Though the holiday season is a busy time for most retail stores, it also increases the risks of frauds, break-ins, and robberies. Cloud-based video management software can help your store to curb such activities and also ensure the safety of your customers.

The holidays are just around the corner and it is that time of the year when retail stores get busier than ever. As retail stores get busier, it also increases the possibilities of break-ins, shoplifting, and other frauds during this season. Retail stores also face heavy footfall as people line up to make last minute purchases for their loved ones. So it becomes important to not only manage the security of the retail store, but also look out for the safety of the customers.

In order to avoid such problems, it becomes important for stores to manage their activities effectively. This requires smarter solutions that will help the store authorities to monitor store activities with ease and curb the possibilities of any crime or theft.

Retail stores can leverage cloud-based video management software and video analytics to manage retail store operations on a day-to-day basis and protect their premises against break-ins.  This video management software can enable the authorities to curb unwanted incidents and improve the safety and security of the store.

1. Motion Detection

Apart from managing daily activities, the holiday season also raises the risk of break-ins and robberies afterhours. The motion detection algorithm can be enforced for monitoring purposes post operation hours. Understanding how this technology will help you set up better motion detection regions and alerts.

There are areas inside the store, which would be restricted to the visitors and when the store is closed, motion detection algorithms can detect motion inside the store and record visuals in case motion is detected in the field. There are also off the shelf cameras that come with equipped with CMOS or CCD chips for motion detection capabilities enabling edge analytics.

The camera triggers and starts recording as soon as it detects movement in the defined field with a fixed background. Algorithms can be very simple and could be very complex depending on the purpose. Basic algorithms when integrated to a VMS can detect any kind of motion to a fixed background inside a defined field. However, motion detection can be selected based on preference and detection can be set to detect human presence as well, where an event is recorded based on heat mapping.

Cloud video management software will allow the store manager to view the event remotely and immediately call security or the police for further assistance.

2. Queue Management

Overcrowding in queues can lead to incidents of pushing or shoving, so it becomes important to ensure the safety of the customers with queue management. Also for the elderly customers, proper queue management can minimize the health risks they might face in the crowded lines.

When queue management is used, the camera counts the number of customers in a line and alerts the store manager if the number of customers standing in the queue exceeds the set threshold. The store manager can then open the next counter and help serve the customers in a timely manner, helping them to check out easily.

3. Face Recognition

The holiday shopping spree may also attract repeat offenders who may be aware of the loopholes in the security. Facial recognition algorithms can help in capturing the image of repeat offenders and help them in removing them from the premises before they can cause any problems. This will not only keep the store safe, but will also help you to protect your patrons.

Facial recognition algorithms allow you to capture images of the offenders and every time a person enters the premises of the store, the captured imaged is then matched with a previously conceived database, which may allow the store manager to alert security if a repeat offender has entered the premises of the store.

4. POS Cameras

Attractive offers are also one of the main encouragements to shop. However, when there are offers and coupons involved, that increases the possibilities of frauds. Coupon frauds such as coupon modification, mass printing etc. may not only involve shoppers, but also store clerks. To avoid such fraudulent activities, POS cameras are required for constant monitoring. POS cameras will also enable the store manager to evaluate the efficiency of the store clerk and at the same time, ensure that proper customer service standards are maintained while serving each customer.

You can avail these video analytics features from your VMS service provider by adding them to your current video management software. Since there are pay-per-feature business models, you can also avail them for a limited period of time, to save costs at the same time.

eInfochips provides advanced video surveillance systems with a full suite of analytics capabilities to meet requirements of fleet transportation, retail and city surveillance verticals. To know more about our video management capability, contact us now.