Retail theft in the UK is at an all-time high, costing businesses billions and increasing security risks for retailers. Between September 2023 and September 2024, shoplifting offences surged by 23%, with 492,914 cases recorded across England and Wales—equating to 1,350 incidents per day. Convenience stores have been hit the hardest, reporting over 20 million theft incidents in the past year, leading to £2.2 billion in losses. This surge in organized retail crime and shoplifting highlights an urgent need for enhanced retail theft prevention strategies.

Beyond financial losses, retail crime is also putting employees at risk. More than 2,000 retail workers face abuse daily, with weapon-related incidents doubling to 70 cases per day. As crime becomes more sophisticated, retailers need AI-driven theft prevention solutions to detect suspicious behavior and prevent losses in real-time.

Why Traditional Retail Security Isn’t Enough

For years, businesses have relied on CCTV cameras, security personnel, and locked display cases to deter shoplifting. However, these methods often fail to stop real-time theft. Organized crime groups are using self-checkout fraud, cashier fraud, and distraction tactics to bypass traditional security measures. Meanwhile, internal fraud—such as cashier-assisted theft, fake refunds, and unauthorized voids—continues to add to overall retail shrinkage.

Since most thefts are only detected after they happen, retailers need proactive retail security solutions that provide real-time alerts and automated loss prevention.

How Visu.ai Helps Prevent Cashier & Customer Theft

Visu.ai provides AI-powered theft prevention that monitors both cashier transactions and customer behavior, helping retailers stop theft before it happens.

🔹 Cashier Watch: Detects suspicious transactions, cash handling irregularities, and unauthorized refunds, preventing internal fraud and cashier-assisted theft.

🔹 Customer Watch: Flags repeat offenders, identifies suspicious gestures, and alerts security teams to potential shoplifting threats.

🔹 Seamless Integration: Works with existing CCTV cameras and POS systems, ensuring GDPR compliance while delivering advanced loss prevention in retail.

With real-time monitoring and AI-driven fraud detection, Visu.ai helps retailers reduce shrinkage and improve security without disrupting operations.

The Future of Retail Security

As retail crime becomes more sophisticated, businesses need technology-driven loss prevention solutions. AI-powered theft prevention provides the ability to track suspicious behavior, prevent self-checkout fraud, and reduce retail shrinkage in real time.

By leveraging AI-driven cashier fraud detection and shoplifting prevention, retailers can protect their profits, safeguard employees, and enhance the shopping experience for honest customers.

🚀 Want to see how AI can safeguard your store? 👉  Book Your Demo Now and see Visu.AI in action!