Security in the retail industry is a hot topic as stores of all types and sizes continue to face constant threats such as shoplifting, organized retail crime (ORC) and fraud. Compound this with the need for brick-and-mortar establishments to compete against online shopping, and retailers are demanding technology solutions that can help them improve both security and business operations.
NRF 2020: Retail’s Big Show on Jan. 12-14 in New York City will highlight the latest devices and systems designed to meet this demand, with the theme of “bringing the future into focus.” This begs the question: What is the future of physical security for retail? At Arcules’ booth #7133, you’ll find the answer: cloud. And the future is here. Now.
Though it’s more complex than a single sentence, a retailer’s overall goal when it comes to physical security is typically to gather the right data and analysis and use this information to deter theft and mitigate risk. This requires an integrated video surveillance and access control service that can deliver centralized security for loss prevention as well as business analytics for retail managers to enhance merchandising, optimize staffing and improve promotions to increase sales.
Running this service through the cloud creates numerous benefits, such as:
- Eliminating the need for on-premise servers at every retail location, enabling managers to remotely view multiple departments and geographic store locations on any web or mobile device at any time.
- An extra layer of security and protection as video data is stored locally and then sent to the cloud for easy access.
- Scalability when adding new retail locations while ensuring video monitoring is up and running quickly and efficiently.
- Access-based video verification helps to reduce theft while protecting cash and inventory.
- Video analytics that incorporate artificial intelligence can help to both predict and prevent loss with the option to create custom alerts to proactively and quickly respond to threats or potential incidents.
- Built-in people counting, vehicle counting and heat maps turn video into intelligent data to identify concerns and enhance marketing efforts.
- The elimination of downtime and automatic updates to ensure the latest software is always running.
- A reduced need for extensive hardware and ongoing maintenance, lowering costs and capital expense.
The advantages of leveraging the cloud for retail are seemingly endless, providing a solution that combines built-in security and business analytics to improve operations in a streamlined fashion. When we think about bringing the future into focus and determining the technology that will change the way retailers do business, nothing stands out more than the cloud and its potential impact on this industry.
If you want to find out more about how to boost your store’s security and efficiency, visit Arcules at booth #7133 at NRF 2020. Schedule a meeting now to see how you can quickly implement and scale Arcules across your organization.
