As the holiday shopping season approaches, retailers are preparing for a surge in sales. However, the festivities also bring with it a more troubling type of growth - a rise in organized retail theft (ORT) offenses. These crimes range from the coordinated theft of specific products to larger, planned attacks on retailers. As ORT becomes increasingly rampant, collaboration between store owners and law enforcement agencies is crucial for reducing this recent spike. We’ll discuss how strengthening communication between retailers and agencies with support from innovative technology can help address ORT and work to provide a safer shopping experience for customers.
The Impact of Organized Retail Theft on Retailers and Customers
The prevalence of organized retail theft creates a variety of issues for both large and small businesses. ORT is a leading cause of shrinkage—or the discrepancy between the number of items a store has on its shelves and the number recorded in its inventory books. This shrinkage directly leads to a loss in revenue, leading many stores to implement measures to prevent these crimes. While anti-theft protocols help with loss prevention, they can result in a less pleasant shopping experience for customers. For example, ORT can cause businesses to increase product prices and alter product selections to offset the cost of this enhanced security.
Many stores have opted to lock merchandise in clear security boxes, which requires an employee to physically unlock the products before customers can purchase them. This security protocol has introduced new challenges for customers and retailers alike. As mentioned in Retail Brew, the additional step of getting the security box unlocked discourages impulse buying and has driven consumers toward online shopping.
Organized retail theft has become a routine part of business for many retailers but reporting these incidents to the authorities comes with its own set of obstacles. According to Forbes Advisor, store owners' reasons for not reporting retail theft vary, from finding the task too time-consuming to avoiding potential increases in insurance rates. Without the proper technology to protect businesses from ORT and improve communication with law enforcement, both customers and store owners continue to face negative consequences.
Empowering Retailers and Aiding Law Enforcement
There are two key factors to consider when it comes to reducing ORT: reporting and communication. Store owners need an efficient way to report non-emergency retail theft crimes as they occur and stay updated on the status of their case. At the same time, law enforcement needs the ability to easily communicate with these reporting parties while still being able to respond effectively to high-priority calls.
Non-emergency reporting tools, such as Versaterm’s CommunityReport, help store owners and police collaborate more effectively when ORT occurs. Using these solutions, store owners can report ORT with the aid of interviews guided by advanced conversational AI. This service allows retailers to make a complete and thorough report on their own and in their preferred language. Once a store owner reports a theft, Loss Prevention Officers can easily upload evidence and create a comprehensive incident report. This tool reduces the need for a manual response by emergency call takers and law enforcement while immediately informing the retailer on the status of their report through automatic notifications.
For improved communication, technology such as Versaterm CommunityConnect prioritizes frequent correspondence with reporting parties while focusing on victim care. When a store owner reports an incident of theft, law enforcement agencies can use these tools to keep reporting parties up to date through programmed case updates. Agencies can send follow-up emails and text messages as the investigation progresses, acknowledging victims and providing updates. Law enforcement agencies can also gather useful feedback from the public. Following an interaction with an officer, victims will automatically receive a brief, mobile-friendly survey. Agencies can then use this feedback to evaluate police-community interactions and improve their response to these incidents.
A Better Experience for Everyone
As seasonal shopping continues to increase brick-and-mortar store visits, it is time to bring attention to ORT and the tools that are available to help manage it. Creating a line of communication between retailers and agencies helps encourage reporting, allows agencies to streamline operations and keeps store owners informed on the investigation process. Solutions like Versaterm CommunityReport and Versaterm CommunityConnect are useful resources in the fight to address organized retail theft and deliver a better shopping experience for customers.
Learn more about how Versaterm CommunityReport and Versaterm CommunityConnect can help prevent ORT incidents with the resources below. You can also schedule a personalized meeting with one of our experts today.