Retail shrink has evolved in recent years to become a formidable challenge causing over $150 billion in annual losses for retailers across the globe. Pushout theft, where shoplifters can steal up to 50 times more goods with a cart than other carry-out methods, is also increasing, driven by factors such as the rise of open-format stores, non-confrontation policies, ease and ability to resell stolen merchandise, and widespread adoption of self-checkout kiosks. To tackle this issue, Gatekeeper Systems Inc. offers innovative and highly effective non-confrontational solutions that are being used by most of the top 50 retailers around the globe in over 25,000 stores and 58 countries.
Gatekeeper’s tech-enabled Purchek® pushout theft prevention solution utilizes proprietary sensors, AI-enabled video, and data analytics to monitor shopping cart movement. If the shopping cart does not receive proper authorization from a point-of-sale location, the cart will be disabled at the exit, keeping the merchandise in the store, sounding an alarm, and triggering a video of the event. In most instances, the shoplifter abandons the locked cart and merchandise and leaves the premises. If they do not, the employee now can assess and manage the situation in a non-confrontational manner, according to their store policy. Unlike traditional theft deterrent solutions, such as guards, locked merchandise, or video, Gatekeeper Systems’ Purchek® solution does not compromise employee or customer safety, impact the shopper’s experience, or infringe upon customer privacy since it monitors the shopping cart, not the shopper.
Upon initial installation, customers have the option to run the Purchek® system in an observation mode, allowing pushout activities to be counted and evaluated prior to system activation. This exercise provides a baseline of data to measure the magnitude of a retailer’s theft problem. Loss prevention specialists are often surprised by the frequency and financial magnitude of pushout thefts, with many customers indicating that their estimates were half of actual activity and span the full range of consumer profiles.
Following the full activation of Gatekeeper’s Purchek® solution, retailers have observed pushout theft attempts drop by 80 percent—which Gatekeeper refers to as the Purchek® Curve™. Gatekeeper’s systems prevent theft and generate a compelling return on investment for its customers, with the average payback on Purchek® deployment realized in less than 12 months.
Gatekeeper Systems stands at the forefront of combatting retail theft with our unique and effective Purchek® solution. By using technology to address the challenges posed by non-confrontation policies and growing retail crimes, Gatekeeper’s solutions offer a viable, non-intrusive solution for retailers globally.