Coles: New technology being brought in at supermarket giant to track shoppers’ every move
Coles: New technology is being introduced at supermarket giant to track shoppers’ every move
Supermarket giant Coles will ‘aggressively’ roll out new technology that will track every customer’s movements around the store.
The new security approach includes cameras, trolley locks, smart gates and even smoke machines to help stop supermarket theft, following a 20 per cent increase this year.
One piece of technology tracks customers from the moment they enter the store and records the time it takes to shop through each aisle until they reach the self-checkout.
New security cameras above the cash registers will then monitor all items as they are scanned and placed into bags. If anomalies are detected, smart gates are closed while an alarm sounds, keeping the customer in the store.
If that doesn’t get a suspected thief out of the store, the wheels on new high-tech carts lock completely as soon as they leave the store.
Coles Chief Operations Officer Matt Swindells described the technology as ‘world class’ in identifying potential thieves.
“What we’ve done is taken the best of what’s available overseas and then enhanced that with a few other tweaks so that we believe we’ve gotten world-class loss prevention technology into our stores,” he told A Current Affair.
“If you’re a thief, we’re going to get you.”
He said the technology will also help reduce the number of violent attacks on staff members, which have increased in the past year.
Staff may wear duress watches that alert other employees of a potential incident, or even wear a bodycam that records all their interactions, similar to police officers.
“If you are going to threaten a member of staff, we will document it and take the necessary action,” Mr Swindells said.
The new system has been tested across the country over the past six months, with an ‘aggressive’ national rollout over the following three months.
Coles’ main competitor, Woolworths, introduced similar checkout technology in August to mixed reviews.
Supermarket giant Coles is to ‘aggressively’ roll out new technology that will track every customer’s movements through the store
The new security approach includes cameras (pictured), trolley locks, smart gates and even fog machines to help stop supermarket theft, after a 20 per cent increase this year
Sensors on the roof of Woolworths stores monitor whether items are scanned and bagged. This communicates with an automatic gate that closes if it is determined that an item has not been paid for.
Woolworths assured Daily Mail Australia at the time that shoppers will remain unidentifiable throughout the process as the technology does not use facial recognition or CCTV.
A Woolworths spokesperson said: ‘All retailers are experiencing an increase in retail crime, and we are no exception.’
“We have a number of initiatives that we use, both covertly and overtly, to help reduce retail crime and keep our team members safe in our stores.”
Shoplifting costs Australian retailers up to $9 billion annually, with less than 20 percent of retail crime estimated to be reported to police, according to the National Retail Association.