Solutions for Retail Loss Prevention

Redefining Loss Prevention in Retail

In today’s smart retail ecosystems, physical access control is just as critical as theft detection. Retailers are increasingly deploying Bluetooth-enabled locks and access systems on high-value display items, including smartphones, tablets, and premium accessories, so only authorized staff or customers can interact with them.

By integrating these controls, retailers prevent unauthorized removal but also create immersive experiences so customers can activate displays and explore product features while the retail environment remains secure.

At the core of this solution are Silicon Labs’ BG22 Bluetooth SoCs, offering Secure Vault protection, energy-efficient operation, and delivering robust security and convenience in every interaction

From Retail Loss Prevention to Value Generation

Leading retailers are reinventing the concept of loss prevention. The traditional RFID and Acoustic Magnetic technologies are now enhanced with Bluetooth to transform tags from mere loss prevention tools into modular value generation platforms to improve operations and enhance the customer experience.

Enable Indoor Positioning

Enhancing loss prevention tags with Bluetooth Direction Finding capability provides retailers a non-intrusive yet more comprehensive loss prevention method, which scales for modern, non-gated shopping environments and supports the omnichannel strategy. Bluetooth Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD) technologies track an item's location with sub-meter accuracy.

Enrich Product Information

Loss prevention tags enhanced with Bluetooth wireless connectivity deliver the customers richer, in-depth product information, specs, user reviews, and more, seamlessly on their smartphones. Retailers are able to provide targeted outreach while building customer loyalty.

Improve Online Checkout

Bluetooth connectivity enabled on the loss prevention tags brings a smooth online shopping experience to retail environments. Customers can simply scan the product information via Bluetooth with their smartphone, pay online, deactivate the tag and complete the purchase. 

Learn how the fashion retail technology innovator Zliide brings the virtual shopping experience into retail stores.

When developing smart wireless and indoor-positioning solutions for loss prevention, take note of these best-practice design considerations.

MCUs are Powering the Future of Retail Loss Prevention

Low-power MCUs are fantastic options for retail loss prevention applications. They provide real-time sensing, edge AI processing, and secure communication with the efficiency to support long battery life. Embedded security helps protect sensitive data and reduce shrinkage across diverse retail environments. Silicon Labs offers a proven portfolio of energy-efficient, secure MCUs tailored to meet the demands of modern retail loss prevention solutions.

Enabling Accurate Positioning While Being Cost-efficient

Retail loss prevention solutions based on indoor-positioning require high accuracy, yet total costs must be minimized for retailers. Bluetooth Direction Finding checks the accuracy and cost-efficiency boxes for loss prevention tags.

The Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD) based Bluetooth Direction Finding technique enables a sub-meter (<1 m) positioning accuracy. Silicon Labs' BG22, a Bluetooth Direction Finding enabled low-power SoC, is the optimal low-power and cost-efficient hardware for your retail loss prevention solutions.

Optimizing Wireless Connectivity for Loss Prevention Tags

Excellent RX sensitivity is a crucial feature on loss prevention tags to enable reliable, long-range wireless connectivity while minimizing energy consumption With Silicon Labs’ BG22 Bluetooth Low Energy SoC you can enable loss prevention with the superior receiver sensitivity of -107 dBm and optimize wireless communication and battery life on your tags.

10 Year Lifetime on Retail Loss Prevention Tags

To minimize the total cost of ownership (TCO) for retailers, the energy consumption for the entire application including the wireless connectivity must be minimized. An ultra-low-power wireless chipset such as BG22 can run your tag for up to 10 years with a coin cell battery while providing superb RF sensitivity.

The RFSENSE feature on Silicon Labs’ chipsets preserves the battery by keeping the hardware in a sleep mode (~170 nA) until the RF system wake-up when the tag is taken into use.

Protecting Loss Prevention Tags with Robust Security

Retail loss prevention tags, which are based on indoor-positioning and also enable online payments, must be protected against hacking and attacks. Silicon Labs' SoCs and modules provide you with the market-leading security functionalities safeguard the retailers’ business and your brand.

Loss Prevention Block Diagram