Security departments at retailers and corporates are increasingly deploying video analytics and artificial intelligence to support core business goals such as sales, stock availability and customer retention — shifting the function's perception from a cost centre to a business enabler.
From shrink prevention to sales support
Michael Rubino, director of loss prevention for Village Super Market — part of the Wakefern cooperative that operates roughly 40 supermarkets in the north-eastern United States — outlined how security footage is now used to inform merchandising and store operations. He described instances where camera analytics reveal how long customers linger at particular product areas and whether shelves are out of stock, enabling targeted interventions.
“I can tell you how long a customer’s waiting at the bananas. I can tell you if the bananas were out of stock,” Rubino said.
At Village Super Market, that information is routed to the relevant manager so stock can be replenished promptly, helping preserve sales and repeat visits. The security function continues to monitor theft and organised retail crime, but now also supplies operational intelligence that can increase gross profit on specific items.
Technology vendors and the business-camera shift
Vendors that provide intelligent cloud video technology emphasise this repositioning. Brent Boekestein, vice‑president, enterprise, at OpenEye, described the transformation as turning security cameras into “business cameras” — tools that simultaneously support loss prevention and business performance.
The practical changes are straightforward: reposition cameras to capture high‑value or high‑margin items, run analytics to detect stockouts or congestion, and push alerts to the people who can act — whether a department manager, merchandiser or store operations team.
What this means for South African businesses
South African retailers and larger corporates that already invest in CCTV and security operations face a decision about how to extract more value from those systems. The options include integrating video analytics with point‑of‑sale and inventory systems, training security teams to deliver operational alerts, and reconfiguring camera coverage to include merchandising sightlines.
Key benefits reported by the companies in the United States case examples include:
- Improved stock availability — faster detection of empty shelves reduces missed sales.
- Higher conversion and repeat visits — customers finding what they came for helps retention.
- Continued loss prevention — systems still serve traditional security functions.
| Application | Business outcome |
|---|---|
| Video analytics on produce/fast‑moving items | Faster replenishment, fewer lost sales |
| Automated alerts to managers | Operational response without manual monitoring |
| Surveillance retained for theft prevention | Dual benefit: security + merchandising |
For South African businesses, the potential uplift will depend on systems already in place. Firms with legacy analogue CCTV may face higher upfront costs to upgrade cameras, analytics platforms and network capacity. Organisations with cloud‑native solutions can more readily roll out analytic rules and notification workflows.
Staffing and cultural shifts
Beyond technology, the shift requires cultural change inside security teams. Instead of being exclusively focused on incident response, security personnel need to collaborate with merchandising, operations and store management. That means retraining and new performance metrics that reward business outcomes as well as risk reduction.
While the source examples are drawn from a US grocery context, the approach is transferable. South African retailers grappling with high shrinkage and tight margins could see measurable benefits by making existing security systems work harder for sales and customer satisfaction, provided the necessary investment in analytics and cross‑departmental workflows is made.
Any organisation considering such a shift should weigh capital costs, network and storage capacity, data‑privacy obligations, and the operational changes needed to ensure alerts result in timely action. WE NEWS does not provide financial advice; businesses should seek tailored technical and commercial guidance before committing to upgrades.
