TECH NEWS | ANALYSIS
that shoplifting has increased 61.9% for food retailers and 58.8% for grocery retailers following the introduction of self-checkout. The report did not specify the time period over which the increases occurred. More than four in 10 retailers are already using AI as part of their anti-theft opera- tions, including 42.9% of food retailers and 41.2% of grocery retailers. More retailers expect to follow. Among companies that have not yet adopted AI for theft prevention, 38.1% of food retailers and 44.1% of grocery retailers said they plan to introduce AI anti-theft technology during the next year. The priorities differ somewhat by retail
sector. Food retailers are focusing on AI-powered self-checkouts and smart shelving, while grocery retailers are put- ting greater emphasis on reducing customer friction and false alarms and improving coordination between store employees and security personnel. WORKER SAFETY EMERGES AS ANOTHER AI PRIORITY Retailers also see AI as a potential tool for dealing with another problem inside stores: customer abuse of employees. All food retailers and 79.4% of grocery retailers surveyed said they were con- cerned about verbal and physical abuse of
employees. Grocery workers experienced an average of 58.7 hostile incidents annu- ally, compared with 28.9 incidents in food retail, according to the report. The issue is also affecting employee retention. During the past 12 months, 57.1% of food retailers and 32.4% of grocery retailers surveyed said employees had resigned as a direct result of customer abuse. Retailers increasingly believe technology can help address the problem. More than 70% of food retailers and 88.2% of grocery retailers said AI will play an important role in reducing workplace abuse over the next year. Food retailers are showing particular interest in AI-powered closed-circuit tele- vision, with 60% favoring the technology. Grocery retailers are putting more empha- sis on smart shelves and inventory sensors, cited by 46.7%, as well as automated inci- dent alerts, cited by 30%. GROCERS LOOK TO AI BEYOND SECURITY The report found that retailers are also looking at AI and connected technology as ways to improve store operations and employee productivity. Among grocery retailers, 40% said better product and system training would pro- vide the biggest productivity improvement, while 35% pointed to adding employees during peak periods. Food retailers were more likely to cite additional supervisor support on the sales floor, with 41.2% identifying it as an oppor- tunity to improve productivity. Retailers are investing in connected technologies designed to improve commu- nication, employee support and consistency in customer service, according to the report. Those systems could also provide the infrastructure for AI-powered alerts and real-time decision-making. The findings suggest that the industry’s AI discussion is moving beyond whether retailers should invest in the technology and toward how it can be used inside stores. For grocery operators, the near-term focus appears centered on some of the industry’s most persistent challenges: con- trolling shrink, improving self-checkout, protecting frontline employees and finding ways to make store operations more effi- cient. —Supermarket News Staff
“Nearly half, 47.6%, of food retailers and 41.2% of grocery retailers , said they are planning aggressive AI deployment within the next 12 months.”
Retailers surveyed by VoCoVo reported that shoplifting has increased 61.9% for food retailers and 58.8% for grocery retailers following the introduction of self-checkout.
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