All businesses are susceptible to loss as a result of theft, but few are quite as vulnerable to it or experience it quite as often as a retail business. Storefronts have a lot of valuable goods in them, making them frequent targets for thieves. As such, retail business owners and managers should constantly be on the lookout for ways to improve security and reduce loss as best as possible.
Record All That You Can
First of all, if you want to be able to learn from your mistakes, it’s important that you’re able to see what they are in the first place. Security camera systems from teams like Gizmo Support have become a mainstay in the retail environment. Not only is this because they allow someone to monitor the store and keep an eye out for theft in real-time, but also because they allow you to look over past instances of theft to not only identity and help catch criminals, but to better find blind spots that could be better secured.
Training Is Essential
Your team is going to play as much of a role in stopping or reducing theft in the store as much as any piece of technology. For instance, simply by paying closer attention and being visible to people who are thinking about committing theft, they can act as a deterrent. Look at implementing some form of loss prevention training for your staff on the floor, allowing them to contribute in a way that is effective and safe.
Communication and Collaboration
In bigger stores and retail environments, one of the greatest risks is that your team can’t keep an eye on big risk targets. Security camera systems can help you track individuals across the store, but the feet on the ground need to be able to move to keep an eye on them as well. As such, allowing for better communication with devices from companies like Two-Way City can ensure that your team is able to better work together. This way, if one person loses sight of a high-risk individual, they can check in with the others to make sure they’re getting the necessary attention.
Employee Theft Is a Risk Too
Unfortunately, the threat of theft doesn’t always come from outside the business. Employee theft is a problem in today’s workplace, too. The above tips can help combat that, as well, but there are also measures you should take to prevent employee theft. For instance, you can have an inventory system that ensures employees must log in to be able to access your stock, so you can always be assured of who was present in the stock room at what times. You can also ensure password and key security to make sure that unauthorized individuals never have access to assets that they shouldn’t be able to access.
Some level of loss will always be a factor in running a retail business. However, with the technological tools and tips above, you can help crack down on it to make it much less prevalent in your own business.
