Retail

Axis Communications M3004-V Network Cameras And Corridor Format Secure Alko Stores

Alko is a Finnish state-owned company with a monopoly on selling alcoholic products stronger than 4.7%. Alko is managed and supervised by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Alko was formed in 1932 and has 350 stores and 103 sales agents in Finland. A year ago, it was decided that Alko would switch from […]

Samsung Techwin Video Surveillance Solution For Prestigious Business Centre

By Samsung Techwin Europe Limited NewsDesk on February 26, 2014 Paveletskaya Plaza (1) (2) Samsung Techwin cameras are at the heart of a network video surveillance system installed at Paveletskaya Plaza , one of the most prestigious business centres in Moscow. Despite tough worldwide trading conditions, Russia is enjoying strong growth in its economy and this is reflected in the increasing demand for office accommodation from international organisations, as well as locally based businesses in Moscow.  Developers have responded to the shortfall in the availability of high quality commercial space with a dramatic acceleration in the number of building projects. By the end of 2014, Russia’s capital is expected to be able to boast four of the five tallest buildings in Europe, whilst many prestigious projects have already been completed, including the highly impressive Paveletskaya Plaza complex. Paveletskaya Plaza, which is constructed in the same architectural style as the adjacent Paveletskaya Railway Station, comprises two 12 storey and one 27 storeys tower. Collectively the buildings offer 65,000 m² of office accommodation fully fitted with the most modern technologies to provide tenants, which include Adecco, Allianz, Nestle and Tommy Hilfiger, with the most comfortable and stress-free working conditions. On site there are also several bank branches, a translations bureau, a printing centre and a travel agency, as well as shops, boutiques and restaurants for the benefit of office staff and visitors. Electronic security and network specialists, YECONS Technology Solutions, were awarded the contract to install the video surveillance system, said: ”It […]

Panasonic Highlights Retail Technology Solutions To Enhance Operations, Reduce Shrinkage And Improve The Customer Experience

Nuheat SIGNATURE Gear Diary Nuheat Launches North America’s 1st WiFi Floor Heating Thermostat photo When we bought our house, one thing the builder was proud of was radiant heating installed throughout. One downside it is slow to respond – so when the temperature here went from +50 to -30 back to +40 within 5 days our house seemed to always be too hot or too cold. The upside? The floors were never cold! Now Nuheat, a maker of electric radiant heating systems, is introducing Nuheat SIGNATURE – the first WiFi controlled floor heater thermostat. The Nuheat SIGNATURE will give homeowners full access to all thermostat settings with wireless remote access through a smartphone app (iOS or Android) or a web browser. Changing the temperature or schedule, or viewing energy usage will all be at the homeowners’ fingertips. The Nuheat SIGNATURE is like no other in our industry,” said Wally Lo, Nuheat’s Product Manager. “It has been designed and developed exclusively for Nuheat by OJ Electronics and after over a year of development, we are extremely excited to bring it to market. Extensive market research from homeowners and contractors alike confirmed the market is expecting connectivity for remote access. A myriad of household products ranging from locks to lights to heating systems offer the ease of on-the-go control. Our new thermostat allows the user to activate the floor heat for vacation properties or, to simply turn up the heat for a cozy return home.” Here are some of the features: […]

Social Media Helps Solve Burglary Of Skateboards At Woodland CA Business

Ryan Smith of SorD skate shop in Woodland posted this photograph on Facebook to help catch suspects who allegedly stole from the store on Sunday. As social media continues to grow, the applications of such media are expanding as well. Ryan Smith, a Woodland small business owner, is now a believer in this. Smith utilized Facebook to identify the criminals that stole four skateboards from SorD skate shop on Sunday. Smith, co-owner of the shop on Main Street, was in the back of the store conducting inventory around 6 p.m. when he heard the sound of the door opening. By the time he could get to the front of the store, it was too late. Four skateboards were missing from the collection. Smith ran outside trying to catch a glimpse of who took the boards, but there was no one there. After filing a report with the Woodland Police Department that night, Smith did some investigating of his own. Ryan Smith, Co-owner of SorD skate shop on Main Street, used Facebook to help the four people that stole from the store on Sunday. There are 15 security cameras set up throughout the store, but three were all he needed. He posted the footage on Facebook at 8:30 p.m., as well as a screen shot of the individuals involved, and asked the community for help in identifying them. By 9 p.m., tips were already flooding the company’s Facebook page. Due to the large community response to the video, which had […]

How In-Store Analytics Is Changing The Way You Shop

Apple’s Latest iPhone Models Go On Sale Across U.S. Andrew Burton/Getty Most of us have accepted the fact that when we log on to a website, web cookies are tracking our every click. That’s how sites like this can tell what people are reading and what they’re ignoring, which all helps inform what those sites publish next. The same goes for e-commerce sites. If you click a pair of shoes at Saks.com several times, maybe even drop it into a virtual shopping cart, it’s likely you’ll see ads for that exact shoe hours, even days, later. Whether or not you bought the shoes only matters a little. Cookies allow e-commerce sites to track consumer behavior, which in turn better informs what each site looks like, what kinds of products it offers and where else on the web it buys ads. Retailers want to be able to gather the same data that they gather online at their brick-and-mortar stores. Until recently, that hasn’t been possible. The advent of smartphones, however, means that retailers are increasingly able to track your every move. And just like there are multiple analytics platforms on the web — from Google Analytics to my particular favorite, Omniture — there are dozens of in-store analytics programs, too, many of which have received millions of dollars in venture capital funding over the past couple of years. The one you’re most likely to encounter initially is iBeacon, which was developed by Apple . It works with your iPhone’s Bluetooth […]

Retailers Snooping On Holiday Shoppers Raises Privacy Concerns

PHOTO: A “heat map” shows items in a store, color-coded by how much time customers have spent looking at a given item. Only Santa, maybe, knows if you’ve been naughty or nice. But management at some 1,000 retailers this holiday season knows where you’ve been standing, how long you’ve had to wait in the checkout line, and which sweater or necktie or shovel you admired most while shopping. New technologies for tracking shoppers in-store, in real time, make this possible. Some rely on signals emitted by customers’ smart phones. Another uses images from store security cameras. Prism Skylabs’ technology analyzes security camera images to give retailers “heat maps,” on which hot colors such as red or orange denote the items customers are finding most desirable. The colors are determined, say, by how long a customer has stood in front of an item or how many times the item has been handled. Jules Polonetsky, executive director of the Future of Privacy Forum, a think tank in Washington, D.C., tells ABC News that the past few years have seen more retailers adopt customer-tracking technology. Everyone from malls to big-box vendors to small coffee shops is testing some sort of system, he says. He thinks the situation has reached a turning point this shopping season with Apple’s introduction of customer location-sensing iBeacon technology, which can send a variety of information—including details on products, special offers and events—to shoppers standing near new iBeacon transmitters. Whether a tracking technology qualifies as “creepy” (Polonetsky’s word) […]

Windshield-Mounted Device Makes Fast Food Payments Even Quicker

Windshield-mounted device makes fast food payments even quicker Physical wallets are gradually disappearing as new technologies enable consumers to pay through more automatic methods, and we’ve even previously seen companies such as Uniqul hint at cash and card-less payments with facial recognition. Although we’re not quite there yet, a new innovation called iDriveThru is enabling hands-free fast food payments at selected New York takeaways using RFID car windshield tags. The system — which uses the E-ZPass transponder that many motorists already use to pay toll booth charges automatically — is currently in use at the five drive-thru Wendy’s restaurants in Staten Island. Customers first need to link their credit, debit or prepaid card to their E-ZPass through the iDriveThru website. Upon arriving at Wendy’s, the tag’s data is then read by sensors, offering visitors a personalized greeting on the video above the intercom. Once they’ve made their order, the card details are read from the tag and the payment is taken automatically. In addition, customers earn ten reward points for every dollar they spend, with 500 points being redeemable for a USD 5 coupon at Wendy’s. Although iDriveThru isn’t currently affiliated with any toll agency and New York-based consumers can’t pay for food through their Metropolitan Transport Authority top-ups, the technology shows how payments can be made more convenient and seamless with RFID tags. It’s easy to see how motorists could perhaps be charged for other products and payments by adapting the devices even further, while local authorities could […]

Facial Recognition Software Changes The Face Of British Retail And Advertising

Tesco’s have revealed that it will be installing facial recognition software in 450 of its petrol station forecourts. This software, displayed as a digital screen, will be located by the checkouts and aims to identify whether individuals in the queue are male or female, takes a rough estimate of how old they are and how long they have been looking at the displayed advertisements. The information gathered is thought to be around 97% correct. The overall aim of this is to process the details in real time and send the information to advertisers so they can tailor the adverts to appropriate times of day. For instance, coffee could be advertised in the morning and then the ads can switch to other relevant products throughout the day. This software is also advanced enough to monitor who is in the queue and who isn’t. If it detects that the majority is female then the adverts being shown will switch to adverts tailored to women. The same goes if there were mostly men detected. This technology is being provided by Amscreen, Lord Sugar’s company. The system is called ‘Optimeyes’ which is from a French company known as Quividi. Tesco aims to install this software in their stores as soon as possible. This can seem quite alarming, however according to an article in the Telegraph no video footage is actually recorded. Once your face has been scanned for its information you as an individual are erased. So no facial database is stored, only […]

RF Technologies Releases Enhancements To Help Alert Wireless Panic Button Solution

BROOKFIELD, Wis. , Oct. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — RF Technologies ® , a leading provider of RFID and RTLS safety and security solutions, has released version 2.1 of its Help Alert ® Wireless Staff Duress Solution, which provides priority-based alerts, universal device access through HTML5, and a simple desktop application. Help Alert uses discreet mobile panic buttons, or pendants, as a proactive, cost-effective solution to protect staff, patients, teachers, students and guests. When pressed, pendants broadcast a silent alarm that can be configured to alert security teams, first responders, or local police through a computer or mobile device. “The increased need for safety in places like schools, hospitals and hotels means facilities are looking for a simple, yet multi-functional duress solution. Help Alert is as easy to use as it always has been, now with more features that help get a fast response when it’s needed most,” said Bill Bulzoni , vice president of business development, PinPoint. Multi-mode alarms Instead of having a system that only summons onsite support or calls the police, both types of duress calls can be made from one button on the Help Alert pendant with the multi-mode feature. Pressing the button once will generate a normal alarm. If the button is pressed and held, or pressed multiple times within a short period, a priority alarm is generated. “Many facilities regularly experience safety and security challenges that don’t require external police intervention. But, the option has to be available when it’s needed. The multi-mode feature enables […]

RetailNext Invests In Rapid Global Expansion Bringing In-Store Analytics To Retailers In 33 Countries

RetailNext Invests In Rapid Global Expansion Bringing In-Store Analytics To Retailers In 33 Countries vertmarkets.com 2013-11-01 11:32:23 Expands Operations, Leadership Team, and International Partner Base in EMEA, APAC, and LATAM San Jose, CA /PRNewswire/ — RetailNext, Inc., the in-store analytics market leader, today announced additional investment in global expansion Follow-up report to me Any reported complete Just news photo Just video . The company grew its operations and leadership teams outside of the U.S. and acquired UK-based consultancy Illogik Ltd. in 2013 to expand its technical presence in EMEA regions. RetailNext brings e-commerce-style measurements and analytics to physical stores and shopping centers. With technical support, business development, engineering, and sales teams now based in several countries, including the U.K., Switzerland, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, RetailNext is a rapidly growing global brand. Today, more than 100 retailers globally are using RetailNext to optimize marketing and increase profit per shopper in their stores. Global Growth Highlights “As global retailers are rapidly embracing advanced shopper analytics, we are seeing significant growth in the number of multinational retailers who have deployed RetailNext solutions in their stores in the U.S. as well as overseas. RetailNext’s ability to scale and deliver valuable store insights across internal departments, and provide localized solutions and support to many regions, is helping drive sales with both global and local retailers.  We expect to see 200% year-over-year revenue growth this fiscal year,” said Michael Manlapas, VP of International Sales at RetailNext. RetailNext growth highlights include: Currencies – Platform and data reports now support 164 currencies Global Deployment Locations – Deployed in 33 countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Dubai, France, Germany, Hong […]

Dallmeier Video Surveillance System Enhances Security At National Portrait Gallery In London

A trial of Dallmeier IP/HD cameras in the shop area is enough to demonstrate the capabilities of Dallmeier HD technology Some of the existing analogue cameras were also replaced with Dallmeier high-resolution HD network cameras Founded in 1856, the aim of the National Portrait Gallery in London is “to promote through the medium of portraits the appreciation and understanding of the men and women who have made and are making British history and culture, as well as the understanding of portraiture in all media”. The Gallery holds the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. The collection is displayed in London and in a number of locations around the United Kingdom, including several houses managed by the National Trust. Like other national museums, the Gallery is supported both by government and increasingly by a large number of individuals, companies and foundations, as well as by the receipts from shops, events and ticketed exhibitions. One of the most successful events in the history of the gallery was held last year, in honour of Lucian Freud (1922-2011). The Lucian Freud Portraits exhibition consisted of 130 portraits painted by the great man, borrowed from museums and private collections all over the world. Over three months, it attracted a record 248,000 visitors. But before the exhibition could be opened to such acclaim, the existing video system had to be expanded and modernised. Latest IP HD technology The system has consisted of Dallmeier surveillance cameras and recorders for many years. Now, however, the […]

Shoppers Getting Ripped Off By Tiny, High-Tech Cash Register Spy Device

6 hours ago Police Picture # 2 Crooks who steal credit and debit card numbers have found a devious new way to snag this information. They’re using a small and relatively cheap piece of off-the-shelf technology to compromise computerized store cash registers. We know about this because a band of brazen thieves was caught on security cameras installing these high-tech skimmers on cash registers at the Nordstrom store in Aventura, Fla., two weeks ago. The skimmers are built into standard Ps2 cable connectors that plug into the back of a computer where customers can’t see them. They’re only about an inch long — and look so innocuous that even if employees saw them they might not suspect anything.  “It’s a little piece of plastic, usually purple, that fits into the port where your keyboard connects to your computer,” explained security analyst Brian Krebs, who first reported this story on his KrebsOnSecurity blog. “It intercepts any data that is sent on that communication channel, whether it’s keystrokes or somebody swiping a card through a terminal.” Ps2 Keystroke loggers have been available for years. They sell for as little as $40 and are marketed as “professional surveillance products.” Krebs said this is the first time he’s ever heard of them being used to skim card information from a retailer. Nordstrom confirmed that it had found and removed “unauthorized devices on a small number of cash registers” at their Aventura store.   “We take this situation seriously and have been working closely […]

Grocery Store Shelves Could Soon Watch While You Shop

Supermarket Decision Supermarket giant Mondel?z  International is developing “smart shelves” to identify consumers’ age and gender while tracking their shopping habits.  The company (formerly Kraft Foods), which makes Oreos, Trident gum, Wheat Thins, and a host of other snack foods, wants to use the technology —  expected to be on supermarket shelves by 2015 —  to better target their advertising, The Wall Street Journal’s Clint Boulton reports .  “When people walk by, it’s a missed opportunity,” Mondel?z CIO Mark Dajani told the Journal. “We must know how the consumer behaves in the store.” Here’s how the technology would work: Sensors would be placed in the aisles where Mondel?z  products are displayed. Using facial recognition technology provided by Microsoft’s Kinect , the devices would identify the age and gender of consumers perusing the aisles and track which people are most likely to purchase certain products. The data collected would be sent to Mondel?z  in real-time. “Knowing that a consumer is showing interest in the product gives us the opportunity to engage with them real-time,”  Mondelez spokeswoman Valerie Moens said in an e-mailed statement. The company plans to use the d ata collected to better target its advertising and discount offers to the groups most likely to buy certain products. The technology could also be used to alert the grocer when it’s time to reorder certain products. The sensors would not collect any photos, video or other personal information regarding consumers, according to Moens. “Privacy is of utmost importance, so Smart […]

Retailer Strategies For Loss Prevention

In the increasingly competitive retail space, there is a constant need to implement, expand and improve loss prevention programs to secure assets, decrease shrinkage and increase customer safety. With that, budget cuts in the manned loss prevention (LP) staff industry in all store ranges ? from mom and pop shops, to big box retailers ? […]

Video Surveillance And Business Intelligence: A Growing Trend In Retail

Video footage doesn?t lie. Why do you think NFL football teams gather every Monday morning and break down game film from the previous day? They do it to learn what they did right and what they did wrong in order to ensure success for the next game. So why can?t retail stores do the same? […]

New York City Security Company Installs 19-Camera System In 7-Eleven Store Within Heavily-Populated Location

Total Security, a New York security camera installations company has installed 19 security cameras in an effort to improve the security and safety in the Greenwich Village 7-Eleven location. Over the past 10 years, Total Security has been chosen on numerous occasions to install security camera systems at the popular convenience store franchise including Madison […]

Manila Now Requires CCTVs In All Business Establishments

MANILA, Philippines — The San Juan City government is now requiring business establishments primarily handling financial transactions to equip themselves with security cameras and other surveillance systems before the end of the year. City ordinance 7, series of 2013, mandates business establishments, specifically banks, pawnshops, money changers, convenience stores, gasoline stations, money transfer centers, bills payment centers and supermarkets, to operate video surveillance and monitoring systems not just inside their stores, but also in the vicinity of their operation. The ordinance, enacted by the San Juan City Council and approved by Mayor Guia Gomez earlier this year, notes that “incidents of robberies and burglaries have recently been hogging the news and have even resulted to the loss of innocent lives.” The ordinance also said that these crimes could somehow be prevented by surveillance and monitoring systems installed in businesses, which would make it easy for the police to monitor events and investigate crimes. The ordinance compels these business establishments to install not only plain security or closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, but also equipment which would allow the storage of camera footage, transmission of footage to remote video monitoring stations, and the triggering of alarms for violations of security rules. “The daily video recordings must be stored and preserved for a minimum period of at least 30 days for review purposes and reference unless its preservation is required by a court order, by the police, or the city mayor,” the ordinance read. Authorized local authorities and the police should also […]

Lucky Clerk or Lucky Robber?

Jon Lewis Alexander, clerk and veteran, thwarts liquor store robbery with own gun | wusa9.com MARIONVILLE, MO (SPRINGFIELD NEWS LEADER) — The guy with a gun picked the wrong clerk. How wrong? A veteran of four tours in Iraq. A 30-year military man. A former prison guard, private investigator, professional extraditor of federal prisoners and – perhaps most important on this particular Sunday night – a proud owner of a Walther PPX 9 mm handgun. Loaded, with one in the chamber, like he always carries it. Jon Lewis Alexander, 54, of Marionville, thwarted a robbery about 9 p.m. Sunday at Beer 30 on East Logan Street in Marionville – after the would-be robber pulled his weapon first. As a store security video shows, Alexander used his left hand to push the robber’s handgun back while – in a smooth but rapid motion – pulling and swinging his 9 mm into the robber’s face. The man’s mouth, to be exact, as the robber haplessly holds his own weapon at his side. “One of the policemen told me later, ‘You’re a lucky man,’ ” Alexander said Monday. “I said, ‘I think he (the robber) is a little luckier than I am.’ ” The store’s owners, Max and Jeannine Dawson, shared an 11-second video from the store security camera with Marionville police, friends and the News-Leader on Monday, and Alexander explained what happened. No one was hurt and no shots were fired. The man came in the store smoking a cigarette, and […]

RESEARCH: Lowering Employee Theft With Video Surveillance Systems

If you want to sell more security camera surveillance and surveillance technology systems to industries with low wages and high worker turnover (think restaurants, Convenience stores, car care centers, and te like), then you simply must show your prospects a case study titled: ?Cleaning House: The Impact of Information Technology Monitoring on Employee Theft and […]