Tag: video surveillance

March Networks: Managing Loss Prevention with Artificial Intelligence

By Shelley Swearingen – April 23, 2020

We’ve all seen a heist movie where the robber spray paints a security camera. His partners all rush in undetected to steal the money, jewels, high valued art, or priceless relic. Thanks to March Networks, these techniques are now antiquated.

March Networks offers surveillance systems with cameras equipped with intelligent video. These systems are able to interpret what they see and trigger alarms accordingly. And unlike people, cameras don’t sleep (gone are the days of the snoozing security guard).

ME6 Cameras, the IR DuraBullet & the IR Dome, record footage, evaluate the footage, and sound alarms when necessary. For example, all of these situations would trigger an alarm:

  • an object is abandoned in one space for too long
  • a person or object moves in the wrong direction
  • people loiter in an area for too long
  • a vehicle stays in an area for too long
  • a person or vehicle enters a certain area
  • a camera is tampered with

But what if you’re not worried about the burglar in the black hoodie? For retail establishments, internal theft and shoplifting are bigger concerns. Surveillance cameras and accurate record keeping are the two best factors to prevent and minimize shrinkage.1 The integration of Searchlight software with March Networks surveillance systems make it easier than ever to identify instances of diversion.  Searchlight software allows loss prevention associates to quickly & easily search transactions to match the incident with the footage. This significantly cuts down on man hours spent on reviewing recordings to identify culprit(s). March Networks is even available to manage and maintain this solution with the help of certified partners.

Cannabis entrepreneurs know just how important loss prevention is to a business plan. The product these business grow, cultivate, test, transport, and sell is highly profitable and easily sold on the black market. Furthermore, marijuana businesses are forced to do a large amount of their transactions in cash due to the illegality of the substance federally. For these two reasons, experts suggest investing in quality surveillance measures and storing cash and product in cannabis security vaults.2

The partnership of March Networks and KL Security takes diversion prevention one step further. These security experts have integrated artificially intelligent camera systems and Searchlight monitoring software with cash safes. These smart safes offer bill validating, cash currency counting, cash management, and cash recycling. If your Smart Safe Point of Sale (SSPOS) unit reports a discrepancy, it’s tied to the surveillance system and all guesswork is removed as to when/where/how the incident occurred.

March Networks and KL Security are revolutionizing the way businesses prevent theft. This technology is sure to be seen as the gold standard for loss prevention going forward, known as Total Retail Coverage and Total Harvest Coverage for Cannabis dispensaries and grow operations. To discuss how we can assist your business shrink loss and grow profits, you can reach out to a qualified expert at 866-867-0306 or [email protected].

SearchLight & Retail POS Software Integrations

Features

  • Improve retail security and loss prevention efforts with Point of Sale exception-based reports integrated with intelligent video
  • Oversee operations with video images from all of your business locations
  • Track and analyze customer behavior with people counting, queue length and dwell time analytics
  • Receive alerts about suspicious activity

Total Retail Coverage Security and loss prevention efforts

From shoplifting to internal employee theft as well as organized retail crime, your profits are affected. With Total Retail Coverage, retail business can utilize intelligent video that proactively alerts you to suspicious transactions and other potentially problematic activity in your retail stores. Searchlight’s powerful combination of surveillance video, transaction data and analytics helps you improve retail security and reduce losses. The software’s business intelligence reporting tools also let you gather valuable data on employee behavior and customer interests, information you can use to improve operations, customer service, marketing, and profitability.

Information has been gathered from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice.

  1. Alstete, Jeffrey (2006), “Inside advice on educating managers for preventing employee theft”, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 34 No. 11 pp. 833-844
  2. Helmer, Jodi. November 12, 2019. Cannabis Security: How Growers Can Prevent Internal Theft. Cannabis Business Times. Retrieved from: https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/prevent-employee-theft-cannabis-facility-industry/

How High-End Dispensaries & Large-Scale Growers Drive Profits & Gain Competitive Advantages

Integrating Security Requirements, Video Surveillance & Data

As competition in the cannabis and marijuana markets increases, the keys to long term success for any cannabusiness point to operational efficiency, quality assurance, customer service, regulatory compliance and market penetration. With proper planning, the consultants and advisors at KL Security are setting the new standards for cannabis facility design and security by integrating security standards, data and video that results in greater business success. Leading cannabis facilities start with this end goal during security planning.

Track product at your cultivation facility – RFID combined with video can tell you the last time a plant or cannabis product was seen

Top 4 Challenges a Cannabusiness faces to meet state-mandated requirements for surveillance:

  • – Camera types and placements
  • – Resolution and frame rates
  • – Retention periods and off-site storage
  • – RFID tag verification

 

How Video & Data Help Cannabusinesses at any level:

 In Cultivation Facilities

  • Tracking automation and a visual record of each plant’s location
  • How a plant may have been removed or misplaced and who was involved
  • Reveal where more staff training is required (improve operations & success)
  • Seamlessly share video and RFID data evidence with law enforcement

    Reduce your security risk, keep drivers safe, and maintain regulatory compliance for your state or municipality
  • Combined with access control systems, modular vaults, restricted access areas and storage rooms or cages, automated reports with video snapshots can show operators when shifts aren’t starting as scheduled, or find out why one product is taking longer to dry in one cultivation facility compared to the rest

Cannabis In Transit & Secure Transportation Services

  • View marijuana inventory as it’s loaded at the cultivation facility, as it is being transported, and as it is being unloaded at the retail dispensary locations
  • Integrate video with vehicle data, such as a GPS location or speed, to see information on the transport route from start to finish. This can provide proof that a vehicle has not accidentally crossed into a U.S. state where cannabis sale is still illegal

 At the Retail Dispensary

  • Video integrated with POS data can help dispensary operators cut losses by setting up alerts triggered by suspect transactions, such as voids over a set amount
  • Run searches across multiple dispensary locations simultaneously
  • Using video and analytics like people counting, queue length or dwell time, operators can see how long customers waited in line, of they spent more time in front of a certain promotional display, or if they left the dispensary without making a purchase

    Gather valuable metrics on operations and customer service

 

 

Tracking and Security of Cannabis Plants and Products through the Supply Chain to Retail Dispensary

 

How Business Analytics become Competitive Advantages

With a full view of the retail dispensary, it’s easier for companies to discover  customer trends that can be turned into higher profits, repeat business and brand loyalty.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

  • See how many customers are in your store at any given time.
  • Determine conversion rates of walk-in traffic.
  • Identify the average number of people waiting in a line or queue, and average amount of time they waited.
  • Learn how long people dwell in a particular area of your dispensary such as display counters or in-store online order systems.
  • Establish KPIs, based on factors like:

— Which store turns more shoppers into buyers if you have multiple retail dispensaries

— The time or day that most people are waiting in line, and for how long (to measure customer service and implement staffing changes). Such as happy hours, Friday afternoon or evening, payday, start of the weekend and other key times of the week.

— The success of a particular end-cap or promotion that may be in effect through advertising campaigns or POS integrations with Weedmaps, Leafly, Wikileaf, Baker, springbig and others.

  • Export business analytics data to an Excel file to incorporate into your own charts and reports or CRM systems.

To learn more about standards for cannabis facility design and security, call 866-867-0306 today