Did you know shoplifting is one of the leading causes of inventory loss for retail stores across Australia? In fact, the Australian Institute of Criminology stated over 80,000 incidents of shoplifting were reported to the police in 2011, with 99% of thefts still left undetected or unreported.
Additionally, in 2014, the Australian Retailers Association Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman, said: “theft is estimated to cost the Australian retail sector over $7.5 billion per year”. Now that’s a lot of money! If you’re a business owner or manager, consider how much you could save if you had the correct shoplifting deterrents in place.
So what are the best methods to use to protect your business? Keep reading to find out.
Protect your store with customer service
Sometimes in life, it’s the simple things which yield the best results. The same can be said with shoplifter deterrents. Although alarm systems may seem like the best method of theft deterrent, it is in fact, simple measures which can be incorporated into the day-to-day running of your store which will make the biggest difference.
Simple measures, such as interacting with, and acknowledging, customers is beneficial in deterring potential shoplifters from stealing. This is because the shoplifters are aware staff know of their presence in the store and therefore their risk of being caught is increased.
Furthermore, if your employee engages with the customer, they may notice if a shoplifting attempt was made. Not only could this method reduce the number of thefts, but increased customer engagement could potentially lead to an increase in sales.
Why your business should have CCTV
Although customer service is a fantastic preventative measure to take, the biggest technologically based shoplifting deterrent is CCTV. This is because a CCTV can survey and record areas of the business which cannot be covered by staff at all times. If shoplifting does occur, your business will have evidence of the theft on recorded CCTV footage. This footage can then be downloaded and provided to the police.
Think your shop will benefit from CCTV? Contact Rechenberg to find out more about CCTV Surveillance, 24/7 Alarm Monitoring Services or Electronic Security Systems, contact us today.
