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Loss doesn’t always announce itself.
Sometimes, it’s a soda that never makes it to the register. Or a drawer that’s $50 short. Or a “friendly favor” that turns into routine giveaways like free meals passed to a friend. On their own, these moments seem small—almost harmless. But left unchecked, they grow quietly and steadily, eating into your profits and putting your brand at risk.
Loss prevention isn’t just about security anymore. It’s about building a smarter business.
Loss prevention systems help operators reduce shrink, increase visibility, and create operational consistency across multiple locations—especially when they’re managing high turnover and fast-moving teams. Because when you know what’s happening across your business, you can protect what matters most—your people, your profits, and your brand.
What Is Loss Prevention?
Loss Prevention (LP) refers to systems and practices that reduce preventable loss across a business. That includes everything from theft and fraud to procedural errors and missed steps in operations.
It’s not just about catching bad behavior—it’s about promoting better performance. And in today’s environment, LP must move faster than manual reviews and paper logs. It needs to be data-driven, connected, and intelligent.
The Financial Impact of Effective Loss Prevention
Here’s the kicker:
Shrinkage has become a $379 billion global problem for retailers, threatening profit margins and operational efficiency.
- Preserve Revenue: Minimize losses from theft and errors, ensuring more sales translate into actual profit.
- Enhance Operational Efficiency: Streamline processes to reduce waste and improve resource utilization.
- Improve Customer Experience: Maintain stock availability and store organization, leading to higher customer satisfaction and repeat business.
According to the National Retail Federation, retailers reported a 93% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year in 2023 compared to 2019, with a 90% increase in dollar loss due to shoplifting over the same period. National Retail Federation | NRF
Loss is growing. So, your defenses have to evolve faster.
Why Loss Prevention Equals More Profit
When operators think about boosting profits, they usually focus on driving more traffic or increasing average ticket size. But reducing preventable loss is one of the fastest, most overlooked ways to improve margins.
Every dollar of shrink you recover goes straight to your bottom line. And when you have the right tools in place, you don’t just stop loss—you strengthen training, boost team accountability, and even improve the guest experience.
Software That Supports Smarter Loss Prevention
The most effective LP programs rely on intelligent video and data platforms that do more than just record—they interpret.
Video Surveillance Integrated with POS
Connecting your video surveillance with your POS data gives context for every transaction. Instead of reviewing hours of footage, you can jump straight to the moment a suspicious refund, void, or no-sale occurs. It’s fast, focused, and accurate.
AI-driven technology like DTiQ helps you see exactly what’s happening in your stores—and then act on it fast. The ecosystem of tools is designed to help you spot issues early, intervene effectively, and measure impact across your business.
- DTiQ supports QSR restaurants, retail stores, convenience store chains, and multi-unit operators with the tools to run smarter, safer, and more profitable operations.
Let’s walk through the toolkit:
VIDEOiQ: Intelligent Surveillance That Sees What Matters
VIDEOiQ is more than just a security camera system. It’s a modern video platform built for operators—not just IT teams. It connects seamlessly with your POS, overlays transaction data, and flags anomalies in real-time.
So instead of watching hours of footage, you jump straight to the moment something goes wrong. Whether it’s a suspicious refund, a drawer short, or a missing inventory item—you have the proof and the context in seconds.
AUDITiQ: Turning Video into Action
Your store tells a story—every shift, every transaction, every interaction. AUDITiQ helps you read between the lines.
This pillar is where DTiQ combines real human insight with intelligent tools to help you understand what’s really happening, not just what the numbers say.
- SmartAudit™:
Our trained auditors analyze your in-store footage to assess employee behavior, customer service, and procedural consistency. You receive concise, unbiased reports—flagging risks, training opportunities, and compliance issues, backed by video. It’s like having a second set of trusted eyes in every location. - SmartDispute:
When a chargeback or customer claim comes in, SmartDispute springs into action. It pairs the disputed transaction with matching video footage, helping you protect your team and defend your revenue—all without hours of manual digging.
“SmartAudit really helps us stay consistent. We’ve been able to address coaching opportunities across stores that we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.”
— DTiQ Customer, Case Study
With AUDITiQ, your data doesn’t just sit in a dashboard—it drives action.
DATAiQ: Your Command Center for Loss Prevention
DATAiQ is where all your insights come together—POS transactions, video events, and performance data—in one actionable dashboard.
Think of it as your operations command center.
From a single dashboard, you can:
- Spot trends before they become problems
- Identify suspicious behavior in real time
- Measure team performance by the shift, store, or region
- Drill into any exception with a click—no spreadsheets or guesswork
“The beauty of the DTiQ platform is you can log in, click a transaction, and see the video tied to it in seconds. It’s changed the way we manage theft, training, and even disputes.”
— Kris Donahue, Director of Ops, Black Rock Coffee Bar
Real-Time Alerts and Exception Reporting
Let your system do the watching for you. DTiQ flags anomalies like high refund rates, excessive discounts, and out-of-pattern transactions. Managers get real-time alerts and can investigate with just a few clicks—no endless footage, no complex reports.
DRIVETHRUiQ: Clarity in Your Fastest Lane
For brands with drive-thrus, speed is everything—but speed without accuracy can hurt your bottom line. DRIVETHRUiQ combines synchronized video, audio, and timer insights to help you:
- Ensure order accuracy
- Improve service time consistency
- Hold teams accountable without micromanaging
Whether you’re a regional chain or a national brand, this is how you scale operational excellence in real-time.
From Prevention to Performance
Loss prevention isn’t just about stopping theft—it’s about enabling performance. When you deploy tools like VIDEOiQ, DATAiQ, AUDITiQ, and DRIVETHRUiQ you’re not just avoiding losses—you’re:
- Empowering better employee behavior
- Improving training through real-world footage
- Streamlining ops with consistent audits
- Enhancing guest satisfaction by catching errors early
- Giving managers the visibility they need to lead
Let’s Rethink Loss Prevention
You don’t have to accept shrink as a cost of doing business. You can see more, do more, and lose less—with the right partner in your corner.
Explore our solutions or connect with our team to find a smarter way forward.
