I was remarking the other day about the changes in my industry and got to thinking just what Peter Stern,
one of the original inventors of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) might think of the direction it is taking.
I wondered if back then, sitting in a Library in Philly, he ever imagined that EAS would become more than
just a pair of detector pedestals and some “dumb” tags?
When I first joined the EAS industry more than 20 years ago, the phase of EAS chain wide adoption by
the big retailers around the world was just starting. Back then, the deterrent effect was delivered in large
part by the mere fact that few stores had installed EAS and the shoplifters would then target those that
didn’t have it.
In those early days, ceiling mounted EAS detectors at the exits would pick up half the store’s tagged
items, depending on the weather! Now, RFID-enabled ceiling mounted EAS detectors at the exits can
ignore anything that isn't moving through the exit. It can even help the retailer to track and trace their inventory
to precise locations within the entire store. Today, accurate real time location tracking of tagged merchandise
offers the store staff the opportunity to engage with the shopper, helping to lead to a possible sale, while
preventing a possible theft.
EAS detection systems now include highly useful technologies such as people counters telling you how
many visitors have entered your store and allowing other retail departments to take advantage of the LP
teams’ investment. The obvious benefits to the operational side of the retail store for counting traffic are
well known but, they can also give a great insight to Loss Prevention too on possible risks such as when
the shopper dwell time is high. New Data centric EAS systems can now provide LP professionals with data
analytics about shopper habits which they can share with their retail partners to help them understand how
their advertising & marketing investments’ (among others) impact the store. That’s EAS 2.0.
Without doubt, retail anti-theft solutions are key to fighting external shrinkage. They always have been and
always will be. But for a pain killer to work; you have to swallow the pill and for that you need data to understand
how EAS is impacting the stores and you also need to ensure security store staff compliance.Compliance is
more than just responding to EAS antennas alarms in store; it extends to the cashiers correctly deactivating
a product and removing a hard tag, or store colleagues remembering to apply an EAS label to the newly
delivered merchandise in store or protecting it with a keeper. In EAS 2.0, people and processes are key, just
like the work of the ECR Shrink & On-shelf Availability Group and Professor Adrian Beck have highlighted at
numerous occasions.
Compliance is about taking ownership, and having initiatives driven by the LP experts with the support and
involvement of HR, supply chain, purchasing and marketing. A good EAS program should be about engaging
staff, but also ensuring that the shoppers’ experience is preserved and not spoiled by unnecessary alarms
at the exit doors. In that respect, many retailers are now turning to technology such as RFID to reduce the
numbers of false EAS alarms in store. And it is this Evolution in EAS that brings more value to the retail industry.
The EAS 2.0 strategy is about selling more and losing less, with very much of an emphasis on the selling
more. What was once considered an antitheft investment is fast becoming an additional way to measure
consumer habits which can only improve shopper engagement and lead to improved sales. This has never
been more important for the traditional brick-and-mortar sites than now with the increase of online shopping
impacting the high streets.
EAS 2.0 is about making smart decisions in store to gain time and be more efficient. Once you’ve identified
where it hurts, you’ll spot the key challenges you’re facing both internally, externally and take the most appropriate
actions.
EAS 2.0 is about managing enterprise level reporting so LP teams get visibility into what is happening with
their loss prevention systems right across their estate; what is working and what is not, and using that information
to make informed decisions on the improvements needed.
EAS 2.0 is about stronger collaboration between LP teams and their retail partners to deliver improved shopper
experiences which ensure their stores are welcoming to the honest shoppers, whilst protecting them from the less
honest.
So, EAS is most definitely not as we knew it because it has evolved; welcome to EAS 2.0
