Strategies to keep your retail store secure

Offering better products, services, and safety to customers are goals retailers continuously strive for. With the advent of new and effective technologies, improving the physical security aspect of your retail store is finally attainable and accessible.

Internal theft, inventory shrinkage, fraud, and organized crime against a retailer might provoke powerful negative consequences on the bottom line of the business and the public perception of the brand. The repercussions are, oftentimes, irreparable. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, in 2019, retail businesses lost $61.7 billion due to employee theft and shoplifting.

At Security 101, we understand the protection of retail sites can be complex and must be thoroughly differentiated for each business. First, it is key to take into account factors such as the rate of crime in the community where the store is located, types of crime most commonly committed, the number of people with access to your store, and number of entrances and exits.

Likewise, it is equally necessary to assess the lack of appropriate monitoring and access control systems. Evaluating the degree of integration among these technologies is also essential as this can make a difference between mitigating a threat or letting a crime be committed.

Retail store best security practices

Control access

One of the biggest challenges for retail stores is employee turnover, which makes controlling access a serious vulnerability. Therefore, it is critical to deploy a solution that plays a significant role in preventing shoplifting, shrinkage, and theft and that systematically reduces the opportunity for illicit acts.

Other benefits of a first-class access control system are:

• Secured cash
• Remote and easy management of permissions and credentials
• Elimination of physical key handling
• Security of multiple stores simplified with centralized, remote management
• Secure, reliable, scalable, and cost-effective implementation

Enhance monitoring

A beneficial strategy for retailing is better monitoring via video analytics. This solution can offer stores a competitive advantage, better security, and improved operational practices. Video analytics collect and analyze data and provide owners and managers with better decision-making capabilities.

In addition, surveillance cameras should be deployed strategically throughout the store. For instance, behind cash registers, inside inventory or storage rooms, and near entrances. License plate recognition (LPR) should also be part of a robust security environment if parking lots are also a concern.

Integrate and centralize security operations

Integrated security systems help retail owners increase their productivity, keep an eye on cash flow, and evaluate the efficiency of employees. Further, proper integration of technologies, such as access control, video surveillance, visitor management systems, and alarms can reduce liabilities (e.g., workers' compensation claims) for this sector.

A best practice is to unify all physical security technologies, devices, sensors, and cameras into one central platform to simplify and streamline operations and increase the protection of the store.

Assume a stronger posture with an advanced alarm system

An alarm system is vital as it can reduce the risk of theft, protect your employees from criminal offenses, and lead to a quicker response time. Not only will it alert, in real-time, security teams and first responders of an emergency, but it can also deter crimes before they occur. If alarms are professionally integrated with sensors, environmental monitoring of the store is also possible.