Holiday Shopping Special: Audio Solutions for Retailers

For brick and mortar retailers, the holiday shopping season is easily the most chaotic time of year.  According to a study by the Jack J Hayes International Annual Retail Theft Survey, over 1.2 million shoplifters and larcenous employees were apprehended during the 2015 holiday season alone. 

With the increased traffic, comes increased risks, leaving business owners vulnerable to theft. By combing audio monitoring solutions alongside video surveillance systems, retailers can better protect their assets during the hectic holiday shopping season and enhance customer relations, minimizing loss and maximizing sales. 

Loss Prevention & Customer Relations

In today’s retail ecosystem littered with low-price online competitors, it’s vital for business owners to invest in loss prevention solutions. By placing microphones above point of sale terminals, business owners can more easily monitor employee-customer interactions. Not only can this aid in customer disputes, which often devolve into “he said, she said” situations, but also deter employee theft. Monitoring areas with both audio and video allow managers to ensure employees are charging the correct price for merchandise and not handing out inappropriate discounts. 

Employee Training

The same audio devices installed above point of sale terminals used to enhance loss prevention can similarly aid in employee training. By listening to employee-customer interactions, retailers can gain a better understanding of employee performance and apply training appropriately. Additionally, for employees that handle a particularly difficult situation well, the audio from the exchange can later be used as training material for future employees. 

Alarm Verification

For afterhours monitoring, audio seamlessly pairs with video systems to enable more reliable alarm verification. False alarms often plague both law enforcement and end users, causing delayed emergency response times and accumulating large fees for business owners. When an alarm is triggered, audio monitoring devices can stream live audio from the scene, allowing monitoring professionals to gain a holistic overview of the situation as it unfolds. This method not only contributes to preventing false alarms but simultaneously works to ensure prioritized police response. 

During the frantic holiday shopping rush, audio monitoring solutions like those from Louroe can work across multiple departments, from security to human resources, to aid in asset protection, and provide a healthy return on investment (ROI), providing audio solutions for retailers. Louroe’s Verifact A  is an omni-directional microphone that captures exceptional quality of sound and is easily mounted on ceilings or walls for retail deployments.