Axis exec discusses improving retail security with video analytics

By James Stark - Retail Segment Development Manager,
Axis Communications

Beyond the obvious improvements in image quality, the hardware itself is also more accessible and modern chipsets feature significantly improved processing power, enabling businesses to run advanced new analytics that offer operational efficiencies and clear ROI. These factors have combined to push video surveillance into a new era, and the potential benefit for retail businesses is immense.

Surveillance and beyond

Loss prevention alone represents a $100 billion problem in the retail industry, and analytics designed to identify suspicious and dangerous behaviors can put a serious dent in that number. However, video analytic solutions now have applications that go far beyond security. Yes, they help keep businesses safe, but they can also be used in other ways that propel businesses to greater commercial success. Consider everything cameras see beyond just thieves and vandals: customers shopping, employees going about their duties and shelves stocked with products. Applying analytics to observe, track and analyze those things can provide valuable insights for businesses.

Breaking new ground

Heat mapping is a great example to start with, as it detects when and where people are. Over time, and with enough data collected by the cameras in place, those analytics can reveal important facts about a store's customers. For example, heat mapping can identify where people are lingering and which products are drawing their attention. Other analytics like queue monitoring analytics extremely useful when it comes to identifying when lines are forming in real-time and then sending an alert to employees instructing them to open another register or send someone to provide additional assistance.

It's all about experiences

Video analytics offer retailers the chance to leverage customer insights in similar ways. If multiple customers are stopping at the same display but aren't purchasing the item, that display might be in the wrong place, or communicating the wrong message - or it might just contain the wrong item entirely. If something isn't selling, retailers can analyze where it is in the store and see how many eyes are actually seeing that product. In addition, video analysis of customer movement and flow can determine how well a store is laid out, and if customers are having difficulty navigating it.

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NRF's New ORC Report Making Headlines

'Complex Criminal Networks' Fueling U.S. ORC
Retail Theft Often Preplanned By Complex Criminal Networks, New Report Asserts
Criminal operations which are expanding in complexity often enable retail theft in the United States, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Retail Federation.

Organized retail crime, defined by the trade association as theft which occurs through high-level coordination for the goal of reselling stolen items, has increasingly plagued retailers as crime rates increase across the nation. The report asserts that criminal networks are shifting from the resale of goods on third-party online sellers and leaning more upon peer-to-peer platforms.

Rather than seeking to acquire luxury goods, crime networks often coordinate their efforts to steal consumer goods which present ease of theft, monetary value, and ease of resale. An analysis of 116 organized retail crime entities from the National Retail Federation and risk advisory firm K2 Integrity showed that 81% of networks exclusively stole consumer goods such as cosmetics, personal care items, and over-the-counter medications.

The National Retail Federation and the United States Chamber of Commerce sought to rally industry leaders last year to back multiple laws that would increase federal resources devoted to combating organized retail crime. The typical fencing operation handles some $250,000 in stolen merchandise before law enforcement intervenes, according to the report, while the typical booster employed by a criminal network steals $5,000 before he is arrested.

The report said crime networks have become increasingly "violent" and "brazen" in their tactics over the past two years, using methods such as smash-and-grab, weapons, flash mob tactics, or threats of violence against store employees or customers. Viral videos featuring the tactics have circulated over the past few years as crime rates soar in many cities.

Demand for goods stolen via organized retail crime could be increasingly buoyed by a subculture of youth which maintain a "vague anti-capitalist ideology" and increasingly consider theft acceptable, according to the report. The criminal networks generally do not currently use the dark web to sell stolen products, but the platform could "present a viable venue" in the future should internet users increase their utilization of dark web technology. dailywire.com


ORC Gangs Target Cheap Items at Big Chains
Why retail crime rings target cheap goods at Walmart & CVS

Only 11% of organized retail crime groups target luxury goods, per a recent NRF report.

If you think organized retail crime is always a high-stakes jewelry heist, you're wrong, according to a new report from the National Retail Federation and global risk advisory firm K2 integrity. In fact, luxury goods like jewelry and watches are rarely targeted by criminals.

According to a database of 132 organized retail crime groups compiled by K2 - using public information contained in hundreds of court cases and media reports between 2014 and 2022 - luxury goods are only targeted 11% of the time. This is due to luxury items being sold in stores with enhanced security measures, the report said.

Organized retail crime instead often targets more of the everyday goods available at stores like Walmart, CVS, and Target with less security protecting it. Items most targeted for theft include apparel, health and beauty products, infant products, accessories, housewares, home improvement products, eyewear, and office supplies, according to the report.

The new NRF and K2 report comes after months of retailers sounding the alarm about above-average theft rates. Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon said in December that stores would close and prices would rise if theft levels did not drop.

The issue has even caught the attention of politicians. Last month, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told retailers that to prevent theft, they must require shoppers to enter stores without face masks on, as he said the masks make it more difficult to identify shoplifters. businessinsider.com


Mall of America & Other Shopping Centers Bolster Security 
Mall of America is considering adding facial recognition software to its security arsenal

Malls Walk Tightrope Over Security & Shopper Comfort
Minnesota retailers balance security, customer comfort to curb crime

Stores including Target and Best Buy have strengthened safety measures but worry that might deter customers.

Retailers have long debated how to keep stores secure but still welcoming. That has become even more complicated for shopping centers such as the Mall of America as well as retailers such as Target, Best Buy and smaller Twin Cities area stores whose private safety protocols are now under greater public scrutiny.

Nationwide, retailers reported more than a 26% increase in organized retail crimes in 2021, according to a report the National Retail Federation (NRF) released this past fall. Eight in 10 said the violence and aggression associated with those incidents has increased.

"We're having this really tough debate," said Jason Matlock, co-founder of a Twin Cities consultancy helping organizations plan for critical incidents. "OK, we want safety, but how do we get there?"

Striking a balance

The Mall of America has several layers of security, most of which have existed for years: bike officers, license plate readers, an intelligence analyst, a Bloomington police satellite station with uniformed police officers, a camera system, an underground emergency operations center, teams of mall security with plain-clothes officers, even a team of six explosives-detecting dogs.

Despite its protocols, the mall has recently struggled with safety.

Last fall, the mall tried using artificial intelligence scanners to detect weapons. However, with around 30 entrances and thousands of visitors a day, it wasn't "a good fit," Bernhjelm said.

The mall still practices random, unannounced bag checks at its doors. Mall of America officials have also tested a shot-detection program - which detects the sound of gunshots and alerts security to the location - and are considering facial recognition software, used with the mall's cameras to help identify trespassing individuals.

The new measures, such as bag checks, help increase regular shoppers' comfort.  startribune.com


Just 327 People Make Up a Third of All Shoplifting Arrests in NYC
A Tiny Number of Shoplifters Commit Thousands of New York City Thefts

Nearly a third of all shoplifting arrests in the city last year involved just 327 people, the police said. Businesses say they have little defense.

New York City's storefront businesses, already weathering inflation and an uneven recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, are also contending with what the police say is a dramatic increase in shoplifting. But statistics also reveal a startling reality: A relative handful of shoplifters are responsible for an outsize percentage of retail crime.

Nearly a third of all shoplifting arrests in New York City last year involved just 327 people, the police said. Collectively, they were arrested and rearrested more than 6,000 times, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. Some engage in shoplifting as a trade, while others are driven by addiction or mental illness; the police did not identify the 327 people in the analysis.

The victims are also concentrated: 18 department stores and seven chain pharmacy locations accounted for 20 percent of all complaints, the police said.

Petty thefts are one of the main drivers of the city's overall crime rate, even as murders, shootings and other violent crimes have continued to drop. At a recent news conference, Commissioner Sewell said the situation demanded a "perpetual carousel of police resources."

Criminal justice reform advocates have said that petty thefts are a crime of necessity, and that many down-on-their-luck New Yorkers are stealing what they need to survive in one of the world's most expensive cities. But law enforcement and trade groups have blamed a proliferation of organized shoplifting crews, repeat offenders and the new state bail law that they argue has enabled such offenders to avoid jail time. nytimes.com


'Collective Action to Protect Our Stores' Continues Push for Legislative Action
Small business coalition demands accountability amid shoplifting spike in NYC
The Collective Action to Protect Our Stores, a coalition that advocates for small businesses throughout New York City, is demanding accountability as shoplifting is on the rise. There were over 6,000 arrests for retail theft last year, according to the NYPD.

CAPS says supermarkets, bodegas and grocery stores are being hit hard by those crimes. It argues that those numbers might be higher.

"We're seeing a hike in shoplifting, but I also want to highlight that not all the data is there because a lot of these shoplifting scenarios go unreported because we don't want to call NYPD," said Nayelly De Jesus of CAPS. "We feel like when we hold the shoplifter at the store, that's when our employees get assaulted. So, the data is probably three times that."

De Jesus believes legislation protecting business owners and employees would help solve the issue. She says there are currently three new bills on the table that would increase the penalties for shoplifting.

"If we don't stop the shoplifters, then we become the target of the community, and then we have to close our doors," she said. brooklyn.news12.com


Blame Game Over San Francisco's Violent Crime Surge
San Francisco District Attorney Takes Aim at Elon Musk Over Murder Allegations
Cash App cofounder Bob Lee was found stabbed to death in a deserted part of downtown San Francisco in the early morning hours of April 4.

The incident, which received huge amounts of media attention, led Silicon Valley leaders to come out in force, decrying the state of violent crime in the city. Some tech execs started pointing fingers, arguing that homelessness had spiraled out of control and that the rich were being unfairly targeted.

"Many people I know have been severely assaulted," Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who has already made himself immensely unpopular in the city, chimed in. Musk went as far as to blame law enforcement for not doing enough.

"Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately," he added.

During the SFPD's announcement about their arrest on Thursday, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins didn't mince words.

Musk's "reckless and irresponsible statements," which "assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee's death," only "serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco and also negatively impact the pursuit of justice for victims of crime as it spreads misinformation at a time when the police are trying to solve a very difficult case," she said. futurism.com


New York DA Throws the Book at Robbers & Burglars
Westchester DA Addresses Recent Rash Of Burglaries And Robberies

Rocah touted a proven record of bringing felony charges and sending a strong message to the perpetrators of these crimes.

When is comes to a recent plague of robberies, burglaries and brazen shoplifting incidents in Westchester County, District Attorney Miriam Rocah isn't playing around.

Rocah announced a crackdown on burglaries and robberies across the jurisdiction. Her office highlighted a laundry list of felony charges for defendants arrested in connection with recent break-ins and theft at homes and local businesses.

"Ensuring residents feel safe at home or when doing business in Westchester is an important priority for the DA's Office," Rocah said. "The latest indictments and charges for recent incidents across Westchester should send a strong message that my Office and the 42 police departments we work with on a daily basis across this county remain committed to protecting Westchester residents and businesses." patch.com


Kroger Mass Shooting Lawsuit
Kroger Worker Loses Suit Against Franchisor Over Mass Shooting
A Kroger Co. employee injured in a mass shooting at the store lost his liability lawsuit against the franchisor of the sushi bar where the gunman worked. Jonathan Fernald failed to allege that the shooting was foreseeable to JFE Franchising, Inc., doing business as Snowfox, or that JFE had a duty to him to take actions to prevent it, the US District Court for the Western District of Tennessee ruled Thursday. news.bloomberglaw.com


California business owner closes beauty stores due to retail crime

Op-Ed: When will we tire of gun culture, mass shootings and take action?

Louis Vuitton Sues Atlanta Flea Market for Selling Counterfeits
In New Lawsuit, Louis Vuitton Seeks Millions from Atlanta Flea Market for Allegedly Selling Counterfeit Goods
Louis Vuitton is suing a popular Atlanta-area indoor flea market for allowing its tenants to allegedly sell counterfeit goods.

In a new lawsuit filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Ga., the French luxury brand is suing Westgate Discount Mall, and its owners Basirou Kebbay and Aaron Kebe, for creating a "safe haven" for the sale of counterfeit Louis Vuitton merchandise, as well as a host of other well-known brands.

In the court filing, Louis Vuitton stated that the flea market operators "turned a blind-eye" to the activity despite being "repeatedly notified" of the action by the company and are "fully aware" that its tenants were engaged in the sale of counterfeit goods. "In so doing, defendants allowed the sale of such merchandise to flourish on a massive scale to the detriment of Louis Vuitton," the company alleged.

Specifically, Louis Vuitton stated that it sent Westgate Discount Mall "at least 31 notices" concerning tenants at the market that had attempted to import counterfeit products but had the products seized by US Customs and Border Protection.

What's more, the company said in court documents that investigators acting on behalf of Louis Vuitton have served "at least 20 cease and desist letters" to tenants of the market who were engaged in the sale of products bearing counterfeit Louis Vuitton trademarks.

Louis Vuitton also cited "numerous occasions" prior to this court filing where law enforcement agencies seized counterfeit items from tenants at the market, including goods bearing counterfeit Louis Vuitton trademarks. In fact, law enforcement has arrested several of the market's counterfeiting tenants, the company said.

With this claim, Louis Vuitton is seeking an amount of up to $2,000,000 per counterfeit mark per each type of good as well as profits resulting from the sale of the alleged fake merchandise. footwearnews.com


Feds Crack Down on Goods & Companies Tied to Forced Labor
Since June, Feds have seized nearly $1 billion in goods tied to forced labor

Companies are receiving detention notices and stand to lose millions of dollars while their goods remain in custody at ports.

Since late June, federal authorities have seized $961 million worth of goods over suspected ties to forced labor, officials told CNBC. In many instances, companies have no idea their supply chain is tainted, officials said.

CNBC received exclusive access in February to the Port of New York and New Jersey, the largest port on the East Coast, located a few miles southwest of Manhattan. There, millions of dollars' worth of cargo - from solar panels to bedding to floor tiles - was being held while major companies scrambled to prove their supply chains are clean.

"Our goal for the forced labor laws [is] to prevent merchandise from being made with forced labor in the first place, and we will not rest until we achieve that goal," said Customs and Border Protection Executive Assistant Commissioner AnnMarie Highsmith, who oversees the Office of Trade.

The enforcement falls under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, or UFLPA, signed into law by President Joe Biden in late 2021. The law prohibits imports of goods produced or sourced in the Xinjiang region of China from entering the U.S. economy.

Surprisingly, the most recent CBP data shows that in terms of value, the majority of shipments detained since last summer were not sent from China. Shipments coming directly from China represented about $80 million worth of goods, while Malaysia accounted for $461 million and Vietnam accounted for $370 million.

To date, only about a third of those detained shipments have been released. cnbc.com


The End of the Standard Barcode? - Another Tool for LP?
QR-style "2D barcodes" will revolutionize retail as we know it

The familiar Universal Product Code barcode, left, will be supplanted by 2027 with a more data-rich improvement

The humble and familiar barcode - a staple on consumer packaging for nearly 50 years - will soon be replaced with a more robust and muscular successor that offers far more information about the product inside.

The new "2D" barcodes will unlock reams of online extras (for consumers) and revolutionize inventory management (for retailers). Scanning them may tell us the field where something was grown, the factory where a garment was sewn, the sust

The technology promises to improve product safety, give us greater transparency into the origins of the items we buy, and enhance our lives with handy suggestions about how to use or prepare our purchases.

Stores will be able to respond immediately to product recalls, identifying faulty items and removing them from shelves. They'll be able to flag foods that are approaching their sell-by date - and offer discounts before they expire. axios.com


The Union Push Continues
Ben & Jerry's scoopers take key step to form company's first union

If workers unionize, they would be the first to do so at the company, which has long championed social justice causes

Ben & Jerry's workers at the company's flagship ice cream shop in Burlington, Vt., are filing for a union election on Monday, adding momentum to a string of service-industry campaigns at high-profile companies such as Starbucks, Trader Joe's and Apple.

If the workers vote to unionize, they will be the first among Ben & Jerry's U.S. locations to do so. The company, started by two former hippies, has built a reputation on serving up zany ice cream flavors like Half Baked and Cherry Garcia while unapologetically supporting social justice causes.

The union drive serves as a test of the company's values, workers said. Scoopers in Burlington said co-founder Jerry Greenfield showed up briefly at the store on Sunday - an unusual occurrence - but he skipped a meeting where workers announced to management their intent to unionize. washingtonpost.com


Retailers Still Struggling to Fill Positions
Survey: Staffing, wage concerns top priority for retailers heading into summer

Retailers are still having a hard time filling store-based positions.

More than half of retailers (52.80%) indicated that staffing and wage issues were their top concerns going into summer, according to a an annual survey by training and communications technology company Multimedia Plus.The study surveyed executives in the retail and hospitality industries.

In distant second and third place were global events (9.60%) and banking sector concerns (8.80%). Also coming in at less than 10% were loss prevention and supply chain concerns.

In terms of the current environment for hiring store-based roles, 30.63% of respondents said that positions are about the same to fill as compared to this time last year. But 24.32% of respondents reported that positions are harder to fill than last year, while 11.71% said that they are much harder to fill. chainstoreage.com


David's Bridal lays off over 9K as it pursues a sale
The layoffs in Pennsylvania will become effective in phases, starting April 14 and ending August 11.

Best Buy lays off hundreds of store employees as shopping trends shift

Walmart is selling Bonobos to Express, WHP Global for $75M
 

Last week's #1 article --

'Organized Retail Crime: An Assessment of a Persistent and Growing Threat'

New NRF Report Details ORC's 'Persistent & Growing Threat'
NRF Report Shows ORC a Growing Threat for U.S. Retailers

Key findings in the report include:

• ORC groups largely target everyday consumer goods - which offer a favorable balance between ease of theft, monetary value and ease of resale. Only 11% of the ORC groups examined in the report targeted luxury goods.

• The median ORC fencing operation handled about $250,000 in stolen merchandise prior to being apprehended by law enforcement.

• ORC fencing operations rely on online marketplaces as one resale channel. About 45% of ORC groups for which fencing information was available used online marketplaces for resale operations.

• ORC fences that conduct online resale operations appear to be shifting away from third-party online sellers and toward peer-to-peer websites that facilitate direct engagement among buyers and sellers.

• ORC groups rely on advance planning to ensure the success of their theft operations.

• There are significant deficiencies in the availability of consistent and consolidated data regarding ORC across national, state and local authorities, as well as the retail industry.