The problem of shoplifting — the theft of goods from stores — is becoming increasingly relevant for retailers. The growing level of losses caused by customers who "forget" to pay for their purchases affects the financial performance of businesses. Retail chains allocate losses from such incidents into a separate category, setting aside up to 1.8% of total store revenue to cover them. Shoplifting also impacts the efficiency of security services. Monitoring retail spaces across numerous stores and shopping centers becomes a major challenge — given limited resources and constant customer flow, identifying and preventing theft seems nearly impossible. These challenges accumulate: ineffective data analysis prevents security staff from properly responding to potential offenders, while high levels of shrinkage directly affect their key performance indicators.

How to Address the Issue?

A major Russian retailer with hypermarkets across the country faced these exact challenges. Rostelecom offered a solution using intelligent video analytics system, "Stop-Shoplifter." This cloud-based video surveillance platform, equipped with an information-analytics module, operates continuously to prevent conflicts and incidents related to unpaid goods. Beyond simple monitoring through security cameras, it uses artificial intelligence to analyze offenders' behavior, enabling early prevention of repeat thefts.

How It Works

Rostelecom specialists installed a hardware-software system in the retailer’s stores and set up a dedicated communication channel. Cameras linked to the intelligent video analytics and incident prevention system were placed at store entrances and connected to a preprocessing video stream server. Security personnel received tablets with pre-configured software for instant incident notifications. Alerts about suspicious activity are also sent to the security manager's workstation computer.

By analyzing video streams, security staff receive immediate notifications whenever the system detects a potential incident related to theft or unpaid goods.

Integrating video analytics into the retailer’s business processes showed results even during the pilot phase in a single store. The retailer gained a powerful tool to prevent incidents, while the rapid response to offenders allowed for damage compensation. Following the pilot’s success, the solution was deployed across dozens of stores. The video surveillance platform ensures quick incident detection and response, helping stores significantly reduce shoplifting rates — by 0.6% to 0.8%.

Thus, AI-powered video surveillance not only improves product monitoring but also helps create a unified ecosystem where retailers can collaborate in the fight against shoplifting.

Source: CNEWS