Intelligent video surveillance solutions with easy set-up offer new ways for retailers to cost-effectively protect employees, customers and profits, says Kevin Darnell, Senior Business Development Manager at Hanwha Vision America.
Retailers today are challenged to do more often with fewer resources and they require more effective loss prevention and asset protection solutions.
Intelligent video surveillance options that combine image quality, performance and analytics are meeting retailers’ needs for safety, security and shrink management while delivering new insights into every aspect of a retail operation.
Retailers are focused on providing the best possible experience for customers and employees – from maximizing merchandise placement to ensuring minimal wait times at the checkout lines to providing a safe and welcoming environment.
To achieve those goals, more stores are turning to security and video surveillance solutions.
Having “eyes-on” visibility and 24/7 situational awareness through intelligent advanced video surveillance solutions is more important than ever, helping stores save money, manage assets, reduce risk, increase operational efficiency and deter crime.
Common security challenges such as theft, robbery and inventory shrink are all significant issues.
In fact, retail theft has dramatically increased in recent years as a significant challenge, well as shopper/employee safety and cybersecurity.
Retailers are increasingly using technology with edge analytics, audio technology and business intelligence applications to proactively respond to a situation or preempt and deescalate a situation.
Video surveillance technology has changed considerably over the last few years with recent breakthroughs in digital imaging technology, new uses for AI and multi-channel, multidirectional camera models.
In addition to the challenges posed by traditional theft, retailers are also increasingly having to deal with the rise of organized retail crime (ORC).
This is often accompanied by a range of other criminal activities including shoplifting, burglary, fraud and even assault.
The impact of ORC is significant, costing retailers billions of dollars annually and disrupting operations and supply chains.
To combat this growing threat, retailers are turning to solutions from partners they can trust to provide equipment designed directly to impact this type of crime.
Coupled with covert door jamb technology, certain cameras have been able to capture clear and detailed images of individuals involved in ORC incidents.
High-quality images can provide law enforcement with invaluable evidence for prosecution, enabling them to identify and apprehend suspects more effectively.
By leveraging this type of technology, retailers can not only deter potential criminals but also enhance the likelihood of successful prosecution, ultimately helping to mitigate the impact of ORC on their businesses and communities.
Other significant threats to retailers across the US include inventory loss from theft, fraud or error.
The retail industry loses billions of dollars annually to inventory loss, with analysts estimating the annual number to be around $100 billion.
Deploying a video surveillance system with built-in data analytics can help retailers identify shoplifters, track stolen items and even proactively prevent recurring incidents.
There has been a growing shift in the retail industry away from traditional on-premise servers and network video recorders (NVRs) toward cloud-based solutions.
Retailers can now deploy self-contained systems while fully realizing the potential of edge storage, multi-camera recording, remote access and on-premise security system management.
It’s important for retailers to easily customize and grow their video surveillance systems based on their specific needs.
Intelligent video surveillance and AI technology also helps retailers be proactive when it comes to in-store shrinkage.
From the checkout lines, entrances, exits and aisles to stock rooms, staff areas, loading docks and parking lots, retailers can actively deter crime or any suspicious activity by letting everyone entering the store know the entire retail space is being recorded and monitored.
Retail success is based on getting shoppers into a store, keeping them there and making the most out of their visit, ultimately leading to a purchase.
The sales floor must be arranged properly and efficiently, with every inch of that valuable real estate used to guide customers to the prime merchandise.
Operators can use intelligent video surveillance to enhance customer service by comparing traffic patterns against staffing levels, monitoring customer service issues, improving employee time management and analyzing customer traffic patterns to ensure merchandise is visible and properly displayed.
If the store becomes too crowded, staff can be alerted to open more registers, which helps reduce the number of people checking out at each station.
This reduces long check-out lines or customer service wait times and ensures in-store staff are properly positioned to assist customers.
New video surveillance technology allows specialty cameras to be customized for every area within a retail operation: entrances and exits, parking garages, loading zones or any area where suspicious activity may occur.
Public viewing monitors can assist in actively deterring retail crime and scalable IP video management and NVR solutions let retailers view forensic evidence from anywhere with an internet connection.
Cameras with industry-leading low-light performance and wide dynamic range capabilities can monitor and capture large areas.
Durable vandal-resistant dome and bullet-style cameras can be equipped with loitering detection analytics, and license plate recognition technology can track and log vehicles entering and exiting retail premises.
Retailers can view two areas with a single dual-head, multi-sensor camera installation, complemented by onboard queue management analytics customized to alert managers and staff to long lines.
New AI technology has added the power to do people-counting, body temperature detection, object detection, license plate recognition, behavioral observations and any number of actionable business functions.
Retailers can easily and discreetly view an entire store floor with a single high-resolution fisheye camera or follow specific areas with micro-pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras.
Compact dome cameras maintain a store’s aesthetics, while license-free video and audio analytics easily monitor activity in multiple areas.
The right video surveillance solutions are scalable to fit the needs of any retail operation and easily allow for growth.
One sample retail scenario is placing a primary camera over the register in a retail location, with another camera positioned toward the front door.
The user can build from there with cameras at various positions that can include rear entrances, delivery entrances or employee break areas.
It’s all about providing the best possible environment for customers and employees.
Whether customers visit a store in-person or online, delivering a positive shopping experience is the key factor in determining not only if they make a purchase or not, but if they return to a store over the long term.
Kevin Darnell, Senior Business Development Manager at Hanwha Vision America, has more than three decades of experience in the retail sector.
Since joining Hanwha in 2021, he has served as a liaison between retailers and the CCTV industry, effectively communicating pertinent issues and trends that impact the retail landscape.
Kevin is available to offer guidance on streamlining processes through the implementation of CCTV technology and can be reached at [email protected].
This article was originally published in the June edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.