Running your business while balancing good security and surveillance can be daunting, especially for companies such as retailers.
Usherwood offers numerous security and surveillance solutions, maintaining a team of experts to assist businesses with appropriately protecting their employees and facilities. This article will discuss why retailers should invest in quality equipment for their business and how Usherwood can help.
Security Issues in Retail
Retailers commonly deal with issues such as theft, break-ins, fraud, shrinkage, property damage, and altercations with employees or customers in the store.
Shrinkage is a significant issue in retail stores. Shrink is a noticeable reduction or loss of inventory, the difference between recorded inventory on a company balance sheet and the actual inventory in the store. Factors that typically contribute to shrinkage include theft, vendor fraud, administrative error, cashier error, or damage. A 2022 Retail Security Survey from the National Retail Federation stated, “When taken as a percentage of total retail sales in 2021, that shrink represents $94.5 billion in losses, up from $90.8 billion in 2020.”
Violence and crime within retailers are common as well. From acts of theft and vandalism to physical grievances in the store, many retailers face damages that are hard to retain evidence for unless equipped with proper surveillance tools or if bystanders happen to be recording.
There are many reasons why retailers would want to heighten their security and legal protections. Ensuring insurance coverage, preventing shrinkage, and protecting employees and customers are just a few of them. In 2023, plenty of options are available to keep your retail business secure and safe, and we’ll explain how and why.
How Surveillance and Security Systems Can Help
Security systems can assist retailers with tools such as alarm systems, video surveillance, access control, and employee training. The main goal of any security system is for personnel to have clear visibility of the location and happenings within and around it. The main issues that can be improved with surveillance and security include:
- Reducing theft and vandalism
- Strengthening employee and customer security
- Tracking busy times of the day
- Verifying employees have locked doors before leaving
- Ensuring the cash register’s money handling is visible to personnel
- Recording any possible evidence of events
- Alerting authorities or discouraging possible intruders
- Access control systems can ensure that only authorized personnel can enter specific spaces or duties
Things can seem more complex than meets the eye for retail protection and security. Employees are unable to intervene if they witness any theft or nefarious activity. However, cameras can record and provide proof to back up the employee if they report any suspicious happenings. There may be documented evidence to provide proper insurance if theft or shrinkage occurs. This qualifies for any property damage as well. Having accurate, visible evidence ensures acceptance for insurance coverage.
Employee training is also essential to any business that might run into legal or intense situations. Training your employees on adequately utilizing the security equipment and what to be aware of is necessary.
Although these security methods aren’t 100% guaranteed to stop things like theft or shrinkage, they are proven ways of reducing the chances. Doing whatever you can to strengthen your business’ protection is in the best interest of yourself, your employees, and your customers.
Types of Security Cameras For Your Business
You'll want business security cameras that can act as a deterrent to possible theft but also be able to capture the crime if it occurs on your premises. There’s a lot of variety in cameras on the market. For a retailer or a small business such as a cafe, it may be more strategic budget-and-space-wise to consider deploying fewer cameras.
However, the cameras you could deploy could be 360-degree fisheye cameras that have a broader view of the vast open space of the business. With these, you have a view of essentially everything internally. With these fisheye cameras, you can track the overall pattern of the company and have context for where employees are at certain times, what they are doing, and keep an eye on merchandise.
Externally, on the other hand, your business may benefit more from having more focused cameras to narrow in on specific environments or places to capture something particular. For example, if you have a camera focused on the entrances and exits of a business, you can monitor who is going in and out. The same can be done for internal areas, such as cash registers, breakrooms, or back rooms, where a particular activity needs to be closely monitored.
Average camera retention is typically thirty to forty-five days for retailers or smaller businesses. This is considered the typical standard due to crime or happenings in a retail industry already being closely monitored and reported within thirty days. Especially if it’s a small business in question, chances are they will learn quickly if an event occurs due to the likelihood of their workspace being smaller and easier to keep track of.
Although there may be standards or typical choices for the kinds of surveillance cameras utilized in retail businesses, below are the types we at Usherwood personally carry and recommend:
Network Camera
- 360° panoramic overview
- Forensic WDR, day/night functionality
- Small and discreet design
- Zipstream supporting H.264 and H.265
- Environmentally friendly materials
Panoramic Camera
- 2*2 MP, multidirectional camera with one IP address
- Support for analytics with deep learning on both sensors
- 360° IR illumination
- 5x zoom
- Lightfinder and Forensic WDR
Dome Camera
- Great image quality in 2 MP
- Compact, discreet design
- WDR and Lightfinder
- Support for analytics with deep learning
- Built-in cybersecurity features
Ready to Heighten Your Defenses?
Usherwood is all about building the best solution for your business. There’s no black-or-white answer as to what will best suit your security needs–that’s why we’re devoted to customizing the better outcome for you. Our team strives to understand your situation, where your security needs lie, and where you will succeed best.
We have experts on our team with a long history of working with surveillance who are dedicated to discovering the right solution for your business and willing to do what it takes to meet your goals ultimately. To find out how Usherwood can help improve your business’ security, visit our “Saving Time and Money With Improved Surveillance Systems” article or reach out for a tech evaluation today.
