In the UK, 70 per cent of consumers have, at least once, been put off from buying products because of anti-theft devices such as closed window displays. So says Checkpoint Systems, which commissioned GfK Custom Research to study consumers views on anti-theft devices in retail stores.
The study found that it is important for consumers to test the functions of an item, touch or even read the instructions before buying and do not like to ask for assistance in order to do this.
Findings included consumers felt it is important for them to be able to touch and try on the clothes or shoes before they would consider a purchase and for items such as cosmetics and spirits they wanted to read the labels.
The study among 1200 European consumers suggest that 83pc of European consumers want to easily access products before making their shopping choices, proving that closed-shelf window displays prevent them from buying. The categories of products tested were cosmetics, textile, shoes, alcohol and mobile phones.
Product accessibility
The results of the survey revealed that European consumers demand accessibility to products: 84pc need to see the whole product and 83pc need to have easy access to them before buying. The consumers interviewed in the survey stated, for example, that trying functions on a mobile phone is a priority for 84pc of them, and 93% needed to be able to easily try on clothes and shoes. In addition, it is important for them to be able to clearly read information on cosmetics (88pc) or spirits (83pc), without having to ask for assistance from shop staff.
Consumers were unanimous in the view that protection systems must not damage a product, especially for textile and shoes, and there was widespread agreement that the security devices should allow purchasing without wasting the customer’s time.
Impact on purchasing
Closed window shelves have prevented 73pc of European consumers from buying products at least once. French and Germans are particularly intolerant to closed window shelves. At 70pc, the United Kingdom is below the average but this still represents a high figure, while the Spanish consumers appear to be the most tolerant of closed window-shelves with only 53pc of them having been prevented from buying once.
Visible anti-theft devices including lockers on bottles or hard tags on clothes are largely accepted by consumers, while non self-service solutions are strongly rejected.
Invisible security devices applied at the point of manufacture that allow access to products, are widely preferred by European consumers with 81pc of them considering source tagging to be the most satisfying solution when asked. One consumer briefly summarised the effect of source tagging applied on a bottle of spirits: “It makes the item secured against theft and is still easy to purchase”, said the shopper.
Preparing the future
The findings about Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) were extremely consensual, according to the survey. More than 90pc (93pc) of European consumers were interested in its technological applications that include providing product information at the point of sale and offering, among other things, promotional and technical data on the merchandise (stock, sizes, colours, availabilities). As for RF source tagging, de-activation of the RFID tag is important to European consumers.
What they say
“The findings indicate that consumers want invisible systems as a high priority. Not only are they effective against shrinkage, but they are also transforming anti-theft systems into purchasing facilitators,” says Marie-Christine Jean, Manager at GfK Custom Research.
“We are constantly developing innovative solutions to help retailers and manufacturers respond to the needs of the market. The recently launched IQ-series, a new generation of high-speed RF source tagging solutions, will provide the retail industry with an efficient solution” adds Neil Matthews, Checkpoint’s European Vice-President for Shrink Management Solutions.
