Report Reveals Areas Where Retailers Can Reduce Theft and Improve Store Efficiencies

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• USA - English
• USA - English

HONG KONG, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- A new study, sponsored in part by ADT and its Sensormatic Retail Solutions group, reveals the need for retailers to focus on technology solutions that enhance their current operational goals and combat theft without adding labor costs. "Loss Prevention 2010: Retailers Battling Shrink in Tough Times," found that during these challenging economic times, retailers face increased pressure to identify better business intelligence, improve inventory accuracy, and embrace more innovative uses of existing investments as a means to improve profitability and conserve working capital.

Retailers are focused on getting the most value from their existing investments in both high and low-tech tools without having to add people to review detailed data, according to Paula Rosenblum, an analyst and Managing Partner for Retail Systems Research (RSR) and co-author of the report.

The on-line survey of 83 small to large multi-national retailers was conducted by RSR in the fall of 2009. Retailers identified their top three sources of shrink as employee theft of merchandise, shoplifting and employee theft of cash.

Over the past year, RSR reports that 44 percent of retailers have experienced a rise in theft, likely due to challenging economic conditions. Findings indicate that top retail performers - those whose sales growth outpaced the three percent industry average - place an even higher priority on Loss Prevention (LP): 78 percent report an increase in year-over-year LP's priority, vs. 43 percent of underperformers.

"Given the challenging conditions retailers will face in the near future, any technology enhancements must help to reduce labor costs while delivering better business intelligence," said Rosenblum. "Tools such as Video Surveillance, Returns and Void Management, Exception Analysis Reporting and Cash Management are crucial for retailers to be more profitable. Retailers are also paying more attention to managing their item level perpetual inventory systems to gain better insight into lost sales."

    Among the more detailed findings:

    -- Retailers report employee theft of cash has increased from 32 to 45
       percent of total losses.  This appears related to challenging economic
       conditions and has prompted retailers to recognize the need for better
       business intelligence to analyze results, rather than more staff to
       examine report details.
    -- When it comes to roadblocks impeding retailers from progressing in
       their loss prevention efforts, 86 percent say they are challenged for
       capital, 41 percent lack staff to review LP and audit data (compared to
       29 percent in 2008) and 36 percent have extremely inaccurate inventory
       systems unable to quantify areas of loss.
    -- Retailers identified top technology solutions that help them overcome
       organizational inefficiencies including:
       -- 63 percent cited better business intelligence to analyze all their
          data.
       -- 40 percent cited more accurate inventory tracking to identify the
          items being stolen.
       -- 39 percent cited more creative uses of existing technologies.

The report further identified areas where retailers have seen a more direct effect from the economy, most importantly, a faster rise in external theft versus internal:

    -- Individual customer theft of merchandise (28% increase)
    -- Organized gangs stealing merchandise (25% increase)
    -- Employee theft of cash (19% increase)

Additional study findings reveal top retail performers use business intelligence tools more frequently such as exception analysis reporting at 68 percent and returns/void management at 65 percent. To enhance the value of existing investments without adding staff to review detailed data, 31 percent of respondents report using inventory tracking systems.

"The information revealed in the research indicates the methods of retail theft are shifting. As a result, loss prevention tools must adapt to those changes," according to Kelvin Lam, Vice President of Retail and Security Products, ADT Security, Asia Pacific. "In a tough economy, resourceful retailers are looking beyond traditional tagging and stand-alone surveillance to include software based analytic tools, integration and better inventory management systems," said Lam.

A free copy of the 24-page report can be obtained at: http://www.retailsystemsresearch.com/_document/summary/1037 .

About ADT Security Services

ADT Security Services, a Tyco International company, is the world's largest provider of electronic security services to more than seven million commercial, government and residential customers worldwide. ADT's total security solutions include intrusion, fire protection, closed circuit television, access control, critical condition monitoring, electronic article surveillance, radio frequency identification (RFID) and integrated systems. ADT's website address is http://www.adt.com/global

About the Sensormatic Retail Solutions Portfolio

The industry-leading Sensormatic Retail Solutions portfolio offers vital loss prevention and operational improvement technologies and solutions. Backed by more than 1,500 patents, the Sensormatic solutions portfolio is sold through ADT and authorized business partners around the world. From the front of the store through the entire retail supply chain, Sensormatic solutions help keep losses lower -- and profits higher. Today, over 80 percent of world's top 200 retailers that use EAS rely on Sensormatic solutions, which include EAS, source-tagging, data analytics and in-store, item-level intelligence applications. Sensormatic forward-thinking solutions also include dual EAS-RFID technology that provides item-level security and visibility in an ever changing retail environment. For more information, please visit http://www.sensormatic.com .

About Retail Systems Research

Retail Systems Research ("RSR") is the only research company run by retailers for the retail industry. RSR provides insight into business and technology challenges facing the retail industry ecosystem, and thought leadership and advice on navigating these challenges for specific companies and the industry at large. For more information, please visit: http://www.retailsystemsresearch.com/ .

    Media Contact:

     ADT Security
     Shee Liang Mey
     Manager, Communications, Asia Pacific
     Tel:   +65-6389-8241
     Email: [email protected]

SOURCE ADT Security Services