The economic impact of a retail store on a community is significant: retail stores provide numerous jobs and employment opportunities. Public services like schools, emergency services and utility infrastructure are funded by local and state tax revenues generated by retailers. Successful retail shops can increase property values, boost economic activity and create more vibrant communities. They attract customers, promoting nearby businesses such as restaurants and service providers, creating a multiplier effect within the local economy.
However, in recent years as retail crime — a phrase previously synonymous with petty shoplifting or stealing — has surged and become more violent through organized crime gangs and increasingly common instances of workplace violence, those economic benefits diminish, and in some cases, completely vanish. Retailers are facing increased costs due to organized theft, which can lead to higher prices for customers, reduced profitability, and in severe cases, store closures. These closures result in job losses and bruise the local economy.
Even household names are not immune. Some of the nation’s largest retailers have shuttered stores in the last year, citing retail theft and deteriorating conditions. That’s why Axon has introduced a suite of integrated technology to help retailers deter incidents, de-escalate violent situations and keep associates and shoppers safe. In January, Axon launched Axon Body Workforce, a new body-worn camera designed to protect frontline workers by deterring and de-escalating incidents, lending support in real-time and promoting transparency and ease of sharing data with law enforcement to expedite the path from incident to adjudication. Axon acquired Fusus in February 2024 to significantly bolster its real-time operations solution, combining Fusus's real-time situational awareness expertise with Axon's innovative public safety technology for enhanced safety in any environment. And in April, Axon announced a partnership with retail crime intelligence pioneer Auror to bridge the gap between retail and law enforcement information sharing.
But today, retail crime isn’t limited to the square footage inside stores. According to FBI data for 2022, retail parking lots were the second most-common location for property crimes and the third most-common location for violent crimes.
Criminals often target parking lots because of high-value items, like personal property, store purchases stowed inside a vehicle or even the vehicle itself. Plus, these lots and garages provide ample opportunities. Big box retail parking spots, for example, can number in the hundreds. With outlying locations, common hiding spots, poor lighting and weak security and surveillance efforts, parking lots can provide easy hunting ground for criminals. As customers and staff come and go, thieves have low-risk, high-reward opportunities to commit crime without being detected.
Recent surveys show 54% of customers worry about being approached in a parking lot, 51% worry about being followed to their vehicle and 36% are concerned about damage to their vehicles while unattended. To ease fears, many retailers are implementing proactive efforts to deter would-be criminals with increased lighting, additional security staff, traffic control measures and parking security cameras.
:format(webp))