Page 34 - Security Today, April 2021

Going Beyond Retail Turning security cameras into tools of intelligence
By Tom Hesterman
Physical security infrastructure has traditionally been seen as a sunk cost; an expense that repre- sents a cost of doing business. But, what if your security system could also provide additional busi- ness intelligence and operational insights to let you know what is working and what is not?
Extracting insights from the data generated by security cam- eras and monitoring solutions can help organizations maximize ROI for their security investments when budgets are tight and there is a greater demand for results. In this article, let’s look at three ways organizations can leverage their security systems to gain clear business insights that drive value.
VIDEO ANALYTICS
Turn security cameras into business intelligence tools. A key en- abler in the growth story of online retail trailblazers such as Ama- zon has been their ability to collect, analyze and effectively use
the vast amounts of data their customers generate.
When a business truly understands the behaviors of its cus- tomers by collecting key insights, it can then tailor every custom- er touchpoint to maximize customer satisfaction, increase sales
revenue and improve operational efficiency.
For example, traditional retailers with brick and mortar stores
are just as hungry for the same analytics and insights that help ecommerce giants run agile and responsive business.
Video analytics solutions that offer another layer of valuable customer and employee behavior data on the videos captured by security cameras can unlock valuable, real-time insights. Exam- ples include the number of people who come into their stores, what they do while there, which products they are engaged with the most and how the store design or floor plan is working.
All of the data will reveal insights that can help retailers op- timize store layout, make critical decisions on merchandising, correlate customer footfall to online campaigns, identify staffing
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APRIL 2021 | SECURITY TODAY
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