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A recent survey from Numerator found that 27% of shoppers will switch retailers or abandon the purchase when they see products under lock and key.
Reports started arriving in early 2022 of drug, consumer electronics, home improvement, grocery, and mass merchandiser chains locking up products behind plexiglass or even freezer cases as store theft rates remained elevated from pre-pandemic levels.
The Numerator survey of over 5,000 consumers taken in September found that 61% of shoppers reported seeing an increase in the number of products under lock and key over the last year. To many, the surprise has been seeing deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, cosmetics, and other everyday essentials locked up on shelves behind display cases.
The Numerator survey found the most commonly observed locked-up items to be personal electronics (58% of consumers report seeing), OTC medications (38%), physical media (36%), personal hygiene products (34%), makeup and cosmetics (33%), large electronics (32%), and accessories (29%).
Of those surveyed, 62% said they typically wait for assistance when they encounter locked-up merchandise, with 9% saying they order the item online from that same retailer. However, 17% will switch retailers, and 10% will abandon the purchase altogether.
Numerator also found that shoppers are less willing to wait when everyday goods are locked up. Only 53% are willing to wait for assistance if bath and body products are locked up, 56% for makeup and cosmetics, and 57% for personal hygiene products.
Retailers locking up merchandise indicate that it’s a last resort effort to reduce shrink. Dollar Tree’s CFO Jeff Davis said last year on a quarterly analyst call as the discount chain began locking up products, “We don’t particularly care for it because we know that impacts sales.”
Store associates face the wrath of customers annoyed at having to wait for their products to be unlocked. A supervisor at a Vons in Pasadena, California, recently told the Los Angeles Times, “I apologize a lot and I get yelled at a lot.”
A survey last year from WSL Strategic Retail similarly found that 22% of shoppers either changed products or skipped the purchase because the item they wanted was locked up.
WSL’s advice to avoid frustrating shoppers when a product needs to be locked up includes:
- Staff the store to unlock sales: Shoppers are more likely to ask for help if they can see nearby workers who are clearly assigned to do so.
- Alert shoppers in advance: If retailers take the surprise out of lockups through in-store and online messaging, shoppers can factor the disruption into their trips. Messaging could also explain the effects of theft and include alternate purchase options, such as buying online or BOPIS.
- Post online purchase options at the store level: Consumers might choose to order a locked-up product online if a QR code or the store’s website is posted on the case.
Walmart is exploring a technology that lets shoppers provide their mobile phone numbers to receive a code to unlock merchandise on shelves, according to a new Bloomberg report. Kroger, Lowe’s, and Safeway have also introduced similar technology, although some find having to provide a phone number “invasive.”
Andy Jassy, Amazon’s president and CEO, believes the in-store anti-theft moves are boosting Amazon’s pharmacy business. He said on his company’s second-quarter analyst call, “If you walk into pharmacies in cities today, it's a pretty tough experience with how much is locked behind cabinets.”