ECR Retail Loss

Enabling the Retail Sector to Sell More and Lose Less

NEW RESEARCH: Three Key Takeaways from New Retail Security Operations Centres [SOC] Survey

In the past decade, many and increasingly more retailers have invested in Security Operations Centres (SOC's) where remote access to [IP] video data from stores, DC's, FC's and Offices, across multiple geographies, have opened up huge opportunities for improved responses to security incidents, the problem of shrink and new ways to better serve the shopper. To explore how these SOCS are being used, our survey collected responses from twenty nine retailers, operating on average 1.8 SOC's out of North America, Europe and Australia, that were remotely monitoring over 51,000 stores and circa 1,000 DC's and Depots. We found that 78% of these SOCs were operating 24/7, and on average they employed 28 full time employees. Here are three key findings from our research: 1) SOC'S remain Safety and Security FIRST Our survey explored the use of twenty different use cases for SOC's, and learnt that the security and safety use cases were the most frequently deployed, for example, 76% of the retailers shared that providing support, advice and operational direction when serious incidents occur, civil disorder, weather events, serious crime, etc, was a core deliverable from their SOC's. On the other hand, no retailer claimed that providing to the business regular reports on shopper traffic volume and conversion statistics was a core task. That said, 11% of the retailers shared that they would do this work on an ad hoc basis for their colleagues in marketing / commercial. One exciting and emerging use case was the use of the SOC to provide in real time, through in-store speakers, the capability to remotely communicate with active perpetrators with the express aim of deterring/de-escalating confrontational /crime-related incidents. For this sample, only 7% of the retailers had deployed this use case as a BAU, however, 21% were looking to trial based off the success being shared by other retailers. The extent to which retailers SOC's will expand their capability and adopt more use cases beyond just the security use cases will largely be a function of leadership, the ambition of the business, and to a certain extent, the advancements in technology, especially video analytics. 2) Who runs the SOC's? The retailers themselves is the most common answer! In this sample of retailers, 75% of the SOC's were internally hosted, with the work being undertaken mostly by those FTE on the retailers payroll, with data access the clear benefit Vs third party operators. 3) The Retail Industry is in BUILD mode The survey asked about retailers priorities for future investment. In this sample, 63% shared that they are seeking to invest in system infrastructure upgrades. These findings reflect the increased demand for networked and remote video, for efficiency, cost savings and immediacy of response reasons, coupled with the access to improved technology capabilities from vendors, including video analytics. The ECR working group on video meet online six-eight times a year to share learnings, and once a year in person. At these meetings, the group review the latest academic papers, discuss benchmark data and explore together new ways of using video in retail first in security & safety, but increasingly for shrink reduction, trips and falls claims and marketing. The group is for retailers, CPG's and academics only. Our meetings next year can be found in the link below. LINK TO 2025 Meetings

WATCH: Eight Finalists Pitch at the Finale of the Retail Risk Innovation Challenge

On November 6th, eight of the hottest innovations from the Top 30 Risk, Safety & Security Innovations delivered a five minute "pitch" to the 30+ retailer judges at our online showcase finale. Here below are those pitches, from lone worker devices to Ai enabled CCTV. A big thanks to all those who helped deliver this process from the retailer judges who shared their problem statements, to the 100+ who registered and participated in the online showcase finale and most importantly, to the innovators, for bringing to the industry new ways and ideas to tackle retailers toughest problems. THE FINALISTS Auror - A Crime Intelligence Platform empowering retailers and law enforcement to reduce the impacts of crime, loss, and harm in stores and communities through data driven insights and partnerships. Contact Mark: mark.gleeson@auror.co Facefirst - A face matching software to help security teams better identify threats and reduce loss while enhancing investigative efficiency with unprecedented visibility to patterns and events. Contact Dara: DR@facefirst.com Uptale - A VR-based immersive learning platform that enhances workforce training by simulating real-world scenarios, improving employee skills, safety, and decision-making. Contact Théo: theo@uptale.io Duress - Keeping your team protected and connected through Real time streaming to emergency services, internal alerting, live medic and internal comms all in one device. Contact Trav: trav@duress.com Verkada - A cloud-based security solution that integrates AI-powered video surveillance, access control, and environmental sensors to provide enhanced safety and security for businesses. Contact Lewis: lewis.pinner@verkada.com Chirp-Protect - An innovative alarm tagging system to reduce shoplifting in retail. Contact Michelle: michelle.miles@chirp-protect.com Moksa - Redefining Retail Security with Privacy-First CCTV AI Intelligence. Contact Nikhil: nikhil@moksa.ai Zinc - An Incident Management & Investigations Platform designed to enhance crime prevention and reduce risk. Contact Sophie: sophie.malone@zinc.systems

Free tool to help retailers reduce losses in their most at risk stores.

The 2023 Fortress Store report documented the significant risk and loss problems retailers were facing in their most at risk stores and introduced seven strategies for risk mitigation. In this new report, we introduce a tool that can help retailers adopt a more holistic approach to reducing criminal activity in their most at-risk stores by engaging those in other functions. The report and the tool encourages cross-functional teams, for example, commercial, store design, marketing, human resources, format development, operations, etc, to score their own business against each of the seven criteria. A process can then set up the need for and formulation of a cross functional company-wide plan and action list for the most vulnerable stores. Prior to the launch of this tool, there has been extensive testing from retailers with positive feedback. For example. one UK retailer who tested the tool said, “We used the benchmarking exercise across different business functions. It was great to see where we are all aligned and highlight the areas that we need to focus on in the coming year.” Another retailer, operating in USA, who also tested the tool said, “There are many advantages to bringing different points of view together. A good time to use the benchmarking tool would be just before goal-setting for the year so you can leverage results to help prioritize areas to focus on.” The ambition of the tool is to shift the dial from ‘problem’ to ‘solution’, encouraging retailers to adopt a ‘whole of business’ solution using the benchmarking tool explicitly to seek out different perspectives from all parts of the business, , which in turn can then lead to more creative solutions. Through the set of 28 questions, and by asking questions around awareness and acceptance, the self-assessment tool can identify areas of alignment and then help retailers generate actions.” In this short video, Professor Emmeline Taylor shares the ambition she has for the tool, how it can be used and the likely outcomes. Feedback will always be welcomed.

Global OSA Survey - Your invitation to participate!

In October, we are pleased to announce the launch of our biggest ever survey on OSA, seeking to understand from retailers the signals they are using to determine OSA, their approaches to managing OSA and finally, the innovations they are prioritising. All retailers are invited to participate in this survey. As with all ECR Retail Loss research, participant anonymity and data confidentiality is paramount. No named data will ever be shared and only aggregated data will be published. Click the video to learn more. If you can please participate, it should take less than five minutes and while it can be easily done from your pc, you may find it easiest to complete on your mobile phone. Thank you for your participation. Click here to open the survey or scan the QR code.

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FOCUS AREAS

The research priorities are determined by its members – they drive the agenda to ensure ECR delivers research that meets the need of the industry bringing new insights, tools and techniques that enables retailers to sell more and lose less.