6 retail workers are physically assaulted every day in New Zealand.
Retail crime impacts more than 92% of New Zealand retailers.
There were 148,599 crimes reported at retailers in 2023 in New Zealand.
Real-time monitoring to detect persons of interest and send alerts.
Fastest and most accurate facial recognition technology on the market.
To expand capabilities and deploy across multiple servers and sites.
Controlled by customers who opt-in to various initiatives.
Biometric technology consistently ranked #1 globally by NIST.
With $2.6B invested globally annually in company-wide R&D.
Frost & Sullivan Biometrics Company of the Year.
With many existing technologies, as well as iOS and Android apps.
Retail crime is a serious issue in New Zealand, with over 148,599 crimes reported at retailers in 2023. This impacts more than 92% of New Zealand retailers, and sadly, six retail workers are physically assaulted every day.
NEC’s NeoFace Watch helps you comply with these regulations while enhancing your store’s safety and efficiency.
Staff Safety
Retailers are facing escalating levels of verbal and physical assaults on staff members. On average, 6 retail employees are assaulted every day in New Zealand. One New Zealand supermarket chain has seen a 50% increase in physical assaults on it’s staff members. It’s vital to have a system that can quickly and accurately identify trespassed individuals without placing excessive burden on staff.
NeoFace Watch automates the monitoring process, scanning for trespassed individuals entering and moving throughout the store in real-time. This technology reduces the need for manual checks, allowing staff to focus on customer service while ensuring the store is protected from potential assaults and theft.
Retail Theft
Theft levels are increasing, with nearly 150,000 crimes reported at New Zealand retailers in 2023. Retailers can reduce levels of theft by identifying repeat offenders with facial recognition. Approximately one third of offences are from repeat offenders.
Only individuals who have been trespassed are on the “watchlist”. This ensures regular shoppers are not captured or stored in the facial recognition system.
Privacy and Data Protection
In an era where privacy concerns are paramount, NeoFace Watch ensures that sensitive data is handled responsibly. It complies with privacy legislation by not storing or capturing information on regular customers. Only those who have been trespassed are monitored, ensuring that your store meets privacy standards and builds trust with customers.
Enhancing Customer Experience
Retailers face the delicate challenge of balancing security with an exceptional customer experience. NeoFace Watch not only enhances safety by identifying potential threats but also helps recognise loyal customers, VIPs, or high-value shoppers if they opt in.
By using facial recognition technology, retailers can tailor personalised services, such as exclusive promotions or personalised shopping experiences, improving customer satisfaction and fostering long-term loyalty.
Real-Time Monitoring
NEC’s NeoFace Watch leverages advanced facial recognition technology to continuously monitor entry points and in-store areas, accurately identifying trespassed individuals in real time. This enables retailers to reduce staff assaults by identifying repeat offenders when they enter the store.
Automated Alerts and Security Integration
If a trespassed person is detected, NeoFace Watch immediately triggers automated alerts. These alerts are sent directly to security teams or store managers, allowing for rapid intervention and reducing the likelihood of security incidents or losses.
Seamless Integration with Retail Systems
NeoFace Watch seamlessly integrates with existing store infrastructure, including CCTV systems and security infrastructure. The solution is designed for flexibility, allowing retailers to deploy it across single or multiple locations, and scale as required.
Enhancing the Retail Experience
Beyond security, NeoFace Watch can also be used to create personalised shopping experiences. By recognising returning customers, retailers can deliver tailored recommendations, loyalty rewards, or special promotions, ultimately increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Proven Performance
With over 1000 deployments across 70 countries, NEC’s biometric technology is trusted by law enforcement, border security, and major entertainment venues worldwide. Our facial recognition solution has been independently ranked as the most accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Scalable and Flexible
Our system is highly adaptable, able to integrate with loyalty programs, payment systems, and other security setups, ensuring that your venue can scale as needed.
Cutting-Edge Security
NEC’s solutions offer the highest level of encryption and data privacy, helping your venue stay compliant with data protection regulations such as the New Zealand Privacy Act and GDPR.
Educational Webinar Series
Learn about Facial Recognition and CCTV Integration in Retail Security, and other relevant topics in our Biometrics Education Webinar Series, specially designed for New Zealand businesses.
Watch our previous sessions to gain insight and learn from our panel of experts answering live questions from the audience.
Talk to us
Reach out to our friendly consultants for advice, or a no-obligation chat about your business’s unique needs:
Facial recognition technology helps improve staff safety by identifying trespassed individuals in real-time, allowing security teams to act before incidents occur, thereby reducing the likelihood of staff assaults.
NEC’s solution has been independently tested and demonstrated that biases between ethnicities was statistically insignificant. Full report available here:
No. The system only flags individuals who have been registered in the system, i.e. trespassed, banned, or VIP’s. Ensuring that regular customers’ privacy is respected, and no data is stored for those not posing a security threat.
Staff should be trained on system operation and what to do when a trespassed person is identified. This is one of the key risk areas that need to be managed. We can help with training programmes for staff, including best practices.
Retailers can measure success through reduced incidents of theft or violence, improved staff safety, enhanced operational efficiency, and positive customer feedback about security.
Facial recognition solutions like NeoFace Watch comply with the New Zealand Privacy Act by ensuring that all data is encrypted and securely stored, and only authorised personnel can access it. The system only retains data on individuals who have been flagged as trespassed.
Using highly accurate technology, will not. Facial recognition operates in the background and focuses only on flagged individuals. Regular customers’ experience is unaffected. Their faces are not captured or stored.
Modern facial recognition systems, such as NeoFace Watch, are highly accurate, even in challenging environments like crowded stores. They can identify individuals despite changes in appearance or lighting conditions. Accuracy is assessed independently by NIST
Facial recognition technology can still identify individuals through changes in appearance, such as glasses, hats, or facial hair, using a range of facial features for detection.
Only data related to the trespassed individual is retained, along with the captured ‘probe’ image used for the identification. No information is stored for regular customers. This ensures compliance with privacy laws and limits data usage to security purposes only.
Facial recognition helps reduce theft by identifying known shoplifters or individuals with a history of committing theft or violence. Real-time alerts allow security teams to take action before incidents occur, reducing loss and protecting inventory.
Retailers should clearly communicate the use of facial recognition through signage, customer notifications, and privacy policies. Informing customers about the security purpose of the system and how their data is protected builds trust and transparency.
Yes, facial recognition can enhance customer service by recognising VIPs or frequent shoppers, allowing retailers to provide personalised greetings, tailored offers, or enhanced shopping experiences. This would be opt in.
Public concerns can arise, but by focusing on privacy, transparency, and compliance, retailers can help to mitigate potential negative publicity. Clear communication about the benefits and safeguards of the system helps build trust with the community.