The retail industry faces constant challenges in safeguarding merchandise and people while maintaining a welcoming environment. Emerging technologies offer powerful solutions to enhance security and efficiency against rising threats and losses. At this year's NRF PROTECT conference, over 225 solutions were showcased, many featuring cutting-edge technologies.
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Educational sessions also highlighted these innovations, with a focus on their value, benefits and successful implementation. Here is a glimpse into two of these technologies — their value, benefit and keys toward successful implementation.
Long used by law enforcement, body-worn cameras are gaining traction in retail due to increasing industry violence. Sessions at NRF PROTECT 2025 highlighted their use in specialty retail, convenience stores and grocery environments.
Body-worn cameras offer a transparent, objective record of incidents, deterring aggression and de-escalating confrontational situations. That not only enhances employee safety and confidence but also provides evidence of theft, threat or act of violence should prosecution be necessary. These devices also present a visible security measure to prevent incidents and serve as a training tool to help staff understand and navigate difficult customer interactions.
Implementing body-worn cameras requires careful consideration, as challenges involving privacy, comfortability and overall scrutiny of the technology may exist from both employees and customers. Clear written policy development on its use, how data is stored, who accesses data and the overall purpose of body-worn cameras should be established before implementation.
Retailers should be transparent in discussions that determine the level of employee who will wear body-worn cameras. Educate employees on the benefits, proper usage and their rights to wearing and using the technology. Address concerns and foster a sense of shared responsibility and buy-in with employees.
From the customer’s perspective, consider cameras with front-facing screens and lights that visibly indicate recording. Adhere to any state or local laws involving recording, privacy regulations or data storage. Post appropriate signage to indicate the use of body-worn cameras, highlighting when and how cameras are activated and video captured and stored.
The adoption of body-worn cameras is an individual retailer decision; retailers that have been the early adopters here in the United States have reported that benefits have proven to deter and de-escalate violent incidents.
Radio frequency identification technology offers unprecedented visibility into merchandise flow, providing benefits for inventory management, proactive asset protection and investigating large-scale organized retail crime.
RFID provides accurate, real-time tracking of merchandise from delivery to point of sale. It enables fast, efficient inventory counting, reducing out-of-stocks, manual errors and improving replenishment. RFID also enhances accuracy for unified operations like in-store pickups and online ship-from-store.
For asset protection, RFID can be a powerful deterrent and detection tool. RFID tags are embedded discreetly into products and are more difficult to remove than other security devices. RFID readers at exits and tied into point-of-sale can determine when items leave the location unpaid. Data collection allows retailers to identify vulnerable products more quickly.
As an investigative tool, RFID data assists asset protection and law enforcement in tracing stolen merchandise, helping to recover stolen goods and providing crucial evidence for prosecution.
While the initial investment in RFID may seem substantial, retailers can adopt a phased approach. Consider a pilot program or begin with a specific product category. Identify a tagging strategy based on factors like inventory loss, theft rates or fast-moving products. Explore cost-effective tagging methods, including leveraging source-tagging from manufacturers. Train employees in handling and inventorying RFID-tagged items and monitor inventory levels to optimize the data and focus on cleaning up discrepancies.
The evolving threat landscape demands that retailers embrace modern technologies to maintain safe and secure environments. A structured, balanced approach to implementation, even for controversial or challenging technologies, can lead to great success.
