The best EAS tag is the one that convinces thieves to walk away from it, argues California-based USS. The company’s Hawkeye tag has been gaining steady popularity among the nation’s retailers, thanks to its visible ink vials which seem to be intimidating thieves.
“We made the ink very visible,” says Tony Oliver, the company’s chief technology officer, “so that there is no doubt about what will happen if the tag is tampered with.” This approach is paying off, according to Oliver, who says that USS’ customers have reported lower shrink in stores that use Hawkeye. He credits the tag’s visual deterrence as the main factor, along with built-in EAS technology and several tamper-resistant features which he declined to reveal publicly.
“As intimidating as we wanted to make Hawkeye for the thieves, we wanted to make it very friendly towards consumers and store employees,” says Adel Sayegh, USS’ president and CEO. “The tag has a very thin profile and ergonomically curved back, so a customer can easily try merchandise on without even feeling the tag. On the other hand, Hawkeye is very simple and easy to place or remove for store employees, which ensures quick throughput.”