It goes without saying that shoplifting in retail settings increases during the holidays. Every year shops lose millions of dollars due to theft, and these heavy losses play significant roles in hitting one’s bottom line, and hampers retail teams from achieving their growth goals. This is why CONTROLTEK has designed the best retail security tags to prevent shoplifting using more than a decade of research and data to produce the most effective EAS and RFID security tags in the industry, as well as tags without this added technology but that are still highly effective. This article will review three different retail security tags with the goal to educate store managers and business owners into ways they can improve their loss prevention strategies as we enter the heart of the holiday season.
Retail Security Tags for Big Box Items
Shoplifters don’t always target small items. In fact, the theft of computers, TVs, and other big box electronics has increased significantly. According to ‘Business Insider’ the mega retailer Walmart does not publicly share their data on losses due to shrink, but experts have estimated that the store lost 8 billion due to shoplifting in 2020. Many of these stolen items were televisions, computers, laptops, and stereo equipment. Many retail stores of mixed sizes will have security personnel at the entrance and exits of stores that have boxed electronics out on the sales floor, but this solution is considered a poor one, for many reasons. First, most store employees (even security professionals) will see a family of four pushing a 62’’ TV right on out the front door and will naturally assume they paid for it. Afterall, who would have the nerve to just walk out with a product in plain sight, and especially with excited children dancing around them? Think about it this way: why have TSA searches at airports increased on infants, children, and the elderly? Because nobody expects these people to smuggle drugs on their persons, just as few people expect someone to steal a massive TV by walking out the door with it, especially if their family is with them. The scene looks too wholesome. But this happens on a regular basis, and when the sales floor is crowded with holiday shoppers, walking out with a big box is even easier.
CONTROLTEK received the data, translated it, and designed the Boxer™, a retail security tag for big box items to deter theft. The Boxer™can be attached to any size box, is easy for store employees to attach and remove, and the very sight of these tags cause a large percentage of shoplifters to abandon their attempt. The Boxer™ has a speaker grill that creates audible sounds to stop shoplifters, and the blinking LED light on the retail security tag is a strong visual deterrent. The Boxer™ comes in two locking styles, super and hyper lock, and when your team gives us a call we can help you choose the right features based on your needs. The Boxer™ can also come with EAS technology to protect a store’s profitability using an alarm for additional protection, and these retail security tags have replaceable batteries to help your store save money while leaving a greener footprint on the environment.
When it comes to protecting high-end electronics and other big box items, the Boxer™ is the best retail security tag on the market.
Retail Security Tags for Designer Apparel with Visual Deterrent
One of the most common things targeted by shoplifters are designer apparel items. And of these items coats, jackets, and denim are involved in most thefts, likely because they demand more money on the black market. Designer Apparel theft always goes up during the holidays because you have thieves who steal specifically to give someone a gift, and you have theft rings that steal designer apparel to sell on the black market, or through private mobile apps that specialize in selling designer clothing, and when they price tags are still on the garments, thieves can demand top dollar.
CONTROLTEK recognized this and responded with the InkGuard™, a retail security tag for apparel goods that has a powerful visual deterrent. The InkGuard™ features front-facing panels of colored ink, letting thieves know that if they remove the tags, ink will explode all over the garment and make it worthless. This feature alone takes away the incentive or reward that’s in it for the shoplifter. In fact, studies show that more than 85 percent of shoplifters avoid stealing products with these types of retail security tags. For additional security retailers can invest in InkGuard™ retail security tags with EAS technology for added protection. Finally, these tags are light in weight and don’t interfere with the shopper experience, meaning people can easily try on the garments before buying, and the tags won’t interfere with this commonly performed pre-purchase ritual.
Don’t Forget Retail Security Tags for Delicate Products
Other commonly stolen items around the holidays include scarves, lingerie, watches, wallets, belts, shoes, gloves and accessories that are fragile. Large retail security tags can’t be attached to these items without ruining them, or compromising the shopper’s experience. For these reasons, CONTROLTEK designed the SlimGuard™, a rugged and highly durable retail security tag ideal for fine and delicate merchandise. These retail security tags can be purchased with a pin or lanyard mechanism to accommodate a wide variety of products. These retail security tags are extremely light, small, and they are versatile giving stores multiple ways to protect their products while giving honest shoppers a great holiday shopping experience as they can examine and try on products within the tag interfering. Like the other retail security tags mentioned in this article, the SlimGuard™ is easy for employees to attach and remove, making the POS area speedy and convenient for lines of shoppers waiting to make their purchases.
Call CONTROLTEK for the Best Retail Security Tags for Holiday Loss Prevention Strategies
For more than a decade CONTROLTEK has been helping retail businesses protect their valuable merchandise with custom retail security tags designed for specific products. Call our team today and once we are familiar with your product line, we can piece together the best retail security tags to not only improve your loss prevention data but send thieves to another store with the clear message that they won’t gain anything from theft attempts in your shop.