Now there's nothing wrong with looking at technological solutions (we're big believers in things like retail security systems, source tagging, RFID tags and NFC labels) but sometimes simple solutions can work well in conjunction with a technological one.
Basic anti-theft solutions usually require less training and troubleshooting than high-tech tools, however, the best overall strategy for optimal theft reduction is a combination of several loss prevention techniques.
If you don’t have a retail security system installed, we’d love to talk to you. Feel free to give us a call on 1800 077 375. If you’re looking for ideas about how to reduce theft attempts in your store, keep reading!
#1 Greet customers personally
Many shopstealers want to remain low key or anonymous, this makes it more difficult to spot them or identify them if the time comes where they’re caught and charged.
By getting staff to look into customers eyes and greet them, this lets every customer know that they have been seen and could be identified. This can be enough to put some would be shopstealers off. The other advantage is that it’s good customer service!
#2 Get pedantic about being neat
One of the easiest ways to tell if something has been stolen is to be able to see it missing from your shelves. This is difficult to do if your store is cluttered, unorganised and messy. If you keep all your products in neat rows and pulled to the edge of the shelf, it’s much easier to notice when something is missing. Having a solid wall of products means that you can easily glance along your shelves and see what’s been moved or taken.
#3 Create a secret code with your employees
Having a secret code for your employees to use when someone is acting suspiciously is a way to alert staff without letting the potential thief know you’re on to them. This can be as simple as something along the lines of “Michael, you have a phone call on line 4” (staff should know there’s no Michael on line four in the store) or “operations to the front desk please”.
Whatever your code is it should be vague enough as not to alert any potential thieves that you’re watching them. They should also be easy to remember so keep them simple.
#4 Keep the lights on
Making sure there’s no dark corners or poorly lit areas can help with reducing theft attempts. Shopstealers like to stay hidden so it makes sense they look for any weak points in a store to help them commit a crime. Replacing broken or blown bulbs straight away and ensuring you have even lighting across the store, will help with visibility for staff and customers as well as keeping dark deeds in dark corners at bay.
#5 Reusable Zip-it Bags
If you have high value / small sized items in your store, there’s a good chance that thieves are going to target these. An affordable way to ensure that these items are secure whilst still giving customers a positive retail experience is to use Zip-it bags.
These are easy to integrate into your current retail environment and enable products to be protected whilst still being highly visible.
#6 lines of sight are important
If your staff can easily see what’s happening in any aisle of the store, theft attempts are more likely to be picked up or avoided altogether. Remember, bad guys don’t want to be seen so the more you can do to ensure that customers can be seen all the time, the better chance you have of avoiding stock being stolen.
These are just a few cost-effective ways to help with loss prevention in your store. If you would like to talk to us about a retail security system, please call us on 1800 077 375 and we would be happy to chat with you about your requirements.
