Retailers are always looking for new ways to secure their merchandise, given the omnipresent specter of shoplifting and retail theft. Now, one loss prevention tech firm has a solution designed to prevent shoes from falling into the hands of sticky-fingered shoppers.
Checkpoint Systems has come up ShoeLok, a new alarm tag that clamps down onto footwear and is designed to release without leaving behind puncture marks or any indication it was ever there. The single-piece specialty tags can be ordered with AM or RF technology and don’t get in the way of customers who want to give the shoes a spin in stores, the company said.
Early tests indicate the theft-prevention tags are working as envisioned. “Our first ShoeLok adaptors are reporting significant reductions in theft incidents as well as ease of use and quick removal at the point of sale—making this solution a win for both retailers and consumers,” Stuart Rosenthal, vice president of sales for Checkpoint’s Alpha High-Theft Solutions, said in a statement.
According to a 2019 report, organized retail crime is on the rise, prompting merchants to invest in technology to thwart bad actors. “Organized retail crime continues to present a serious challenge to the retail industry,” Bob Moraca, vice president of loss prevention at NRF, said. “These criminal gangs are sophisticated, but so are retail loss prevention teams. Retailers are committing more resources and constantly evolving their tactics to fight this ongoing challenge.”
NRF found that 97 percent of surveyed merchants claimed to be affected by organized retail crime and approximately two-thirds believe the threat is accelerating.