As a retail store owner or manager, finding ways to improve the customer experience, open up new revenue streams and introduce new products are all important for the ongoing success of your business.
But let’s face it, this is the entrepreneurial side of the business that we wish we could focus on the entire working day. The other side of a successful business is implementing processes and procedures that ensure your retail store is able to operate efficiently and consistently.
There’s not many aspects of your business that are more important than crime prevention. At its best - crime can result in lost revenues and downtime for your business, at its worst it can result in lost customers and the closure of your doors.
Why retail security should be your top priority
Crime isn’t always the end of the world for your retail store. While crimes such as shoplifting or vandalism are annoying and waste your time and money, they probably aren’t going to cripple your business.
Protecting your business against these smaller crimes, however, will protect your retail store against larger crimes that could put you out of business. This is particularly important when considering how organized retail crime has hit the spotlight in Western Canada in recent months.
In fact, according to CBC, seven people face 14 charges after it was found that shoplifting at a store in Central Alberta linked back to a nationwide organized crime group. In total, more than $250,000 worth of stolen property was recovered from the group.
Unfortunately, organized retail crime can be devastating for the businesses that fall prey to it. In its 2018 Organized Retail Crime Survey, the National Retail Federation found that organized retail crime costs retailers $777,877 (US) for each $1 billion dollars in sales.
Not only that, but three in four retailer owners that responded to the survey claimed that they had seen an increase in organized retail crime over the past 12 months.
Shoplifting, break-and-enters, employee theft and fraud all pose a threat to your retail store. It’s important that you implement the proper security measures to protect your business from these crimes.
To help, Sonitrol Western Canada has listed five tips that will improve the security of your retail store:
#1 - Invest in a high-quality fire detection system
Whether a malicious attack or an accident, a fire in your retail store could completely ruin your business. That’s why you should have a system in place that detects potential fires early and verifies that they are real for fast action by authorities. The faster you act the more likely you will be able to prevent loss.
The Sonitrol Fire Detection System monitors smoke and heat detectors, sprinkler monitoring devices and pull stations, quickly dispatching emergency personnel to your facility once a fire threat is verified as real.
#2 - Integrate managed access control into your premises
Do you have valuable assets in your retail store, a room you keep surplus stock in or even a safe with spare cash? It’s important that you properly secure these high-value rooms from both employees and the public.
Managed access control, or keyless entry, will limit access to these areas to specific employees. You can assign different levels of access to staff, and see exactly who was in which room at which time through in-depth reporting analytics.
#3 - Don’t forget about cybersecurity
Today, businesses are just as likely to fall prey to crime through their online networks as they are through their physical stores. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting small and medium-sized businesses to steal customer data and blackmail the companies they steal from.
To protect your business from cybercrime, it’s important to implement some cybersecurity measures and best practices. This includes everything from installing antivirus software, updating your network software regularly, enabling two-factor authentication, using encryption to protect customer data and changing passwords regularly.
#4 - Get a professional free commercial security audit
As the owner of a retail store your specialty is in business. You are an expert in satisfying customers and finding or creating new products that will bolster your inventory and help bring in higher profits. Nobody is expecting you to be an expert in security protocol as well.
That’s why it’s important that you strongly consider reaching out to a security expert to undertake a free commercial security audit of your retail premises. That way you will be able to learn about your property’s security weaknesses, with no obligation to purchase a security solution.
#5 - Install a verified security solution
Get rid of that traditional CCTV security system that is no longer fit for purpose and replace it with a verified alarm system. Rather than recording a crime as it happens like traditional CCTV, verified alarms are monitored by a security expert in a central monitoring station who is able to verify if the threat is real.
Once an alarm is verified as a real threat, the police are notified immediately and sent real-time updates as the situation evolves. Since these alarms are verified, police have an average dispatch time of just 3-4 minutes. For conventional CCTV that average dispatch time is a staggering 45 minutes, or more!
Are you looking for more tips on how to secure your retail store in Western Canada from crime? Contact Sonitrol Western Canada today. Our team of security experts are ready to answer any questions that you may have.
