed. If an item with a tag is taken through – a security alarm sounds. The tags can be deactivated or removed at the point of purchase.

Underfloor systems

An underfloor system is a more discreet type of retail security system that can be hidden under floors (or a mat), to prevent potential shoplifters from knowing you have a security system in place at the store. This is especially helpful, for example, if you don't have the space inside your store to install other security systems, or if you don't want other visitors to be alarmed by visible security systems, which may make them feel uncomfortable. It will, however, still present you with an ideal opportunity to prevent shoplifting.

Concealed/Loop door systems

Popular amongst many retailers, concealed door (often also called 'loop') security systems are installed on the points of exit of a store to prevent shoplifters from leaving with products that have been electronically tagged. When a person steps in between the system with a tag, the alarm will go off, alerting you.

Designed to be more concealed than pedestal systems, they are an effective way of detecting theft without the need to use space that you can't afford to lose, which the bigger, more visible security systems do. With the tags able to be detached or deactivated at the point of purchase, it also won't affect the feeling of your genuine customers as they pass through the same system.

Whatever you have in mind for your retail security this festive season and beyond, be sure that you are equipped with all the information you need to make the right decision. Here at Tagmax, we can offer all the advice you need to do so.

Tagmax: A one-stop-shop for all your retail security requirements

We are retail security experts who have spent many years fitting out stores across the UK with the very latest EAS security systems. Aside from keeping up with the latest trends and building relationships with some of the industry's biggest manufacturers, we have been innovating products of our own too.

To learn more about this – or any EAS retail security device in general – why not get in touch with us for an informal chat today? Give us a call on 0800 044 3160 or send any e-mail enquiries to sales@tagmax.com and we'll get in touch as soon as possible