Flooid Thinks: Loss Prevention with Lisa Bowden

How big is the loss prevention issue?

Big. As an example, in 2024 Co-op in the UK lost £80 million from theft, up 14% YOY. The National Retail Federation estimates shoplifting incidents and dollar losses from thefts nearly doubled last year. Theft is growing in frequency, scale and seriousness; retailer spending on crime prevention rises by roughly 20% each year, organized crime is on the uptick, and the cost-of-living crisis is allegedly even driving some law-abiding citizens into criminality.

These losses are clearly unsustainable, and we’ve seen wave after wave of news headlines about self-checkout (SCO) theft; however, the important thing to know is growth in SCO is not slowing down. In fact, in the UK 96% of grocery stores offer SCO already, and projections indicate that by 2030, over 24,000 stores will offer SCO.

And it’s not just in the traditional grocery environments, we’re seeing growth in SCO deployment in fashion, specialty, convenience, fuel, hospitality and even travel stores. While in store shrink is not entirely due to issues at the front end, in particular SCO, it’s an area that retailers are hyper-focused on addressing as they understand the need to increase the density and variety of SCO options to support consumer demand for speed and ease of checkout.

How can the problem of loss be countered?

Effective loss prevention is not one-size-fits-all. It requires a layered approach based on the trading environment, customer demographics, staff profiles and budget constraints.

Lisa categorizes solutions into four key areas:

• UI Enhancements: Clear transaction visibility and accurate product imagery
• Remote Assistance: Companion apps for real-time visibility, support and intervention
• Data & Transaction Analytics: Detailed data analytics to advanced AI to predict probabilities and patterns with computer vision to detect physical high-risk behavior
• Third-Party Technologies: CCTV, body cameras, RFID, and facial recognition

Each layer contributes to a holistic defence strategy, with flexibility to adapt to store-specific needs.

Are store assistants under pressure?

Absolutely, there is increased and targeted staff vigilance expected, but that’s where new technology can help. To caveat, we shouldn’t underestimate the power of tone, body language, and empathy that store associates can deliver when properly trained.

It’s difficult to steal from someone who has established eye contact and friendly communication with you.

Remote intervention tools, such as the Flooid Empower solution, enhance surveillance as well as customer experience. By enabling staff to assist customers without being physically adjacent, Empower reduces friction, deters theft, and improves satisfaction—turning loss prevention into a proactive, customer-friendly interaction.

How will emerging technologies help?

Firstly, it’s important to understand the experience you want your customers to have and then balance that with appropriate loss solutions that fit those objectives. Balance is key because you don’t want to alienate your customer base with draconian measures.

For speed: RFID, long underutilized, is gaining traction—especially in fashion and now expanding to liquids and bottles, providing a ‘passport’ for products and quick checkout.

For in the moment analysis: computer vision, while promising, is still maturing in self-checkout applications. It’s important to point out that some retailers struggle to realize ROI where the focus is on isolated initiatives, preventing them from leveraging the full spectrum of available data.

For intelligent insights: AI and machine learning offer real potential, although their effectiveness hinges on the quality and breadth of data captured. Done right, you can obtain actionable insights immediately. We’re focusing in this area as Flooid leverage our unified commerce platform to centralize and analyze data, enabling smarter interventions and predictive insights.

What can Flooid do to help?

Firstly: advice. We’ve worked with major brands for four decades, giving us deep knowledge and real-world examples to draw on and share with our customers.

Secondly: technology. Our platform is composable and built with open APIs, meaning retailers can trial our own Loss Prevention Rules Engine (LPRE) solution along with enhanced third-party AI, CV and LP solutions that fit their business with ease of integration to their ecosystem.

In summary, loss prevention in retail isn’t just about stopping theft – it’s about creating smarter, more supportive environments for both staff and customers. When you layer the right tech with good data and thoughtful human interaction, you don’t just reduce loss—you improve the whole shopping experience.