Coles: New technology introduced at supermarket giant to track shoppers’ every move
Supermarket giant Coles is to “aggressively” roll out new technology that will track the movements of every shopper throughout the store.
The new security approach involves cameras, trolley locks, smart gates and even fog machines to help stop supermarket thefts, following a 20 per cent increase this year.
Technology tracks customers from the moment they enter the store, recording the time it takes to shop in each aisle until they reach the self-checkout.
New security cameras above the checkouts will then track all items scanned and placed in bags and if any anomalies are found, the smart doors will close while an alarm sounds, keeping the customer in the store.
If this fails to stop a suspected thief from leaving the store, the wheels of the new high-tech shopping carts will jam completely as soon as they leave the store.
Coles operations director Matt Swindells described the technology as “world class” in identifying potential thieves.
“What we’ve done is take the best of what’s out there overseas and then improve it with a few other tweaks. So we believe we have world-class loss prevention technology in our stores,” he told A Current Affair.
“If you are a thief, we will catch you. »
He said the technology would also help reduce the number of violent attacks on staff members, which have seen an increase over the past year.
Staff will be allowed to wear duress watches that alert other workers of a potential incident or even wear a body camera that records all their interactions, like police officers.
“If you start threatening a member of staff, we will document it and take appropriate action,” Mr Swindells said.
The new system has been trialled across the country over the past six months, with an “aggressive” national rollout over the following three months.
Coles’ main competitor, Woolworths, introduced similar payment technology in August, to mixed reviews.
Supermarket giant Coles is to “aggressively” roll out new technology that will track the movements of every shopper throughout the store.
The new security approach involves cameras (pictured), trolley locks, smart gates and even fog machines to help stop supermarket thefts, after a 20% increase this year.
Sensors on the roof of Woolworths stores check whether items are scanned and bagged and communicate with an automatic gate which closes if it decides an item has not been paid for.
Woolworths assured the Daily Mail Australia at the time that shoppers would remain unidentifiable throughout the process because the technology does not use facial recognition or CCTV.
A Woolworths spokesperson said: “All retailers are experiencing an increase in retail crime, and we are no exception.”
“We have a number of initiatives that we use, both covert and overt, to help reduce retail crime and keep our team members safe in our stores.”
Shoplifting costs Australian retailers up to $9 billion a year, and it is estimated that less than 20% of retail crimes are reported to the police, according to the National Retail Association.
