People Counting Systems -5 WC Blog 471
Door Counting Sensor – 4
Improve Sales and Shrink With People Counting Systems
People counting systems may be more than just headcounters for stores. Consider the fact that not everyone entering your retail establishment is there to shop. Many stores have theft issues that are causing inventory control problems that have not been identified. It may be happening in your own locations. How many times do you look around and see people entering the store and leaving empty handed? The end of the day register tallies may indicate that sales are not too bad but there is little to judge that information against except the prior year sales records.
People counting systems track the number of people entering a store during the course of a day. A door counting sensor is not complicated it simply measures how many people tripped it as they walked in. What they do not do is provide any sales data but when daily transactions are compared to the number of customers who entered it paints a good picture of what may or may not be transpiring on the sales floor. Managers who use the information properly will analyze the information and assess if there is a reason for the people leaving without making a purchase. Does the issue lie with unidentified shoplifting, a customer service problem or a merchandising issue? Door counting sensors will not give the answers but they will identify a problem.
Is there theft taking place and that is why people counting systems show a disparity between sales and traffic? It is possible. To make a determination several steps would need to take place. First managers would need to look at electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm responses. Stores that have EAS towers should be tracking alarm activations in a logbook. After answering an alarm employees write the information in the log and give the reason for the alarm and if merchandise was recovered. Did tagged merchandise set off the alarm and prevent a theft? For stores without an electronic article surveillance system the difference between door counts and sales transactions is probably due to theft and in turn causing empty shelves sending customers other places for purchases. Stores with a Checkpoint System have an additional benefit that electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm activations are tracked in a Smart Alarm Management system. This feature provides managers with an alarm activity report that is useful for tracking and managing the number of alarms and employee responses to those alarms.
Consider that a door counting sensor will show people are coming and going but the traffic does not reflect in your sales data. It could be that customers are not making purchases because the merchandise just is not on your sales floor. Why is the floor empty when sales do not seem to match the amount of empty space you see? Customers could be leaving because shoplifters are stealing and therefore emptying your shelves. The EAS Smart Alarm Management tool would provide that data and you could begin to address theft issues.
Another issue that stems from shoplifting is that employees may not be refilling the empty holes on the shelves resulting from the theft. Patrons are not bothering to seek assistance and staff are not offering customer service to see what it is that patrons are looking for. People counting systems will not directly provide the information but it can be readily assessed from the reported data. It all ties in to the disparity between foot traffic and sales data but you HAVE to have the information and tools that will give head counts to get that information in order to act on it.
Don’t rely on sales information as a reliable source of information for how your business is and could be performing. People counting systems can help you see what your potential sales might be and if there is a theft issue or customer service problem or both that could be hurting sales. Add profit by adding a door counting sensor and a Checkpoint system with Smart Alarm Management.
Need information on People Counting Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
People counting systems may be more than just headcounters for stores. Consider the fact that not everyone entering your retail establishment is there to shop. Many stores have theft issues that are causing inventory control problems that have not been identified. It may be happening in your own locations. How many times do you look around and see people entering the store and leaving empty handed? The end of the day register tallies may indicate that sales are not too bad but there is little to judge that information against except the prior year sales records.
People counting systems track the number of people entering a store during the course of a day. A door counting sensor is not complicated it simply measures how many people tripped it as they walked in. What they do not do is provide any sales data but when daily transactions are compared to the number of customers who entered it paints a good picture of what may or may not be transpiring on the sales floor. Managers who use the information properly will analyze the information and assess if there is a reason for the people leaving without making a purchase. Does the issue lie with unidentified shoplifting, a customer service problem or a merchandising issue? Door counting sensors will not give the answers but they will identify a problem.
Is there theft taking place and that is why people counting systems show a disparity between sales and traffic? It is possible. To make a determination several steps would need to take place. First managers would need to look at electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm responses. Stores that have EAS towers should be tracking alarm activations in a logbook. After answering an alarm employees write the information in the log and give the reason for the alarm and if merchandise was recovered. Did tagged merchandise set off the alarm and prevent a theft? For stores without an electronic article surveillance system the difference between door counts and sales transactions is probably due to theft and in turn causing empty shelves sending customers other places for purchases. Stores with a Checkpoint System have an additional benefit that electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm activations are tracked in a Smart Alarm Management system. This feature provides managers with an alarm activity report that is useful for tracking and managing the number of alarms and employee responses to those alarms.
Consider that a door counting sensor will show people are coming and going but the traffic does not reflect in your sales data. It could be that customers are not making purchases because the merchandise just is not on your sales floor. Why is the floor empty when sales do not seem to match the amount of empty space you see? Customers could be leaving because shoplifters are stealing and therefore emptying your shelves. The EAS Smart Alarm Management tool would provide that data and you could begin to address theft issues.
Another issue that stems from shoplifting is that employees may not be refilling the empty holes on the shelves resulting from the theft. Patrons are not bothering to seek assistance and staff are not offering customer service to see what it is that patrons are looking for. People counting systems will not directly provide the information but it can be readily assessed from the reported data. It all ties in to the disparity between foot traffic and sales data but you HAVE to have the information and tools that will give head counts to get that information in order to act on it.
Don’t rely on sales information as a reliable source of information for how your business is and could be performing. People counting systems can help you see what your potential sales might be and if there is a theft issue or customer service problem or both that could be hurting sales. Add profit by adding a door counting sensor and a Checkpoint system with Smart Alarm Management.
Need information on People Counting Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Clothing security is important to me. I want to see stores keep merchandise out of the hands of shoplifters and available to customers like myself. It is also important to me as a consumer to be able to look at the merchandise I want to purchase. Retailer owners and managers I have a pet peeve I am going to share with you. Those cute little bundle packs of pajama sets that you like to put the cute little ribbon on are annoying! Ughhh, it is such a pain to try to take the ribbon off so I can see what a set looks like in order to decide if I want to purchase it as a gift. By the time I am done it looks like a bull went through a china shop. I have pajama tops strewn all over the place, bottoms on the floor and forget about the ribbons. Oh, I try to put them back in the proper bundles and my work speaks for itself. You should take a look at my gift wrapping techniques. I have had clerks walk up and tell me not to worry about my mess they would take care of it. What I think they meant was, please don’t shop in my department any more, just go away. The jaw drop is the giveaway for me when they are approaching from across the store. Along with the fact that bundles never go back together the way they were before I touched them there is the issue of clothing security. Usually the pajama top is the item that can be seen when wrapped. The pants are covered up so if the retailer is using Checkpoint tags to protect clothing from theft you are protecting the entire set.
Checkpoint tags offered through Loss Prevention Systems Inc. are used to stop thieves from stealing your merchandise. The tags work in unison with Checkpoint electronic article surveillance (EAS) towers. The clothing security tags send out radio waves that operate on a specific frequency. These waves are picked up by the towers when tagged merchandise is carried into the detection field of the towers. Once a tag is detected the tower blares out a powerful alert that can be heard through a store and many towers have flashing lights that indicate a tag has been detected. Alert employees will answer the alarm and conduct receipt checks and resolve the reason for the alarm. In most situations these alarms result in the recovery of merchandise or a purchase by the offender. A thief who has been confronted does not want to risk being prosecuted so it is not uncommon for them to say they forgot about the item or they thought the cashier rang it up. A trained employee can avoid creating a disturbance and diffuse a situation by offering an excuse for the “error” and providing an opportunity for a purchase or return of the goods.
I realize some readers are concerned about what it might cost to continually purchase Checkpoint tags for all of the new merchandise that comes into the store. Think about those pajama bundles and how they seem to come in for different seasonal events especially Christmas and Valentine’s Day. And gosh, if I have to worry about increased sales because merchandise is available to purchase won’t I have to buy even more clothing security tags? The tags are reusable. When a garment is brought to the register the tag is removed by the cashier and placed in a bin so they can be put on new freight when it arrives. A special detachment tool is required to take tags off of merchandise. Unless a tool were to fall into the hands of a criminal there is little chance a tag can be forced off of a garment without causing damage to the product. Checkpoint tags can be used over and over and over again greatly reducing the need for replacements.
Bundle your pajama sets together to drive sales and profits. Remember two things, first protect all of the pieces against shoplifting with Checkpoint tags. Second, don’t get mad at folks like me who unbundle your pretty packages and can’t seem to get them back together again correctly!
For more information about Checkpoint tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Loss Prevention Calculator -3 WC Blog 550
Can Loss Prevention Be Free? – 3
Understanding ROI Of A Checkpoint System With The Loss Prevention Calculator
Shortage reduction and theft prevention should be one of the top priorities for store owners to add profitability to their businesses. Trying to determine the best way to achieve this can be a difficult decision but the Loss Prevention Calculator can be of help. An article in LPM Insider titled, “How Do You Calculate ROI in Retail?” Feb 18, 2018 by Robert L. DiLonardo, the author discusses the methods of calculating return on investment in retail environments. Much of the article is discussion involving investment in retail theft prevention equipment and how to make investment decisions. Factors he mentions include the costs of equipment, devaluation, ongoing maintenance and even IT expenses that have to be taken into consideration. The costs then have to be weighed against the benefits and these may include how much is saved in labor reduction, reductions in inventory shortage, etc. The author also points out that, “Additional sales may be generated in other ways.” He explains in one example that more merchandise is available as EAS (electronic article surveillance) reduces shortage. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. CEO, Bill Bregar agrees with this assessment and encourages store owners that EAS is the best way to go to prevent shortage. It is so effective that Loss Prevention Systems Inc. knows that the Return On Investment in a Checkpoint EAS system will pay for itself over time. The ROI is enough that you could ask, “Can Loss Prevention Be Free?”
“Can Loss Prevention Be Free?” It is an interesting question that deserves an answer. Mr. DiLonardo makes the case that there are tangible benefits from using retail theft prevention equipment as I pointed out above. If you were to install a Checkpoint system and your shortage drops by 30% (a low estimate for an electronic article surveillance system) that 30% is added to your bottom line. There are a number of factors that come into play but let’s just say as an example you experience $10,000 in shortage each year. You invest $6,000 in a new Checkpoint system. Your Shortage decreases to $7,000 the following inventory at the 30% reduction we mentioned. You have just paid for half of that EAS system you installed. Using the Loss Prevention Calculator on the Loss Prevention Systems Inc. website you can try putting in different variables. You can enter how much you want to invest in a Checkpoint System and your estimated annual sales. The estimated number of months your new system would take to pay for itself is calculated for you. Can Loss Prevention Be Free? You bet it can be!
Another interesting point to make from the article is that Mr. DiLonardo uses a hypothetical comparison between the impact of a closed circuit television (CCTV) system and an electronic article surveillance system. He points out the potential increase of shoplifter apprehensions and what that amounts to when considering the dollars saved and the number of cases. The point makes sense when a store has a Loss Prevention Associate but most small retailers can’t afford a Loss Prevention Associate. An investment in a CCTV system will have little real impact on theft in those smaller businesses. It is good as a safety measure and can be used in identification for fraud cases and perhaps identifying shoplifters after the fact. It has little impact on shoplifting as it takes place and therefore makes less impact than it does in bigger stores and chain stores.
Bill Bregar, CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has made it his goal to help the small and medium size retail store owners who can’t afford a Loss Prevention Associate. A Checkpoint System will add profit back to stores and the Free Loss Prevention Calculator is one way he can prove it to you. You can use the calculator without any obligation but I think after you see the results you will want to discuss how soon you can start reducing shortage in your shops with Bill and his team. Don’t delay; try out the calculator now…What are you waiting for?
The Loss Prevention Calculator is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Shortage reduction and theft prevention should be one of the top priorities for store owners to add profitability to their businesses. Trying to determine the best way to achieve this can be a difficult decision but the Loss Prevention Calculator can be of help. An article in LPM Insider titled, “How Do You Calculate ROI in Retail?” Feb 18, 2018 by Robert L. DiLonardo, the author discusses the methods of calculating return on investment in retail environments. Much of the article is discussion involving investment in retail theft prevention equipment and how to make investment decisions. Factors he mentions include the costs of equipment, devaluation, ongoing maintenance and even IT expenses that have to be taken into consideration. The costs then have to be weighed against the benefits and these may include how much is saved in labor reduction, reductions in inventory shortage, etc. The author also points out that, “Additional sales may be generated in other ways.” He explains in one example that more merchandise is available as EAS (electronic article surveillance) reduces shortage. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. CEO, Bill Bregar agrees with this assessment and encourages store owners that EAS is the best way to go to prevent shortage. It is so effective that Loss Prevention Systems Inc. knows that the Return On Investment in a Checkpoint EAS system will pay for itself over time. The ROI is enough that you could ask, “Can Loss Prevention Be Free?”
“Can Loss Prevention Be Free?” It is an interesting question that deserves an answer. Mr. DiLonardo makes the case that there are tangible benefits from using retail theft prevention equipment as I pointed out above. If you were to install a Checkpoint system and your shortage drops by 30% (a low estimate for an electronic article surveillance system) that 30% is added to your bottom line. There are a number of factors that come into play but let’s just say as an example you experience $10,000 in shortage each year. You invest $6,000 in a new Checkpoint system. Your Shortage decreases to $7,000 the following inventory at the 30% reduction we mentioned. You have just paid for half of that EAS system you installed. Using the Loss Prevention Calculator on the Loss Prevention Systems Inc. website you can try putting in different variables. You can enter how much you want to invest in a Checkpoint System and your estimated annual sales. The estimated number of months your new system would take to pay for itself is calculated for you. Can Loss Prevention Be Free? You bet it can be!
Another interesting point to make from the article is that Mr. DiLonardo uses a hypothetical comparison between the impact of a closed circuit television (CCTV) system and an electronic article surveillance system. He points out the potential increase of shoplifter apprehensions and what that amounts to when considering the dollars saved and the number of cases. The point makes sense when a store has a Loss Prevention Associate but most small retailers can’t afford a Loss Prevention Associate. An investment in a CCTV system will have little real impact on theft in those smaller businesses. It is good as a safety measure and can be used in identification for fraud cases and perhaps identifying shoplifters after the fact. It has little impact on shoplifting as it takes place and therefore makes less impact than it does in bigger stores and chain stores.
Bill Bregar, CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has made it his goal to help the small and medium size retail store owners who can’t afford a Loss Prevention Associate. A Checkpoint System will add profit back to stores and the Free Loss Prevention Calculator is one way he can prove it to you. You can use the calculator without any obligation but I think after you see the results you will want to discuss how soon you can start reducing shortage in your shops with Bill and his team. Don’t delay; try out the calculator now…What are you waiting for?
The Loss Prevention Calculator is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
