— By Scott Thomas —
Improving security and the customer experience.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been discussed in the physical security industry for years and offers strong potential for retail security automation and management. It may be surprising to discover that many retailers already use some form of AI in their security technologies. Analytics engines process massive amounts of data, such as images, text or numbers — using AI algorithms to produce actionable insights.
For example, analytics can automatically flag vehicles linked to previous incidents upon arrival and streamline the secure sharing of relevant footage with law enforcement. At the same time, analytics help retailers see how customers move through the store and identify when line wait times are too long. Together, these capabilities create a safer, more efficient store environment and pleasant shopping experience.
When Does It Make Sense to Use AI?
Most likely, some form of AI processing is embedded in the software you use daily. It can detect patterns, classify data and deliver analytic insights. Retailers and restaurateurs can automate and streamline workflows or respond quickly to business disruptions. For most businesses, implementing AI comes down to a couple of driving factors: achieving large-scale data analysis and higher levels of automation.
A unified, open architecture security platform is a good place to start to reach these goals. It allows you to seamlessly connect your AI-enabled software and devices, simultaneously gathering analytics from various sources. Thus, you can see all relevant data in one place, automate data processing and workflows, and gather relevant insights quickly. Your operators can quickly respond to business disruptions and make more informed decisions.
Key benefits of AI-powered video analytics for retail security include:
Reducing Friction for Loss Prevention Teams
Retailers accumulate vast amounts of video footage daily, but manually sifting through it is time-consuming and inefficient. By using AI-enabled alerts and bookmarks of their video management or physical security system to analyze video streams, loss prevention teams can identify potential issues faster and focus on actual risks instead of monitoring multiple cameras at once.
Accelerating Investigations
Manual video reviews after an incident can stretch for hours or even days. AI-powered video analytics can help streamline this process with forensic search functions. Investigators can use natural language prompts such as “woman in a red jacket” or “white truck near entrance” to easily locate relevant footage within a specific timeframe. This rapid access to evidence not only aids internal investigations but also streamlines collaboration with law enforcement. Once they’ve located the footage, loss prevention teams can securely share evidence with law enforcement using a digital evidence management system (DEMS).
Detecting Vehicle License Plates
Organized retail crime (ORC) often involves repeat offenders operating across multiple regional stores. In this case, an automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) solution enables retailers to track vehicle plates linked to previous incidents. For example, when a flagged vehicle enters a property, staff receive immediate alerts and can share the information with law enforcement and nearby retailers. This collaboration strengthens defenses against ORC and helps retailers build stronger cases against offenders.
AI Tools to Enhance the Customer Experience
Beyond security and safety functions, security teams are discovering new opportunities to use their systems to enhance overall operations and the customer experience. AI-powered video analytics give retailers the information they need to create experiences and improve interactions, such as busiest store hours, how shoppers move through the aisles and where staff are most needed.
Here are four ways retailers can improve customer experience by deploying AI-powered video analytics:
1. Understanding Traffic Patterns
By using AI to analyze data from in-store cameras, retailers get a clearer picture of how customers move through the store and checkout. They can identify high-traffic areas, optimize store layouts and ensure proper staffing levels.
2. Improving Marketing & Promotions
Video data can be used to monitor customer movement and help evaluate the effectiveness of product displays and promotional campaigns. By correlating customer behavior with sales data, retailers can determine which displays convert browsers into buyers. Additionally, comparing traffic patterns before, during and after a promotion can provide insights into what strategies best attract and retain customers.
3. Keeping Shelves Stocked & Stores Clean
Video analytics help detect when stock is low or when displays are disorganized. In this case, automated alerts can notify staff when restocking is needed, ensuring products are always available and the store stays presentable.
4. Managing Checkout Lines & Customer Service
Video analytics can detect long lines at registers and alert staff, prompting the opening of additional registers. Similarly, by monitoring store zones, staff can quickly know when a customer needs assistance, helping to close more sales and provide a personalized experience.
Building a Responsible Approach to AI
Retailers increasingly use AI for large-scale data analysis and automation. However, AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and its success depends on thoughtful planning and human oversight.
It’s important to understand how biased data may impact the AI-generated information you receive and to take active measures to counter it. AI models can also inadvertently produce skewed decisions or results based on various biases. While AI has the power to revolutionize how work gets done and teams make decisions, it needs to be deployed responsibly.
Partner with a manufacturer that prioritizes data protection, privacy and the responsible use of AI. Most importantly, while AI can improve security based on rich data insights, it’s not a replacement for security personnel. Human judgment will always be needed to make the best possible security decisions in any given scenario.
— Scott Thomas is the national director of sales for signature brands at Genetec in the U.S. Genetec Inc. is a global technology company based in Montreal that has been transforming the physical security industry for over 25 years.