LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. – Nov. 13, 2024 – Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets, and people, today announced the findings of its 17th Annual Global Shopper Study. The data shows shoppers aren’t the only ones who are worried about the impact of theft and crime on the in-store experience. Eight in 10 retail associates are concerned about the lack of technology deployed to spot safety threats or criminal activity.
With most retailers (78%) under high pressure to minimize theft and loss, they are now investing in technology tools that can help frontline workers and those watching operations from behind the scenes. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are currently viewed as the most helpful with loss prevention, closely followed by cameras, sensors, and RFID. While only 38% of retailers currently use AI-based prescriptive analytics for loss prevention, 50% say they plan to use it in the next 1-3 years for this purpose. Over four in 10 retailers say they also plan to use self-checkout cameras and sensors (45%), computer vision (46%), and RFID tags and readers (42%) within the next three years, specifically for loss prevention.
This should come as a relief to shoppers, as 78% say it’s annoying when products are locked up or secured within cases. Adding to that frustration is that it’s hard to find an associate while shopping in stores these days, according to 70% of consumers.
One in five shoppers who left a store without getting what they needed say it’s because a retail associate wasn’t available to help, an increase over the past two years.
