Stores are always looking for ways to fight shoplifting. As NBC 7 Responds found at the Target in Mission Valley, one strategy is to put everyday products in locked cases, but researchers say this loss prevention tactic can actually drive shoppers away.
"It's not really the best thing from a customer experience standpoint," said Mark Mathews, vice president of research development and industry analysis at the National Retail Federation. "So stores are also investing heavily in technology."
The locked case has been around for decades because it works, but it also drives away shoppers. Joe Budano is the CEO of Indyme, a company looking to fix that problem. he said stores expect to see a drop in sales when they install those cases.
"It's a tool of last resort," said Budano "Unfortunately it hasn't been innovated in probably the last 100 years."
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Indyme makes the Freedom Case. It still keeps products locked away, but it's filled with a lot of new technology so you're not left waiting for someone to come along with a key.
"You could use your loyalty card information, your cell phone, you could use a retailer's app to get in," said Budano.
The case uses an information exchange. By letting it know a little about yourself, such as by typing in your store loyalty number, it will unlock the case for you. Budano said if you don't want to share that information you could still have a store employee let you in.
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But the case doesn't just stop at locking and unlocking a door. Once the door is open, a camera helps AI track what you're doing. It can recognize an empty hand, see how many items you've grabbed, and if you put them back.
"The holy grail is trying to enable legitimate shoppers to gain unfettered access to merchandise while stopping offenders from stealing," said Budano.
The Freedom Case is now being tested by dozens of retailers across the country, and Indyme hopes they'll be ready to roll out soon. In the meantime, retailers are left with the challenge of keeping their inventory safe, but accessible to the everyday shopper.
"It's very difficult to create a great customer experience when a customer can't touch and feel these items and has to call someone over," said Mathews.
