Iceland has reduced losses from theft by 80% following the rollout of AI crime detection technology to its CCTV system, its security tech partner SAI has said.
SAI’s technology applies advanced video-language AI to Iceland store CCTV feeds to “derive real-time intelligence across self and assisted-checkouts, aisles and entrances”.
The solution is able to detect missed scans, partial payment and walkouts at self-checkouts, as well as concealment and consumption of products by shoppers in the aisles.
Real-time alerts generated by the platform are sent to colleague handheld terminals within eight seconds of suspicious activity being confirmed, with imagery and footage of the individual and location within the store.
The SAI system has been rolled out to some 200 Iceland stores, with further stores set to implement it in coming months.
“We wanted to become the second choice on the high street to steal from, and in order to do that, we needed to be more proactive,” said Andy Edwards, head of loss prevention and corporate audit.
The discounter – which operates more than 1,000 stores, including 700 in high street locations – said it had previously trialled several other loss prevention technologies, such as weighted shelves.
“We needed a solution that could work alongside us, rather than behind us,” Edwards added.
The retailer is now exploring how it can use SAI tech to alert staff when a previous offender has returned to a store, and ‘Nearby Store Broadcast Alerts’ that use the SAI platform to send warnings and information to other locations.
It is also examining how it can use in-aisle theft data to move into “responsible facial recognition technology” to keep “proven repeat offenders out of stores” as well as its wider crime prevention, incident reporting and case management activities.
“SAI is playing a huge part in improving our worst 100 stores, which cost us about a third of our total shrink number,” Edwards added.
“The platform is not just helping us reduce shrink and making Iceland one of the hardest places to steal from on the high street, it’s also helping colleagues on the shop floor from a productivity perspective. It’s really accelerated us to being at the forefront of AI use in loss prevention.”
Last year, Iceland executive chair Richard Walker said shoplifting was costing the business around £20m each year. Shoplifting was also negatively affecting its ability to keep prices low and reinvest in staff wages.
“Iceland shares our belief that AI should make stores smarter, safer and easier to run,” said Som Sinha, founder and CEO at SAI.
“Together, we’re proving that retailers can reduce shrink, empower colleagues and improve operational performance, all from a single platform,” Sinha added.
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