Field officers can also receive alerts with video via their smartphones. Not only do cameras show loss prevention officers when, where and who is pilfering products, but marketers and store managers also can put this and other data sets together to determine consumer traffic patterns in an attempt to better serve customers. In some cases a store will earn additional income from vendors based on behavioral data rendered with regard to new product displays and services.

“There are so many things you can do with analytics. It’s almost like having a human brain in charge of every aspect of security. These integrated systems can count people coming and leaving a store, they can adjust things for night or day, they can learn what’s normal and what’s not in any specific situation. It’s expensive but today’s integrated systems will learn the scene,” says Cantor.

For example, integration plays a major role through POS integration using EAS, video surveillance and other connected systems, such as in a casino. In this setting, loss prevention officers, no matter how good they may be, can miss a criminal event while manually observing multiple CCTV monitors.

In some retail establishments, as it is in casinos, the high number of cameras versus loss prevention officers makes it difficult to police every single one. However, by using systems integration technology with the right software, security can computerize the observation process using analytics.

“eConnect has traditionally integrated to data sets from POS or revenue areas. We can also integrate to multiple data sets found in casino gaming operations for [rewards program] player tracking,” says Florence.

As retailers scramble to identify – and justify – how best to employ the latest loss prevention and business intelligence technologies, installing security contractors are well-positioned to be-come a lasting, trusted partner. Consider that each technology has the potential to drive deeper customer engagement. Therefore, it is incumbent upon dealers and integrators to become well-versed in the technologies and security requirements unique to the retail sector.

Al Colombo is a long-time trade journalist and copywriter in the electronic security market. His experience includes 15 years as a field technician and 28 years in technical writing.

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