How experts navigate retail’s key threats

Retailers today face a dynamic landscape of increasing threats and areas of loss that can significantly impact their operations, brand reputation and profitability. Recognizing that this broad scope of risks, threats and loss can transcend across the physical, cyber and digital realms, retailers today must collaborate with peers — within their department, cross-functionally within their organization and throughout the industry for a wider perspective.

Asset protection professionals continue to focus on rising theft due to shoplifting and organized retail crime. Theft events, along with active threats and acts of violence, have escalated the need to maintain a viable threat assessment and workplace violence prevention program across retail and non-retail environments. Internal theft remains a significant issue, as does recognizing how shrink and loss can occur across one’s organizational landscape.

Cyber and digital crimes have become more prevalent in theft of goods. Strategic cargo theft sees product “disappearing” enroute as thieves pose as legitimate brokers after crafting false personas or stealing identities of legitimate companies. Digital thieves ideate new scams that result in gift card fraud or steal gift cards to initiate nationwide and transnational gift card draining.

Retailers are increasingly targeted by ransomware, leading to significant disruption, financial loss and damaged reputations. Phishing emails and cyberattacks have retailers not only monitoring their own networks but constantly aware of third-party attacks from their vendor partners.

The risk and threat landscape has and will continue to evolve. Those responsible for the protection of their organization must understand that security is no longer the responsibility of a single person, department or function. It requires an enterprise-wide responsibility with multiple partners leading different aspects of risk coming together to build the structure of an organization’s enterprise security risk management.

Staying ahead of today’s challenges and identifying tomorrow’s risks requires knowledge, engagement and collaboration. NRF PROTECT is the one place where that can be achieved. Over three days from June 23-25, attendees immerse themselves in more than 30 educational sessions, over 14 special sessions and keynote presentations. Sessions are planned to meet strategic and tactical approaches, geared toward different roles, responsibilities and levels.

As technology continues to evolve, a visit to the Expo Hall with more than 220 industry partners helps practitioners stay ahead of innovation and recognize how emerging technologies will benefit the industry. The NRF Fusion Center boasts more than 20 law enforcement organizations, ORC associations and industry stakeholders where retailers strengthen their collaboration and build key relationships to use in support of their efforts.

“In today’s rapidly evolving landscape of theft and security threats, asset protection professionals have a unique opportunity to elevate their impact and stay ahead of emerging challenges,” says John Talamo, chair of the NRF Loss Prevention Council and senior vice president of asset protection at Victoria’s Secret & Co. “Invest in your growth and sharpen your expertise by learning from leading industry experts at this year’s NRF PROTECT.”

Learn more and register today for NRF PROTECT, June 23-25, in Grapevine, Texas.