You can implement effective ways on how to prevent shoplifting. These strategies can go a long way toward saving your business a lot of money and protecting the atmosphere for other customers.
Become an insider. Subscribe to our newsletter for more top trending stories like this!
With these 7 proven techniques on how to prevent shoplifting, including proper store layout, surveillance, and customer service strategies, you’ll need to stay ahead of shoplifters.
People Also Read: What 5 Studies Say About Why Start-Ups Fail
Effects of Shoplifting on Businesses
Shoplifting can be a primary reason for financial loss for your business. As thieves steal from you occasionally or even often, you incur losses in profit and capital.
Sometimes shoplifters destroy security cameras to avoid being captured, costing you money to repair or replace.
Among others, shoplifting can create a negative atmosphere for other shoppers who might have witnessed incidents or heard from others. These shoppers, out of fear, may avoid certain shops that shoplifters frequent.
How to Prevent Shoplifting in Your Shop
Proper Store Layout to Deter Shoplifting
The best way how to prevent shoplifting is to prioritize the layout of your shop. Place expensive items in visible locations where staff can see them even from far away. It’s also ideal to place them near the checkout point so they’re visible to the cashier and other shoppers.
Expensive items could include perfumes, jewelry, eye-frames, purses, and designer merchandise. For a proper watch on your expensive or valuable items, place security cameras around them to monitor blind spots and alert you to stolen items.
Use of Surveillance and Security Measures
Install video surveillance in your shop at vantage points, especially at the entrance, back door, and around expensive items. You should also take security measures by monitoring the video surveillance for any awkward behavior from customers.
The best effort is to patronize the services of security agencies to help monitor the day-to-day activities going on in your retail stores and to notify you of further security measures you should take to prevent retail theft.
Training Employees to Identify and Prevent Theft
While security cameras are the surest way to prevent shoplifting, training your staff on identifying shoplifters can go a long way. Employees are the first point of contact for customers and should be trained to spot the unfamiliar but peculiar behavior of customers and take the necessary measures before it’s too late.
Become an insider. Subscribe to our newsletter for more top trending stories like this!
This training will equip employees to spot signs of shoplifters and take the necessary measures to manage the situation.
Providing Excellent Customer Service
Often, when you treat customers the way you want to be treated, they look out for you and your business. Providing good customer service prevents them from shoplifting, and reports others who may do so.
Station your staff at the entrance and the exit to greet and interact with customers. This way, they get to know regular customers, the items they buy, and what their expectations are. Customers will also open up about buying an expensive item and the opportunity to pay for it in installments.
Implementing a Return Policy
Besides, another way to prevent shoplifting is to implement a return policy where customers can return an item or more. Doing this gets you on the better side of customers and prevents aggrieved shoppers from stealing items because you didn’t allow them to exchange.
You should also check for refunded items to ensure they’re in good condition before accepting them. Implementing a return policy makes your business customer-centered, friendly, and considerate of the needs of everyone.
Monitoring Inventory and Stock Levels
Also, consider stocking your business or shop with enough items so you can notice what is missing without payment processing. Participate in a daily or weekly stock audit to replace shelves and items.
Tagging and Securing High-Risk Items
Knowing your most valuable items are secure with security tags, you’ll be able to know when an item leaves the shop without passing through the cash register.
You should also lock high-value items to prevent criminals from hovering around them. Install devices in dressing rooms or changing rooms for shoplifting prevention.
People Also Read: Recognize 7 Signs of a Shoplifter and Protect Your Business
Implementing these strategies saves you resources, especially as a small business. Should you encounter a shoplifter in your retail business, ensure to involve the police or law enforcement to serve as a deterrence to others.
Become an insider. Subscribe to our newsletter for more top trending stories like this!
Nearly 80% of consumers visit directories with reviews to find a local business. List your business for free in our exclusive Spotcovery Black-Owned Business Directory.
Spotcovery offers unique and fresh daily content on Black culture, lifestyle, and experiences. We talk about everything black, black people, black-owned and black-owned businesses. We also deliver authentic and relevant content that will inform, inspire, and empower you! The future of black media is critical to today’s black experience! Our primary audience includes African Americans, Africans, Afro-Caribbean, and people of African heritage. Black culture is for the culture!
