The benefits of bodycams for retail

The U.K., Australia and the U.S.A. have led the way in implementing bodycams for retail in recent years. With worrying rises of the amount of verbal abuse and violence directed at employees, bodycams have been found to play a crucial and needed role.

Incidents and aggression against staff in retail in recent years

Data from the past few years show very concerning trends in various countries. With back-to-back crises and changing dynamics in society, frontline professionals in retail have unanimously negative experiences with angry and abusive customers.

Concerning statistics include:

• 89% of American shop workers face abuse ranging from verbal abuse to physical assaults
• 90% of U.K. pharmacists have witnessed incidents in the past year
• 88% of Australian retail workers experienced abuse from customers
• 2 million incidents in one year (2021) in U.K. stores alone
• 7% year-on-year increase in incidents of violence and abuse from 2019 until 2022 -> 455 cases each day (U.K.)
• 688,000 incidents of physical violence in U.K. workplaces in one year (2019-2020), with 40% needing medical leave
• Over 40% of retail workers have experienced incidents in the past six months
• Only 6% of incidents against shopworkers resulted in a prosecution (U.K.)
• £142m: the yearly cost damages, theft and incidents in the U.K.’s retail & convenience sectors in 2021

The problem of verbal and physical aggression in the retail sector is everywhere, experienced by the vast majority of workers, has resulted in hundreds of millions of yearly damages for companies, and vast numbers of retail employees considering a change in careers.

Increased safety: a net benefit of bodycams

Several multinational chains and convenience stores have implemented bodycam solutions to address the abovementioned industry challenges. They include TESCO, Boots, JD, Sainsbury, Matalan, Woolworths and Target. The bodycams have been active in some places for almost 2 years and the results are clearly a net positive for everyone: employees, companies and the public. While there hasn’t been a lot of quantitative data published yet, TESCO stated that bodycams have caused a double digit reduction in incidents of physical assault against staff in just over a year. Other retailers say that bodycams have greatly improved working conditions for their employees:

“We have found the body cams hugely successful in de-escalating issues as they arise, and our team members say they feel safer and more confident when wearing them.” –Boots Spokesperson

“It’s a deterrent. Nationally it has been found that if a situation becomes heated, turning on a bodycam calms it down. We can also help the police by providing footage of incidents. It can be used for crimes, such as shoplifting, and for staff safety.”  – Plymouth Against Retail Crime Ltd (Parc) Spokesperson

Bodycams benefit safety in retail by:

• De-escalation of incidents and aggression
• Reduction in number of incidents when customers know bodycams are present
• Increased safety and feelings of safety for retail workers

Evidence of abuse, damages and theft

Concerning statistics from the U.K. show that only 6% of crimes against shopworkers actually resulted in prosecution. This is a very small percentage of the 1.2 million incidents a year. The greatest issue is lack of evidence, especially of verbal abuse directed toward retail staff. With 142 million pounds of damages yearly, the retail sector has embraced bodycam technology to record evidence of crimes and incidents. With secure, GDPR compliant bodycams they can address this growing problem with a secure system that is accepted in court proceedings worldwide.

With bodycam solutions, evidence of crimes can be recorded consistently so that frontline staff are secure in the knowledge that abuse will not be tolerated, and punished to the full extent of the law. This results in safer, better working conditions for all, and a more pleasant  shopping experience for customers.

With secure, encrypted bodycams the retail sector can also collect additional evidence on theft and damages. With a proper video management system retailers can then easily and securely share this evidence with lawyers and insurance companies to ensure optimal responses.

Convenience stores and retail chains deal with multifaceted logistical operations. bodycams can also contribute in logistics through increased safety for delivery staff and evidence of theft or damages during transport.

Bodycams benefit evidence collection in retail by:

• Close-up direct recording of incidents
• Recording the audio of incidents, leading increased conviction rates
• Secure, GDPR compliant footage that is complaint to the strictest data and privacy regulations
• Evidence of deliveries and the condition and time of arrival
  

Better working conditions means less turnover

Employers, besides wanting safe working conditions for their staff, also worry about the bottom line. In retail, the turnover rate is higher than many other industries, in part due to the working conditions of customer-facing staff.

Bodycams have shown police, firefighters, paramedics, and retail staff themselves find that they improve safety and working conditions.

Furthermore, bodycams for retail provide:

• Evidence of the correct handling of situations by staff
• Actionable data for training & evaluation, as well as the development of best practices

All these factors result in retail staff that are safer and better equipped, leading to reductions in incidents and their costly consequences. With staff, employers, customers and whole industries benefiting from bodycam technology, it is not a matter of if, but when bodycams will switched on in all the main retail and convenience stores around the world.

>> Our Bodycam Solutions for Retail Staff and Security