https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • Product Guides
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • Product Guides
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Analytics


Article

Retailers use video to improve operations, not just enhance security

Retailers use video to improve operations, not just enhance security

Long used by retailers as a technology designed to deter crime or prosecute theft, video is now being leveraged to enhance operations within the enterprise.
  • Written by Donny Jackson
  • 9th October 2012

(Ed. note: Article first appeared in the October 2012 issue of Urgent Communications as "Smile, you're on candid camera")

For most people, retail video surveillance systems are synonymous with loss prevention. A mix of cameras and monitors deters potential shoplifters and catches those who give into temptation. But lately, such systems are being leveraged to give retailers unprecedented visibility into the behaviors of their customers — and their staffs.

Even in today's digital age, 65% of the cameras installed by Thorofare, N.J.-based Checkpoint Systems still are analog, according to Scott Hendrickson, the company's video product manager. However, he added that the use of IP-based surveillance cameras and infrastructure is growing, as retailers replace aging legacy analog systems with such technology.

The move to IP-based systems is moving retail video surveillance beyond shoplifter deterrence/capture. This is because IP-based cameras can be connected to remote viewing/control sites simply by plugging the cameras into the corporate LAN, Hendrickson said.

Once connected, the video shot by these cameras can be watched not just to identify potential thieves, but to analyze store traffic, optimize the execution of sales promotions, and keep a watchful eye on staff as well as customers.

By adopting IP-based systems, retailers are changing the game of video surveillance. Under the analog rules, stores had their own cameras that were monitored by in-house security guards, who typically work for little money. Under the new IP rules, camera feeds now are routed to remotely located, centralized security control rooms staffed by well-paid, highly motivated professionals.

These professionals are aided by video-analytics software that can detect when a shopper is displaying questionable behavior, e.g., spending too much time standing by a display, which is referred to as "dwell time." They may be waiting for a friend to arrive — or they might be waiting for the right chance to grab a product and dash out of the store.

"Whether it is a customer needing assistance, or a person is in an area where they should not be loitering, [the system] can send an alert to store management," Hendrickson said. At the same time, the security system will log the detection and associate it with the surveillance video for possible later review — perhaps to support criminal charges if a theft was attempted.

Another benefit to IP-based cameras is that they have the processing power to run some video analytics within the device. The camera can be set to trigger dwell-time alerts on their own initiative, so that the monitoring center is alerted to such feeds on a priority basis. This capability ensures that the security team's attention is not wasted watching non-events on their screens.

In the same vein, IP-based cameras can be linked to door, window and motion sensors, said Robin Stennet, director of small business marketing at ADT Security Services. "Every time a door opens after midnight, the camera can be set to capture a 30-second clip," she said. This is just one of many "if-then" scenarios that IP-based cameras and security systems can be programmed to anticipate, so that useful video exists after any event.

With the help of embedded intelligence, IP-based cameras can even detect the massing of people outside retail locations. Such gatherings "can be signs that a 'theft flash mob' is about to invade the store," said Hedgie Bartol, retail business development manager with Sweden-based Axis Communications, a provider of network video solutions.

"Although such mobs are hard to deter, in part because they assemble quickly and attack, some advance warning can help retailers deal with this threat," Bartol said.

It also can help them deal with threats from within, as the technology's ability to remotely view and log events make it ideal for combating the most serious source of retail theft: employees. According to research by the National Retail Foundation (NRF), the U.S. retail industry's advocacy group, employees steal more from retailers than customers do.

In 2011, for example, U.S. retailers surveyed by the NRF lost $486 million due to employee theft, paperwork errors or supplier fraud, with employee theft accounting for 44% of total losses, compared with 36% for consumer shoplifting.

IP-based cameras offer retailers a way to fight employee theft. "You can put a sensor on the cash register, and automate a video clip every time it is opened," Stennet said.

Hendrickson agreed. "You can also have the camera detect and record video whenever a sales transaction takes place, when there's only the employee at the cash register," he said. "You can similarly cover any areas where theft is occurring."

On a larger scale, IP-based retail video surveillance provides managers with a powerful, multi-purpose business-analysis tool. For example, such cameras can be linked with software to track how many people come into the store. These counts can be broken down by days of the week and hours of the day, giving managers accurate data concerning store traffic. The same video information can show which products and displays are catching shopper attention — including instances of dwell time — and which are not.

The intelligence generated by video analysis can help store managers match staffing levels to customer traffic, so the store can keep labor costs in line with retail revenues. This same data can tell stores which sales may be lost because customers cannot find assistance when they need it, and which end-of-aisle displays are money-makers. Because some retailers actually charge their suppliers for this space, such data "could help justify their lease rates," Bartol said.

Of course, gathering all of this information from video cameras is a major undertaking. This is why Cisco recently unveiled Video Surveillance Manager 7.0, an element in the vendor's end-to-end retail video-surveillance management suite. The platform is capable of accepting and integrating up to 10,000 IP-based video cameras on a plug-and-play basis.

"Someone can climb up a pole, plug in an IP-based camera and start recording," said Geetha Dabir, general manager of Cisco's fiscal security unit. "That's how simple we have made it."

The ability to look into the store remotely at any time of day can help retailers deal with everything from false alarms to lights being left on after closing time.

"You could configure the coffeemaker such that you can shut it off remotely," Stennet said. "This may seem like a small thing, but if a retailer keeps having to replace burnt-out staff coffeemakers, being able to detect and then turn this unit off via a smartphone is a real business benefit."

All told, IP-based video surveillance is revolutionizing how retailers combat theft while optimizing sales.

"Video has become a means of increasing retail profitability," Hendrickson said. "Although loss prevention is important, it's only part of what video surveillance can do for retailers, large and small."

Tags: Fixed Personnel Tracking Retail/Warehouse Video Video Surveillance Analytics Enterprise Incident Command/Situational Awareness Tracking, Monitoring & Control Video Article

Most Recent


  • Phishers trick Microsoft into granting them 'verified' Cloud Partner status
    Late last year, a group of threat actors managed to obtain “verified publisher” status through the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (MCPP). This allowed them to surpass levels of brand impersonation ordinarily seen in phishing campaigns, as they distributed malicious applications bolstered by a verified blue badge only ever given to trusted vendors and service providers in […]
  • Shapeshifting robot can morph from a liquid to a solid
    A new shape-shifting robot can reversibly morph between liquid and solid shapes. The novel design was created by a team of engineers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Carnegie Mellon University. Inspired by sea cucumbers’ ability to go both soft or rigid depending on its environment, the miniature robot was built using magnetic […]
  • Automakers against stampede to BEV dominance
    When the president of the world’s biggest carmaker talks, people listen. So, when Toyota President Akio Toyoda said, in September of last year, that bans on ICE cars within 10 to 15 years  will be “rather difficult to achieve” because EVs “are just going to take longer than the media would like us to believe,” […]
  • NATE: Todd Schlekeway highlights organization's safety, legislative initiatives
    Todd Schlekeway, executive director of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, discusses many of NATE’s planned activities for 2023, including a legislative visit to Capitol Hill in May, safety/training initiatives, and a broader release of the Vertical Freedom documentary that focuses on the lives of tower climbers in the communication arena.  

4 comments

  1. Avatar richard 7th November 2012 @ 3:29 pm
    Reply

    Video surveillance has
    Video surveillance has become a lot more affordable lately, it is not only the retailers who can use it these days, regular homeowners can opt for it as well. A couple of pelco security cameras are more than enough to secure your property, you don’t have to be a millionaire to afford them.

  2. Avatar PauncPask 17th May 2013 @ 1:00 pm
    Reply

    Thanks with regard to

    Thanks with regard to providing these sort of wonderful post.

  3. Avatar Thomas smith 7th October 2013 @ 8:57 am
    Reply

    Video surveillance is also
    Video surveillance is also used for home security . It help in maintain the management in retailer shop

  4. Avatar [email protected] security device 27th December 2013 @ 10:53 am
    Reply

    A CCTV system can act in many
    A CCTV system can act in many different ways, from a deterrent of crime for opportunist thieves and vandals to being used as a backbone in a court of law providing evidentiary support against a crime on your property if necessary.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

Commentary


How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient

26th January 2023

3GPP moves Release 18 freeze date to March 2024

18th January 2023

Do smart cities make safer cities?

  • 1
6th January 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Phishers trick Microsoft into granting them ‘verified’ Cloud Partner status dlvr.it/Shqngn

2nd February 2023
UrgentComm

Shapeshifting robot can morph from a liquid to a solid dlvr.it/Shqk9K

2nd February 2023
UrgentComm

Automakers against stampede to BEV dominance dlvr.it/ShpX08

2nd February 2023
UrgentComm

FCC nominee Gigi Sohn headed for third Senate hearing dlvr.it/ShpDcZ

1st February 2023
UrgentComm

Sign up to learn how to successfully manage your Motorola ASTRO® 25 System: spr.ly/60143j8fp https://t.co/XcxiUwzN27

1st February 2023
UrgentComm

Hytera parent cites financial health, but unable to make royalty payment to Motorola Solutions dlvr.it/ShlrlM

1st February 2023
UrgentComm

NATE: Todd Schlekeway highlights organization’s safety, legislative initiatives dlvr.it/ShljHj

1st February 2023
UrgentComm

Cybercrime ecosystem spawns lucrative underground Gig Economy dlvr.it/ShkKbf

31st January 2023

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.