In 2018 the Federal Trade Commission reported 2.5 million thefts during the holiday season. In a season where the store is left unnoticed, it is vital to tighten the security of your store.
While some people treat the holiday season as the goldmine of shopping, others take it as a ticket to steal anything they can. Hence, store owners must take some precautionary measures to secure their store.
Here are some tips to secure your store from thefts:
1. Motion Detection
Apart from daily activities, it would help if you improve your security during the holiday season. The motion detection algorithm can prevent break-ins. Understand how the technology works and monitor the unknown motion during the operating hours.
There are areas in the store that are restricted to customers. When a customer enters that section, motion detection algorithms must send alerts to the store manager. Moreover, motion detection must be applied on the shelves.
The camera, upon detecting the motion, will trigger anything suspicious. The algorithms can be simple or complex, depending upon the security level you want in each section.
The basic operation of motion detection is detecting a motion on a fixed background. But the detection can be customized to detect human movement based-upon heat mapping technology.
A cloud video management software can alter the store manager regarding any activity and call the police for assistance.
2. Queue Management
On holidays most of the thefts occur in crowded spaces. Queues can help to an extent, but in reality, these queues must be managed as well. For elderly customers, proper queue management can reduce the risk of a theft.
A managed queue can easily be monitored via a camera. Whenever a queue reaches the threshold, customers can be requested to rearrange the queue. Or the store manager can assign more people serving the customers and reducing the queue.
3. Face Recognition
The holiday season can bring repeat offenders into action. Using face recognition software can capture and trigger any repeat offenders, keeping them away from the premises before they create any problem in the store.
The facial recognition software will recognize the repeat offenders, and before they even try to do anything, they’ll be thrown out of the store. The alert can be sent to the store manager or anyone from the store.
4. Improve the locking mechanism
More than half of the holiday thefts can be prevented by using an advanced locking mechanism.
Instead of keys, try to use pin codes for the locks. You can also consult an expert like a locksmith in Brooklyn to help you decide the quality of the lock that will be best suited for your store.
For more security, double the locks with external doors that will add a layer of extra security.
5. POS Cameras
In the holiday season, stores often place attractive offers at their doors. However, when there are coupons and discounts involved, it increases the chances of a fraud. A coupon modification or reusing the same coupon, which can be done by perusing the store clerks.
To avoid such frauds, POS cameras are the only solution. The cameras will monitor every movement, whether it is a clerk, customer, or anyone suspicious trying to steal something.
Some cameras come with a video analytics feature, which means you can add more features to a simple video feed. Features like night vision, extra zoom, or real-time alerts can be purchased by asking the video service provider company.
Conclusion
The holiday season is the most anticipated season of the year. While most people look out for discounted products, some people take this as an opportunity to steal whatever they can.
But the theft can easily be reduced if you apply the tips mentioned above. They might sound simple, but these simple tips can help you monitor your store without allocating extra resources. Everything will be recorded, and with anything suspicious, you’ll be sent an alert.