Inventory discrepancies and theft are always an important topic in stationary retail. Every year, theEHI looks at the changesin the industry and the associated challenges with a study. New technologies and digital services at the PoS also mean that new prevention measures have to be taken. Theft prevention consists of three important components: the psychological, the technological and the human component.
Psychological Component
Psychological measures can prevent customers from committing shoplifting in the first place. It is important that honest customers are not scared away by these measures, but potential shoplifters are identified and prevented from stealing.
Clear instructions and visual cues make it clear how to use Scan & Go. Vivid visualizations in stores can reduce incorrect scans. Spot checks ensure increased security. Customers' knowledge that they may be asked to perform spot checks is an effective and reliable means of theft prevention.
Potentially, communicating the seriousness of retail crime and its consequences can have a deterrent effect.
Technological Component
In addition to psychological measures, technological theft prevention is also of great importance in Scan & Go. Re-scanning of products goes hand in hand with the spot checks already mentioned and is an effective means of preventing shoplifting. Intelligent algorithms can be used to focus these re-scans on specific risk groups so as not to disrupt the shopping flow of potential honest shoppers. Customers can be evaluated by staff based on their shopping behavior and verified by a re-scan. The staff is supported by a technical assistant. The Snabble Checkout Supervisor for staff helps analyze shopping carts based on predefined triggers and thus optimizes the re-scan process.
Another helpful technological measure is special checkout areas: once customers have completed their shopping, they are then guided out of the store through a separate checkout area. QR code scanners and gates can be placed there. After successful payment, customers receive a QR code that opens the gate after scanning it on a pillar. In addition, this area significantly increases the attractiveness of Scan & Go compared to the usual checkouts.
Human Component
People are an indispensable component of theft prevention. Attentive employees are one of the most effective means of combating theft, irrespective of Scan & Go and other digital services. According to the EHI Retail Institute, training and continuing education for employees are therefore among the top investments made by many retailers to prevent inventory discrepancies.
Since self-checkout eliminates manned checkouts, it frees up human resources. These personnel can be deployed as supervisors. They help customers in an advisory capacity on the store floor and improve service performance. At the same time, the sole presence of staff helps to curb possible shoplifting.
Trained supervisors are also highly effective in the checkout area. They improve the scan and go experience for first-time users or provide assistance for technology-illiterate customers. They are also a great barrier to potential theft. The Snabble Checkout Supervisor as a supporting technology helps staff to keep track of what is happening in the store at all times.
Closing Words
A good theft prevention strategy consists of a combination of the three components. Each component plays an important role in signaling to potential perpetrators before they commit the crime: "Not with us!"
In terms of the technological component, Snabble offers many supporting tools and measures that are integrated in the Snabble Self-Checkout Cloud. In communication workshops, merchant:ins are given experience and recommendations for the psychological component of theft prevention. Want to learn more? -Book a demo.
