Five reasons to upgrade your security tags
It’s human nature to stay in the comfort zone, go with what we know and believe if it’s worked before, likelihood is it will work again. But when it comes to combating shoplifting, the reality is the playing field constantly shifts.
What worked a decade ago or even two years prior may no longer suffice in the ongoing war against an increasingly savvy thief.
Loss prevention, like cyber-security, requires a commitment to regular reassessment and the occasional upgrade.
With that in mind, here are five reasons to upgrade your security tags.
Better locking mechanisms
Not so long ago, standard strength magnetic locking mechanisms were enough to deter a shoplifter looking to illicitly remove product security tags.
In many cases, standard is no longer enough. In a world where “security tag removal” is but a Google search away, and shoplifters can purchase standard strength detachers on the internet, retailers need to be more proactive when it comes to thwarting thieves.
One of the first areas store management should look to upgrade is the magnetic strength of their security tag’s locking mechanism. Superlock is the minimum recommended strength, with anything above that, like Hyperlock or Multipolar, offering increased security.
Larger pin sizes
When it comes to apparel and some soft furnishings, tags are secured to merchandise via a pin that passes through the item. The pinhead size of these fixtures varies, and increasing the size can improve the effectiveness of the tag.
Larger pinhead sizes make it harder to force the pinhead through an item without causing significant damage to the product. This acts as both a deterrent and a benefit denial strategy.
The good news is, shifting to a larger pinhead size does not require the purchase of new security tags. security pins are available with a range of pinhead sizes to accommodate the most commonly used tags.
Improved tag shape
By nature, some tag shapes afford less risk of illicit removal, with round and shell among the styles that offer increased security.
In the case of shell tags, the back and the front of the tag are the same size and feature a rounded shape. This makes it harder for thieves to get a purchase on the tag to lever it apart.
Product specific tags
In years gone by security tags were larger, more likely to interfere with the customer experience of the product and were not specifically designed for the product being protected. Now there is an array of small, discrete tags for apparel, and a host of other purpose-designed tags to suit other products.
When considering EAS and security tags, it’s imperative retailers factor in the specific item being protected and look for the right security tag to assist.
Security tags are available to suit a wide variety of products including liquor bottles, eyewear, and fashion accessories.
New features
Security tag technology and design consistently evolves. Now EAS can also incorporate RFID to allow for better supply chain accuracy and up to the minute inventory counting.
Meanwhile, one of the most recent additions to the security tag lineup is alligator tags. These tags are an all-in-one solution that effectively allows the tag to clip onto the product and secure when the pin enters the inbuilt locking mechanism.
They enable retailers to do away with pins all together, to simply and affordably affix their EAS security tags to a product.
The final word
Retail security and loss prevention is an ongoing commitment and investment for every retailer. But the return on that investment can be far greater than many expect. Simple strategies like upgrading security tags to stay ahead of shoplifters minimizes loss and deters future theft attempts.
If you’re looking to understand which security tags or labels are best suited to your retail environment, our staff are available to assist, and can be contacted here.
