Theft and burglary in any business, especially during the holiday season, are disruptive and destructive to your bottom line. Unfortunately, a lot of people will take advantage of the busy season to con, steal, and lift from people and shops.
According to a 2009 retail survey, the average shoplifter takes away $438 worth from a shop. The chances of being caught back then was a mere 1:48. These statistics add up to billions of dollars lost to shoplifting in the US alone every single year. Even if the thief only manages to walk out with $100 worth of items, it is still a big loss to any business. Imagine if you were in retail and you had a 10% margin for each sale. It would take you $1,000 in sales to recover that $100-loss.
Increasing your security is crucial especially this season. Where armed security service is unnecessary, technology can take over. Here are a few simple technological devices that can help protect your business from thefts and burglaries.
7 Ways Technology Can Help Protect Your Business from Thefts and Burglaries
1. Smart Inventory Management Systems
Smart and regular monitoring of stocks and inventory is a great way of dealing with theft. Staying on top of your inventory, keeping a close eye on it, and monitoring your stock counts and discrepancies help reduce the chances of shoplifting and theft in stores.
Technologies such as a smart barcode scanner and integrating user permission levels on your POS system are a few examples of this type of technological security.
2. Merchandise Security Devices
If you are in the retail business and you’re selling high-end items such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other similar stuff, merchandise security devices are repellants against theft. These devices allow customers to test the products without the temptation of running away with them as the items remain tethered to your display set-up. You can choose from a wide array of merchandise security items that applies to the products you’re selling.
3. Theft-Prevention Educational Materials
One of the best and most effective ways to fight theft is a constant education of your staff about the latest in anti-theft procedures and best practices for loss prevention. Investing in eLearning programs and modules that cover this topic can help equip and empower your team to secure your business from all angles leaving very little to chance.
These courses can be provided at the onset of their employment while additional refresher courses and training sessions about the latest in security tech and best practices can be provided at any given time.
4. Signages and Posters
Although almost everyone is aware that all shops and businesses have some form of surveillance and that they’re being watched, having signages and posters up on key places can help deter would-be thieves from trying anything in your shop. Putting up posters that clearly state the consequences of shoplifting sends a signal to them that you take security and safety seriously.
5. Electronic Article Surveillance
An electronic article surveillance device, or EAS, is one of the most effective ways of preventing theft from shops. These devices are special pieces of equipment that come in different forms such as labels, tags, spider tags, antennas, and other similar detection devices. These things are then attached to products in a store and use different combinations of sensors, electromagnetic tech, radiofrequency, and detectors that can easily identify if a person is trying to smuggle a particular item out and alerts you and your security team.
6. Security Cameras and Video Analytics
Surveillance cams, such as CCTV cameras, strategically placed inside and outside your store can help stave off thieves and burglars, especially if you use cameras that have facial recognition features. These types of cameras easily identify known thieves as they can access the existing criminal database and match the thieves against it.
You can turn up the security in your shop when you pair your security cameras with video analytics software that can pick up any suspicious movement in and around your shop. Once it detects something fishy, the system will automatically alert you.
7. Improved Lighting
Although it isn’t given that much thought security-wise, lighting is an important aspect of keeping your business safe and secure. Burglaries take place in the middle of the night and in most cases, businesses and establishments that have poor lighting conditions in and around them are the ones that are typically hit. Make some lighting improvements in and outside your shop to keep it visibly clear at night. This will help lessen the chances of your business getting robbed.
We hope you find this article helpful in keeping your business safe and secure. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday season.