Bloomingdale’s plans to expand store-based loss-prevention technology that takes closed-circuit television surveillance to the next step.
Rather than merely record activity on the sales floor, the system Bloomingdale’s is testing in its Roosevelt Field store in Garden City, N.Y., analyzes digital video footage data in near real time. The goal is to recognize how the behavior of an honest shopper differs from that of a shoplifter so security staff can respond most effectively, said Ed Wolfe, Bloomingdale’s vice president of loss prevention.
Wolfe described the test of video analysis software from IntelliVid of Cambridge, Mass., during an online conference late last month. Although he declined to quantify test results, Wolfe said the system led to a “significant” reduction of inventory shortages in the Young East Sider (YES) juniors department of the test store. Next steps will include expanding the test to more departments at Roosevelt Field and to additional stores next year.
He likened the technology to exception reporting software that analyzes point-of-sale transaction data to identify aberrations (or exceptions) that suggest suspicious cashier behavior. For instance, an unusually high volume of cash refunds or voids could indicate a cashier is stealing — or is in need of retraining.
“Digital video can be analyzed in much the same way, to highlight activity for the loss prevention staff to evaluate,” Wolfe said.
The technology could permit Bloomingdale’s to merchandise high-value items in a more open environment — while still protecting it. “I can conceive of a time when we have our crystal department without any Plexiglas cubes at all,” he said. “As we learn what purchasing behavior looks like and what theft behavior looks like, we will fine-tune this so we can protect this merchandise without having to secure it all the time.”