Stores risk losing younger shoppers with anti-theft measures targeting self-checkouts: retail expert

Amid a recorded rise in retail theft, firms are taking extra measures at self-checkouts to cease folks from stealing.

Allowing clients to finish their very own transactions could make purchasing seamless and simple, however a retail strategist says self-checkouts are additionally an avenue for theft.

Liza Amlani, principal and co-founder of Retail Strategy Group, instructed CTVNews.ca in an interview that self-checkouts with out further measures are one of many methods thieves can simply steal from retailers.

“Customers want self-checkout, they don’t want to be monitored, or security hovering over them,” Amlani mentioned.

But some firms have began implementing extra measures, notably at self-checkouts, that may change the shopper expertise.

“The convenience of self-checkout, especially across the younger generations who prefer it, I think that’s where retailers will really kind of lose customer loyalty and even market share,” Amlani mentioned.

RETAIL THEFT ON THE RISE

Recently Loblaw Companies Ltd. applied a receipt verify for some shops in Canada, which prompted backlash from clients.

Loblaw-owned shops, together with Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, Your Independent Grocer, Zehrs and No Frills, began asking clients for his or her receipts earlier than leaving the shop.

A report by the Retail Council of Canada, in the meantime, means that retail thefts have elevated by about 300 per cent for the reason that pandemic started.

“The reason why people are stealing, why theft is on the rise, is because of the state of the economy,” Amlani mentioned. “If people can’t afford essentials, and their daily grocery needs then of course, they’re gonna have to do something about it.”

Food inflation has hit many shoppers onerous during the last 12 months, with primary merchandise, like contemporary fruit and veggies, rising to unaffordable costs.

Due to the impartial nature of self-checkouts, Amlani says it’s engaging for thieves to make use of them, however further measures might be taken to discourage efforts.

HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP DETER THEFT

New know-how in tags, like radio-frequency identification (RFID), permits for a product to be tracked by the corporate all through the availability chain.

“There’s a lot of products out there that have magnetic traceability, like through RFID technology built into the product label,” she mentioned. “So it is possible for brands and retailers to track the journey of their product, especially from a theft and loss prevention perspective.”

This know-how is more durable to implement on grocery objects, which is why different measures might be added to make sure theft doesn’t occur at self-checkouts.

Some retailers have cameras to look at for theft, whereas others have applied scales.

“If you go to Shoppers (Drug Mart), or even Walmart, they use scales,” Amlani mentioned. “So whatever you weigh in should match as you weigh out.”

Receipt checks are one other strategy to monitor theft, however they will go away a adverse feeling for the shopper if the worker accuses them of stealing.

Some Canadians additionally reported receipt checks will not be being carried out for all clients, which raised issues of racial profiling.

Employee and model ambassador expectations have risen previously few years, Amlani mentioned, particularly throughout the pandemic when front-line staff ensured distancing, masking and monitored for thefts.

“I would say upscale training. Just really understanding what your employees are going through and what they’re willing to do and if there are roles that we need to clearly define,” she mentioned.

Amlani says not all theft measures must be used on the identical time.

“It’s just a matter of just figuring out what is the right balance to make the customer still feel great about their shopping experience,” she mentioned. “So the customer experience should be delightful without being invasive.”

THE POPULARITY OF SELF-CHECKOUTS

At the Billings Bridge Walmart in Ottawa, some clients have been sad with the temporary closure of a self-checkout.

“I just feel like that’s not a really smart move, because there’s going to be so many people. Lines are backed up as it is on a normal day at Walmart,” Justin Jituboh, a consumer, instructed CTV News Ottawa. “So I feel like they definitely should open the self-checkout.”

A Walmart Canada spokesperson instructed CTVNews.ca in an interview that the self-checkout was closed because of building.

“We look forward to interacting with you on a one-on-one basis,” an indication posted by the corporate on the self-checkout space learn.

But the interplay with folks is likely one of the causes clients select the self-checkout within the first place, one shopper mentioned.

“Some people don’t want to have to talk to people in the checkout lines, so that’s going to be a bummer,” Kateri Trzebiatowski instructed CTV News Ottawa.

Self-checkouts jumped in reputation over the pandemic when distancing orders have been in place, particularly with youthful customers, a research by Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab suggests.

The May 2021 survey exhibits 53 per cent of respondents mentioned they might use a self-checkout machine sooner or later.

While the brand new know-how makes small purchases faster for patrons, one shopper factors out how handy cashiers nonetheless are.

“It’s a lot easier for me if someone else does it and puts it in the bag and whatnot,” Albert Gervai instructed CTV News Ottawa. “I don’t really enjoy the self-checkout, to be honest with you, unless it’s (for) one or two things.”