Over the years, retail stores have unfortunately struggled to deal with shoplifting, employee theft, fraud and even customer violence. We’ve seen chaos occur on events such as black Friday, and all through the holiday season. These issues have financial impacts on stores, which is why better security systems should be implemented in order to protect people and physical assets. Luckily, several advanced security technologies offer the capabilities to reduce possible incidents in retail stores. Here are five security solutions retail stores can implement to make for a better shopping environment for everyone. 

Live Video and 2-Way Audio

Interactive surveillance systems come equipped with built-in microphones and speakers along with live video footage, which allows retailers to see real-time recordings, as well as communicate with employees and shoppers on the floor. Surveillance systems can potentially scare off shoplifters and violent customers if in sight, and overall create a sense of safety to customers that the store is being monitored. 

Face Recognition

Facial recognition systems can help retailers reduce the amount of shoplifters or violent customers that enter the store. An effective system can instantly alert retail security the moment someone enters a store who matches a documented retail criminal. When retail stores are able to identify shoplifters early on, they can prevent further loss of assets, as well as reduce the likelihood of violent encounters. 

Cloud Based Video

Cloud based solutions are another way retail stores can access live and recorded video footage of the store. This type of system is great for stores with multiple locations, as it can capture and monitor video across all locations simultaneously, as well as obtain important insights about operational efficiency, customer experience, and dishonest activity. 

Access Control System

Access control technology allows retailers to limit employee admittance to your store locations. Unfortunately, retail stores often deal with shoplifters, as well as employee theft. By assigning unique employee codes, you’ll be able to track who arrives to work and what areas they can access. If something goes missing from the stockroom, time logs can show which employees were in that room and when, allowing you to identify employee theft. 

Alarm Systems

While many chain retail stores have alarm systems in place, it only takes criminals a few minutes to burglarize your store. For smaller retail stores, alarm systems can be installed to detect an open door or broken window which will trigger an alarm to ward off the intruder. At the same time, an alert will be sent to your connected device to take the necessary next steps.