Around one in three retail workers in Australia and New Zealand (32%) report feeling unsafe going into the peak holiday shopping season, according to a new report.
Motorola Solutions’ Australia and New Zealand Retail Worker Safety Report reveals the majority of the 280+ retail managers and staff surveyed said they’re concerned about crime in their stores and at least half reported concerns about shoplifting and hostile customer interactions.
The results show that security technologies – mobile safety apps, body cameras, systems that can lock doors and allow store security officers to view real-time video of unfolding incidents – make people feel safer at work. Similar independent surveys were conducted in the UK and US, countries also dealing with high retail crime rates.
“As we approach peak shopping season, retail workers in Australia and New Zealand have clear concerns about potential crime and hostile interactions with customers, which can have harmful physical and mental impacts,” said Martin Chappell, Managing Director of Motorola Solutions’ Asia Pacific channel sales.
“Retail workers and managers point to technologies they believe can help curb these issues – deterring theft, de-escalating confrontations with customers and simultaneously notifying security workers and authorities of emergencies. Our research shows that the right security measures can improve feelings of safety.”
The research, conducted by independent firm Researchscape, found:
Retail crime remains a major concern: Many retail managers and staff surveyed said they’ve experienced increases in various forms of crime including shoplifting (71%), hostile customer interactions (51%) and grab and runs (43%). Retail staff also said they have experienced organised retail crime groups (20%) and physical attacks from customers (16%) in their stores.
Holiday understaffing is causing safety concerns: 70% of retail workers said they expect to be understaffed this holiday season and this impacts how safe they feel. 34% of respondents said they are extremely concerned for their personal safety leading into peak shopping season.
Technology solutions can boost feelings of safety: Respondents pointed to access control systems (24%), mobile safety apps (20%), panic buttons (19%), body cameras (17%), and license plate readers (15%) as measures that can make them feel safer.
Body cameras are an emerging retail safety tool: More than half of respondents (54%) said body cameras would help them feel safer, and a majority said the technology can help stores to gather evidence to support investigations (66%). Additionally, 47% said body cameras can be a deterrent of aggressive or criminal behaviour in stores.
View the full findings of Motorola Solutions’ 2024 Australia and New Zealand Retail Worker Safety Survey here.