Sensormatic Solutions, a global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls, has expanded its computer vision analytics offering, which focuses on driving sales, reducing risk, and enhancing the shopper experience.
The company’s computer vision solutions are created through collaboration with Intel and optimized for retail using proprietary Sensormatic IQ artificial intelligence algorithms. With Sensormatic Solutions computer vision capabilities, retailers can leverage existing video infrastructure and a smart hub appliance to tap into the data needed to open a world of problem solving solutions across the retail expanse.
First introduced in 2021, Sensormatic Solutions’ computer vision offering can be easily deployed using a smart hub device in conjunction with existing camera infrastructure to facilitate streamlined, cost-effective adoption of next-generation AI in retail environments. Computer vision automates tasks and derives meaningful information from video footage in real-time, helping to strengthen loss prevention efforts, provide insights on shopper behavior, and maintain safe environments for shoppers and associates.
This solution’s flexible architecture allows retailers to tailor systems to their unique needs. Computer vision analytics can be used to address a wide range of real world challenges, including customer engagement, stocking, labor allocation, loss prevention, shopper satisfaction, and more. Current capabilities include:
- Shelf Sweep Detection: Monitors shelf activity for large-scale removals of items so in-store personnel can take pre-emptive measures to mitigate the theft. Alerts associates of low stocks, and tracks the movement of high-value items that are taken from shelves
- Vehicle Alert: Monitors parking lots to identify unauthorized vehicles, abandoned vehicles, and customer wait times to mitigate organized retail crime and improve customer experiences
- Loitering Monitoring: Helps retailers mitigate ORC events by identifying individuals lingering in low-traffic areas after business hours, when criminal activity is more likely to occur.
- Group Detection Alert: Monitors for groups entering or forming within stores and alerts associates to help prevent ORC events.
- Traffic Pattern Insights: Observes paths to purchase and shopper movements throughout the floor to facilitate more effective layouts, stocking, and more
- Slip-and-Fall Detection: Monitors sales floors for shoppers who may have injured themselves on premises
- Audience Measurement: Provides insights into shopper demographics and sentiments so retailers are equipped with the necessary data to curate exceptional shopping experiences by tailoring marketing plans, promotions, and offerings to their unique customer base
- Dwell Time Measurement: Analyzes the length of time customers spend engaging with different displays to help retailers evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns and promotions
“We’re working side-by-side with incubator customers to identify and design timely solutions that target the most challenging retail problems, and our computer vision offering allows us to solve these problems and streamline operations using existing video infrastructure,” said Subramanian Kunchithapatham, chief technology officer at Sensormatic Solutions. “The technology architecture allows retailers to add and remove computer vision analytics capabilities as needed to complement their current solutions. The latest enhancements can help retailers learn about customer behavior, mitigate losses, and develop better shopping experiences, while also allowing them to look beyond loss prevention for video integration.”
These product enhancements come at a time when the popularity of AI-based video monitoring is growing in the retail industry. A recent study conducted by Sensormatic Solutions and Coresight found that 43 percent of retail leaders surveyed currently use AI to analyze in-store video, and a further 31 percent expect to adopt these solutions in the next 1-3 years.
