⚕️ Pharmacy Theft: A Silent Scourge with Multiple Consequences
Pharmacy theft, often referred to by the term shrinkage , represents much more than a simple financial loss. It's a daily challenge that weighs heavily on the profitability and management of pharmacies.
Beyond the numbers, its impact spreads: cleared-out shelves create frustrating stockouts for loyal customers, an atmosphere of mistrust can tarnish the shopping experience, and staff can feel a sense of insecurity.
However, this scourge is not inevitable. Modern strategies and powerful technological tools exist to combat it. It's time to view technology not as a constraint, but as a strategic ally to protect your margins and optimise your pharmacy's environment.
🔎 Top 6 Most Targeted Products: Understand to Better Protect
To effectively protect your pharmacy, it's crucial to understand what thieves are looking for. The most targeted products share common characteristics: they are often small, high-value, lack individual security tags, and are easy to conceal or resell quickly.
Identifying these items allows you to focus surveillance and prevention efforts on the most vulnerable areas of the store, transforming passive surveillance into a targeted protection strategy . Knowing the at-risk aisles is the first step in establishing an effective defence. Here are the six categories of products most frequently stolen from pharmacies:
- Dermo-cosmetic products and luxury makeup.
- Infant formula and baby care items.
- Dietary supplements, vitamins and weight loss products.
- Razors and their replacement blades.
- Electric toothbrushes and their replacement heads.
- Certain over-the-counter medicines (pain relief, cold and flu treatments).
🤖 Intelligent Video Surveillance: Moving from Reaction to Proaction
Traditional video surveillance, while essential, is often limited to a reactive role: it helps to establish the facts after a theft has already occurred, making intervention impossible. Technological innovation today allows us to move beyond this stage.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising this approach by analysing video feeds from your existing cameras in real time . The AI is specifically trained to recognise behavioural patterns and suspicious gestures typical of theft: quickly concealing a product in a bag or pocket, lingering in an aisle for an unusual amount of time…
As soon as a suspicious gesture is detected, the system sends a discreet and instant alert to the relevant staff on a mobile or tablet. This approach enables a preventative and non-confrontational intervention, such as offering the customer assistance, de-escalating the situation before the theft even takes place.
📊 The Tangible Benefits of AI for Securing Your Pharmacy
Integrating an intelligent solution goes far beyond simple gesture detection. The benefits are numerous, and innovative solutions like Oxania are designed to turn these theoretical advantages into tangible results for your pharmacy. Firstly, the reduction in shrinkage becomes tangible thanks to active prevention and a deterrent effect. Your teams are also empowered: instead of staring at screens, they receive actionable alerts and can focus on their core role of advising customers.
The AI acts as a tireless virtual guard , monitoring 24/7. This technological presence is also a powerful deterrent. Finally, the system collects crucial objective data. It helps you identify the highest-risk areas, products, and time slots via dashboards, allowing you to adjust your security and merchandising strategies for maximum effectiveness .
🚀 Investing in Technology: A Winning Strategy for Your Pharmacy's Future
Viewing AI detection technology as a simple expense would be a mistake. It is, in fact, a strategic investment for the performance and longevity of your pharmacy. Beyond simply securing assets, it actively helps create a calmer, more secure retail environment for both your honest customers and your staff.
The impact is also felt in inventory management. By limiting unexplained losses, you ensure better product availability and optimise your procurement. By effectively protecting your margins and optimising your operations, you free up valuable resources. These resources can then be reinvested to innovate, enhance the customer experience and ensure the future growth of your pharmacy.
