Published: January 9, 2024
Reading time: 2 minute read
Written by: Forter Team

In the fast-evolving retail industry, total retail loss, encompassing fraud and abuse on both physical and online platforms, presents a significant challenge. Leading the charge in pioneering innovative methods to address security both in-store and online, partners like Salesforce and ThinkLP are at the forefront, striving to ensure a secure and enjoyable shopping experience.

Organized Retail Crime: A Dual Threat in Stores and Digital Commerce

Organized retail crime has become a sophisticated problem, seamlessly transitioning between physical stores and digital spaces. Retailers face the challenge of securing brick-and-mortar locations and digital commerce platforms, emphasizing the importance of understanding and countering the tactics criminals use in both realms.

Comprehensive Security: Tackling In-Store and Online Threats

To effectively combat retail loss, retailers must understand the unique security challenges of in-store and online spaces. Physical stores deal with issues like theft and employee fraud, requiring physical security measures and extensive team training. In contrast, digital platforms face cyber threats like identity theft and account takeovers, necessitating robust cybersecurity protocols. A unified strategy is crucial for overall retail protection.

Innovative Retailers: Bridging the Physical and Digital Divide

While addressing in-store and digital commerce fraud presents distinct challenges, they are interconnected components of a more significant issue. Retailers must recognize the unique aspects of each environment to develop tailored prevention strategies, blending physical presence with the anonymous nature of the online world.

Progressive retailers are taking a holistic approach to combat retail loss. This includes bridging the gap between physical and digital commerce fraud prevention and partnering with experts like Salesforce and ThinkLP for comprehensive solutions.

Expert Insight from Salesforce and ThinkLP

A global leader in customer relationship management, Salesforce enhances customer behavior analysis by providing data-driven insights that support and augment identifying fraud patterns and understanding customer interactions.

When handling total retail loss, Salesforce emphasizes the importance of balancing customer experience with robust security measures – tools like Forter’s Fraud Management, integrated into Salesforce Commerce Cloud, for automated, AI-driven transaction security, is one solution. Salesforce also advises adapting loss prevention strategies to the dynamic nature of cyber threats and physical theft.

Specializing in loss prevention and centralized security intelligence, ThinkLP offers a wealth of solutions for mitigating risk at the physical store and warehouse levels. Their insights can seamlessly integrate with digital commerce fraud prevention measures, providing retailers with a unified strategy to combat total retail loss.

ThinkLP highlights the rise in external theft, including Organized Retail Crime (ORC), and internal threats like employee and financial fraud. The rise in third-party online marketplaces where stolen products can be bought and sold has exacerbated ORC and continues to present new challenges in the workplace, such as the need to focus on employee safety.

These added challenges further underscore the need for technological innovations in loss prevention, such as predictive modeling and AI, to identify and address fraudulent activities proactively. They also stress the importance of retailers staying agile and informed about new threats through networking and leveraging evolving technologies to outpace criminal activities.

Addressing total retail loss requires a strategic, collaborative approach. Retailers must innovate and adapt to stay ahead of fraudsters, leveraging expertise from partners like Salesforce and ThinkLP. By acknowledging the unique challenges of in-store and digital commerce environments, retailers can create a robust defense, ensuring a secure shopping experience for their customers.

2 minute read