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

移动扫描可能会给零售商带来一系列新的挑战，而这些挑战还没有被详细探索过。其中一个关键挑战是了解移动扫描技术如何可能产生盗窃机会以及如何减轻这些风险。除此之外，还有一个问题是，手机扫描将如何在零售店中发挥作用，这些零售店利用了一系列现有的预防犯罪干预措施——比如标签和更安全的箱子——来处理一系列产品。例如，这些干预措施将如何用于移动扫描客户购买的产品？进一步的问题也出现在零售空间是否需要适应这种技术。尽管我们与零售商的一些初步讨论表明，他们担心移动扫描可能产生的犯罪机会，但迄今为止还没有研究考虑到这些机会是如何产生的，以及零售商如何缓解这些机会。与此相关，人们对如何改进现有的预防犯罪设备——例如电子物品监控和更安全的案件——以使移动扫描得以顺利实施知之甚少。因此，本研究建议通过借鉴国外两家主要零售商和英国三家主要零售商的经验，对移动扫描技术的使用进行探索性研究。在对这一领域的研究文献进行初步回顾后，我们将对美国的Wal*Mart和荷兰的Ahold进行访问。这两家零售商都已经开始在他们的一些商店中进行广泛的移动扫描试点，访问的主要目的是了解在实施过程中遇到的问题（包括技术问题和他们如何增加盗窃机会）。这些实地考察将为研究的第二阶段提供信息，该阶段将包括与关键利益攸关方团体的一些访谈。首先，将与英国三家主要零售商的利益相关者进行访谈。这三家零售商目前都计划在不久的将来使用移动扫描，访谈将加深我们对使用这项技术的感知问题，与其操作相关的新问题以及该技术如何产生盗窃机会的理解。第二，对移动扫描技术提供商和（第三）防盗技术提供商进行一系列访谈。与应用程序提供商的访谈旨在了解移动技术提供商是否认识到移动扫描的潜在犯罪影响，以及是否在设计过程中考虑到这一点。与防盗技术供应商进行访谈的主要目的是确定他们是否（以及如何）调整他们的产品以应对移动扫描的变化。最后，研究小组还将进行45次“压力测试”。压力测试将包括在零售场所使用移动扫描，以探索犯罪利用的可能性，以及当前系统和存储程序在多大程度上最大限度地减少/识别这些风险。最终，这项研究将用于向零售社区通报通过移动扫描产生的技术和犯罪问题。人们希望从这项研究中得到的经验教训也能给零售商提供有关未来推出移动扫描的信息。然而，这项研究也将对学术界有所帮助。尽管移动扫描代表了消费者购买方式的重大转变，但很少有学术研究考虑到其潜在的犯罪影响。因此，这项研究也有可能为有关商业受害、设计和犯罪以及预防犯罪的学术研究提供信息。

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.