Top 12 Insights from the 2015 Global Theft Barometer
The just published Global Retail Theft Barometer (GRTB) is an annual study of the losses from merchandise shrinkage in the global retail industry. The research for the 2015 edition was conducted by the Smart Cube and Ernie Deyle and it was commissioned by Checkpoint Systems. 203 retailers in four regions, covering 24 countries contributed data for the latest report.
1. Global Retail Shrink
Retail shrink in the countries surveyed was estimated at $123.4 billion or on average 1.23% of retail sales. "Shrinkage has been observed to increase in most of the reviewed countries and by 0.48 pps globally. In the 16 countries where like-for-like analysis was possible, shrinkage increased in 10 and decreased in 6."
The Smartphone, Bar Code, Cash Register, and Hype Cycle
At a recent growth and innovation summit had the pleasure of once again speaking about the future of retail. To engage the audience in an innovation conversation decided to ask a series of historical technology questions.
Out of the sixteen researched questions, following are my favorite top five:
Name One of the Top Five Greatest Inventions of All Time
The USA National Retail Federation (NRF) recently published the 11th annual Organized Retail Crime (ORC) survey. The latest data indicates that almost 97% of all the surveyed retailers have been a victim of ORC in the last 12 months.
2015 Summary of Key ORC Findings
97% is the highest percentage of retailers impacted during the last five years.
This year 48.5% of retailers have experienced a significant increase in ORC activity.
The average loss was $453,940 - or a median of $194,340 - per $1 billion in annual sales volume.
Leading physical 'fence' locations are pawn shops, stores, swap meets, or flea markets. Nearly 60% of retailers have identified or recovered merchandise from these locations.
Online auction sites and classified sites were the leading 'e-fencing' locations. Nearly 69% of retailers have identified or recovered merchandise from e-locations.
Two thirds of retailers have encountered issues with merchandise credit or gift cards in the last year. Nearly 55% of retailers found merchandise credit or gift cards on websites.
Thank you for calling the Twinge Airlines telephone customer service line. Please choose from one of the following 25 options. For sales, press 1, for billing press 2.....to reach a representative press 25....We are experiencing a high volume of calls at this point in time. Your wait to speak to a representative might be months. Please go to our website and use the friendly self-help database which we are sure will not answer your question..... Annoying music.....All representative are still assisting other customers....You must not have a life, if you are still waiting. Please hang up and call someone else to get the answer.
Welcome to the Future of Self-Service Technology
A grueling airline issue this week led to the question, are we happy with the growing global customer service trend of speaking primarily with computers?
According to a just issued MIT Sloan study, there are substantial differences between management and actual customer perspectives on new self-service technologies:
In a recent post, we analyzed "The $1.2 Trillion Internet of Things Retail Opportunity". As McKinsey pointed out, "retail environments have undergone significant change over the past two decades due to the introduction of information technologies, including the rise of online shopping. The Internet of Things has the potential to cause even greater disruption, but IoT can also provide traditional retailers with the tools to compete - and coexist - with the online retail world as onmichannel shopping erases the distinction between online and offline shops."
For the retail industry, this seems to be the time to discuss trillion dollar opportunities. Order Dynamics just issued an IHL Group study titled "Retailers and the Ghost Economy: $1.75 Trillion Reasons to be Afraid." This week we will look at the $1.75 Trillion worldwide retail missed opportunities from overstocks, out-of-stocks and sales returns.
Total Cost Equates to Increasing Same Store Sales by 11.7%
Emerging Technologies from a Shopper Point of View
This month, First Insight published an interesting study on the evolving in-store technology customer experience and the mindset of the modern consumer.
Following are some surprising shopper insights on the use of technology in retail stores.
Emerging Technologies Challenges
Virtual dressing rooms (where you can see how clothes will look on you without actually trying them on) may be coming to more stores soon. However, when consumers were asked if they would prefer a traditional dressing room versus a virtual dressing room, nearly 60% of respondents preferred a traditional dressing room.
What's "HOT" in Retail Loss Prevention Technologies?
A recent IHL Group research study titled "The Great Disconnect Between LP and IT" summarized that "traditional LP Technologies are (now) being co-opted for
use in other activities leading to influencers of buying decisions that would otherwise be purview of LP only." The convergence of Loss Prevention and Information Technologies has been underway for some time. The pace of change is increasing and further innovative disruption will arrive from unexpected market segments.
"The Great Disconnect Between LP and IT" Key Insights
The data protection aspects of loss prevention dominate LP initiatives. The top five focus areas where retailers spend LP efforts are PCI, data breach, employee theft, returns fraud, and consumer theft. PCI and data breach account for 35% of the focus. Data breach spending is tied with employee theft at 14%. Returns fraud and consumer theft each represent 12% of the overall retailers LP spend focus.
In the recently published McKinsey study "The Internet of Things (IoT): Mapping the Value Beyond the Hype", the retail industry is ranked fourth in highest potential next decade IoT economic impact.
McKinsey defines the retail environment broadly "as physical spaces where consumers engage in commerce—considering or purchasing goods or services. This includes traditional stores, such as department stores and grocery stores, as well as showrooms where goods are on display but not available for sale. It also includes physical spaces where services are purchased, such as bank branches, theaters, and sports arenas. The analysis covers only physical environments where IoT technologies can be deployed, not online retailing."
One of my favorite annual industry reports is AT Kearney's Global Retail Development Index (GRDI). The recently published 2015 edition was titled "Global Retail Expansion: An Unstoppable Force".
The GDRI ranks the top 30 developing countries for retail investment. If you are a global retail leader, it is a must read to navigate opportunities in emerging markets.
Key Insights from the 2015 GDRI Report
China is the number one country in the 2015 GDRI report and it is the only country that has appeared in the top five consistently for the last five years. By 2018, China will surpass the United States as the world's largest retail market. China e-commerce sales grew 50% to nearly $450 billion in 2014, including $150 billion in mobile sales. E-commerce sales are predicted to reach $1 trillion by 2019.
"Each footstep we take is a memory of the past." - Tony D'Onofrio
As my son is getting ready to graduate from Zurich International School, thoughts of life's transition moments have been swirling in my mind. When the family decided to move to Switzerland about 3 years ago, Nicholas had a very sad look on his face. Ahead for him were the uncertainties of a foreign country, a different language, strange cuisine, and a new school.
It is Where You Finish that Makes the Difference
Nick's Swiss adventure was a reminder of my own early life which was filled with major transitions. From a small town of 1700 people south of Rome, to Zurich, and then on to Cleveland in the United States, the first dozen years of my life were all about adapting to new cultures.
On the journey to learn something new, we travel to Montreux Switzerland. After the creation of a Jazz Festival by Claude Nobs in 1967, the founding of the world-class Mountain Studios inside the local casino in 1975, and favorable tax benefits, this quiet Swiss Lake Geneva (or Lac Léman) town became a destination to create music by legends such as Queen.
The earliest settlement in Montreux dates back to the late Bronze Age. The name Montreux comes from the Latin word monasteriolum, meaning "small monastery". Over hundreds of years, the local language changed this Latin word into Mustruel by 1215, and later into the modern name Montreux.
Deep Purple got the inspiration to the song “Smoke on the water” here. The rock group Queen with lead singer Freddy Mercury recorded 6 albums here. The studio was inside the casino that burned down in 1971 that inspired the Deep Purple memorable song.
For Freddy Mercury, Montreux became his second home; a place where he could escape the spotlight and focus on what he loved most: making music. Today, his legacy lives on through the iconic Freddie Mercury statue overlooking Lake Geneva in this picture.
Being a fan of classic rock, I truly enjoyed my visit to Montreux and blasted “Smoke on the Water” in my ear pods on arrival. This particular pose with Freddy was a personal reminder that life is short and never forget to let your guard down and have fun.
Psychologist Mike Rucker once wrote that "Happiness is a state of mind, but fun is something you can do. It doesn't require education, money or power. All it requires is intentionality. If happiness is a mirage, fun is your backyard oasis."
My oasis is celebrating life, always having a positive attitude, listen to all types of motivating music, and living each single moment as it was my last. At the top of my voice, I will continue to scream that we are all champions of possibilities that must keep on fighting towards our destined end. Rock on my friends.
Confidence in physical retail remains solid this year. More than 55% of survey respondents said they feel confident or very confident about brick-and-mortar performance in 2026, while only around 20% expressed concern. - From Place AI Read more
The Number 1 country continued lead reinforces a broader trend: countries with strong institutions, high trust, and robust social safety nets consistently rank highest in life satisfaction. - From Visual Capitalist
for the 2015 edition was conducted by the Smart Cube and Ernie Deyle and it was commissioned by Checkpoint Systems. 203 retailers in four regions, covering 24 countries contributed data for the latest report. 
all the surveyed retailers have been a victim of ORC in the last 12 months. 
Thank you for calling the Twinge Airlines telephone customer service line. Please choose from one of the following 25 options. For sales, press 1, for billing press 2.....to reach a representative press 25....We are experiencing a high volume of calls at this point in time. Your wait to speak to a representative might be months. Please go to our website and use the friendly self-help database which we are sure will not answer your question..... Annoying music.....All representative are still assisting other customers....You must not have a life, if you are still waiting. Please hang up and call someone else to get the answer. 
have undergone significant change over the past two decades due to the introduction of information technologies, including the rise of online shopping. The Internet of Things has the potential to cause even greater disruption, but IoT can also provide traditional retailers with the tools to compete - and coexist - with the online retail world as onmichannel shopping erases the distinction between online and offline shops."
use in other activities leading to influencers of buying decisions that would otherwise be purview of LP only." The convergence of Loss Prevention and Information Technologies has been underway for some time. The pace of change is increasing and further innovative disruption will arrive from unexpected market segments. 
As my son is getting ready to graduate from Zurich International School, thoughts of life's transition moments have been swirling in my mind. When the family decided to move to Switzerland about 3 years ago, Nicholas had a very sad look on his face. Ahead for him were the uncertainties of a foreign country, a different language, strange cuisine, and a new school. 
