Developments in Mobile Scanning Technology: Understanding the Potential Impact on Shrinkage & Loss Prevention.

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Mobile-scanning is likely to pose a new set of challenges for retailers that have not yet been explored in detail. One of the key challenges is to understand how mobile-scanning technologies might generate opportunities for theft and how to mitigate for these risks. In addition to this, questions also arise about how mobile scanning will work in retail stores which utilise a range of existing crime prevention interventions - such as tagging and Safer Cases - on a range of products. For example, how will such interventions be used in relation to products purchased by mobile-scan customers? Further questions also arise around whether retail spaces will need to be adapted to implement such technology. Although some of our preliminary discussions with retailers suggest they are concerned about the criminal opportunities that mobile scanning might generate, no research to date has considered how these opportunities might arise and how retailers might mitigate such opportunities. In relation to this, there is little understanding of how existing crime prevention devices - such as Electronic Article Surveillance and Safer Cases - might need to be adapted to allow mobile scanning to be implemented smoothly. Therefore, this research proposes to conduct an exploratory study of the use of mobile scanning technology by drawing upon the experiences of two major retailers abroad and three in the UK. After an initial review of the research literature in this area, we would conduct visits to Wal*Mart in the USA and Ahold in the Netherlands. Both of these retailers have begun extensive pilots of mobile scanning across a number of their stores and visits will be made with the primary purpose of understanding what issues have been encountered with implementation (both in terms of technological issues and how they have promoted opportunity for theft). These site visits will inform the second phase of the research, which will include a number of interviews with groups of key stakeholders. First, interviews would be conducted with stakeholders at three major retailers in the UK. All three retailers are currently planning to use mobile scanning in the near future and the interviews will develop our understanding of the perceived problems of using this technology, emerging issues in relation to its operation and how the technology might generate opportunities for theft. Second, a series of interviews would be conducted with mobile scanning technology providers and (third) anti-theft technology providers. The interviews with App providers would aim to understand if mobile technology providers have recognised the potential criminogenic impact of mobile scanning and if this has been considered in the design process. The primary aim of the interviews with anti-theft technology providers would be to establish if (and how) they are adapting their products to deal with the change to mobile scanning. Finally, a total of 45 'stress-tests' will also be conducted by the research team. The stress-tests will involve using mobile scanning at retail sites to explore the potential for criminogenic exploitation and the extent to which current systems and store procedures minimise/identify these risks.Ultimately the research will be used to inform the retail community about the technological and criminogenic issues that are generated through mobile scanning. It is hoped that lessons from the research will also inform retailers about the future roll out of mobile scanning. However, the research will also be of use to the academic community. Although mobile scanning represents a significant shift in the way customers are able to purchase items, little academic research has considered the potential criminogenic impact. Therefore, the research also has the potential to inform academic research in relation to commercial victimisation, design and crime, and crime prevention.