- Walmart is testing tech that lets employees use an app to unlock anti-shoplifting displays.
- The tech, currently in several hundred stores, could lead to shoppers having access too.
- 1 in 5 shoppers surveyed said they would buy from another retailer when faced with locked-up merch.
For all of the conveniences of modern retail, one frustration seems to get more ubiquitous: the task of finding a store employee to unlock merchandise in an anti-theft display.
Now Walmart is working on a solution: new tech that lets employees use an app on their work device to unlock anti-shoplifting displays for customers.
Experts tell Business Insider the move could have several benefits for the retail giant.
"Most decisions that Walmart makes — most big decisions — check more than one box," said retail strategist Carol Spieckerman.
While the system is currently in several hundred of the company's 4,600 US stores, Bloomberg, which first reported the move, indicated shoppers may eventually have access to the feature as well. Walmart confirmed the report to BI.
While shoplifting costs retailers money, anti-shoplifting measures can also cost retailers lost sales. More than half of shoppers in a recent Numerator survey said they regularly encounter locked-up products, and nearly a fifth of respondents said they buy the item from another retailer when they find it in a locked display.
In this case, the digital tech could cut down on shoplifting while serving as an incentive to get customers to sign up for Walmart's digital services, including Walmart+.
The company already offers several perks for Plus members, like free shipping and the Scan and Go functionality, which take some of the friction out of shopping.
Chris Walton, a former store manager, Target executive, and cofounder of Omni Talk, said the company would likely tread very carefully about requiring customers to pay a membership fee to get permission to access merchandise, calling it "a delicate issue for Walmart."
Still, Walmart's mobile app is available to shoppers regardless of whether they have a membership, and the company could gain plenty of value and drive downloads if they make the option free to use.
Last year, security device maker Indyme tested a product called the Freedom Case at several retailers, including Lowe's, Kroger, Safeway, and Family Dollar.
The assumption behind the Freedom Case is that customers who share their personal information in order to access merchandise are unlikely to steal.
"Trust is the name of the game all the way around in terms of loyalty programs and just an overall loyalty proposition," Spieckerman said. "Nothing says trust quite like literally giving them the keys."