AWARD-WINNING LOSS PREVENTION ANALYTICS – WITH A DIFFERENCE…
- The Metro Analytic Retail Solution (M.A.R.S) combines demonstrable loss prevention benefits, plus comprehensive added-value functions to boost retailers’ revenue
- M.A.R.S is the answer for hard-pressed retailers – tackling losses, improving operational efficiency and raising store takings…
- This retail analytics software is the winner of a 2019 Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation), M.A.R.S is used by High St retailers to measurably combat their ‘shrinkage’ losses
- Frasers Group plc has deployed M.A.R.S in hundreds of its stores across the UK and Europe – achieving an overall loss reduction of 70%
- The multi-functional M.A.R.S solution easily and cost-effectively integrates with any retailer’s existing hardware and software systems making implementing retail analytics within their stores even easier
- M.A.R.S’ combination of ‘shrinkage’ reduction and value-added revenue-boosting features enables the system to pay for itself
- M.A.R.S is the ideal solution for retailers without the budgets for security systems alone
- M.A.R.S cost-effectively addresses ‘shrinkage’, fraud, theft and other loss prevention issues
- M.A.R.S can help retailers of all types and sizes, including High St stores, independent retailers, Both manned and unmanned forecourt fuel operators’ and retail shops
- Developed in-house by Metro Security’s R&D engineers, the innovative M.A.R.S system is continually being enhanced to address customer requirements
“THE QUEEN’S AWARD-WINNING M.A.R.S SYSTEM COST-EFFECTIVELY COMBINES RETAIL LOSS PREVENTION WITH SITE EFFICIENCY GAINS AND ADDED-VALUE FEATURES, SIMULTANEOUSLY TACKLING IN-STORE LOSSES AND BOOSTING REVENUES”
M.A.R.S – IN A NUTSHELL…
M.A.R.S. is a multi-functional Queen’s Award-winning software solution that improves site security, maximizes loss prevention, assists facilities management, and improves marketing opportunities with the power of retail analytics.
As a modular system, its wide-ranging and expanding functionality can be tailored to suit each customer’s bespoke requirements. M.A.R.S can therefore be configured to meet the specific needs of each individual end-user, maximising its effectiveness.
M.A.R.S was developed by Metro Security in-house and benefits from continual R&D to both improve and increase its selectable features.
M.A.R.S MODULES – SNAPSHOT SUMMARIES
- ANPR/Vehicle flow control
M.A.R.S’ integrated, cutting-edge Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system provides the software tools to ensure that a known/detected fuel thief’s vehicle cannot refill at your forecourt without pre-payment. The M.A.R.S system can integrate your store’s Epos and Fuel Point-of-sale systems and link them with CCTV camera recordings to a specific number plate. This enables easy tagging of a vehicle number plate as a forecourt ‘drive-off’, allowing you to be automatically warned via pop-up notifications when the vehicle enters your forecourt and insist on pre-payment before dispensing. Data can be shared quickly and easily shared across multi-sites, including with online crime prevention initiatives.
- Facial Recognition
M.A.R.S’ use of reliable facial recognition software, developed in-house by Metro Security’s R&D team, enables cost-effective and tangible benefits including on-site loss prevention, operational management gains and marketing opportunities to boost profitability. With retail data analytics solutions businesses can ensure they are operating efficiently whilst ensuring maximum protection for customers and employees.
The system’s facial recognition technology offers a valuable new tool. It can be used to tackle either a site-specific issue or simultaneously rolled out across multiple locations to scale up the benefits. At the heart of this technology lies the use of sophisticated analytical software.
- Thermal Screening
Introduced in 2020, following the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, M.A.R.S’ thermal screening module provides immediately available, easy-to-install and effective detection of arriving employees, contractors and visitors at the entrance point to any facility. The long-term applications of the module’s innovative and configurable technology include the detection of potential flu and other potentially serious health conditions, with the M.A.R.S module checking each arriving person using face detection thermal software linked to skin temperature.
- People Counting
Complementing M.A.R.S’ Thermal Screening, the system’s People Counting module provides a ready-made solution to retail occupancy/customer distancing requirements, providing accurate entry/exit control over a store’s real-time occupancy level. Cost-effective, easily deployed and reconfigured, this reliable technology also helps pay for itself by enabling retailers to minimise the staff required to physically monitor store entrances and manually count the number of customers coming in and exiting.
- Data Reporting
The multi-functional M.A.R.S retail software system provides a host of real-time data reporting functionality through its cross-platform interfaces with a store(s)’ EPOS till points, tagging devices and CCTV surveillance cameras. This means that, unlike most systems, the till data generated by sale transactions isn’t just an overlay on video footage – it is stored within the system as useable data. This means it can be used for real-time notifications as well as quick and easy post-event searches, without the time-consuming need to trawl through hours of recordings to find the relevant information.
- Real-Time Threat Alert
Demonstrating the powerful and ‘real world’ application functionality of the M.A.R.S system, its Real-Time Threat Alert module warns retailers including supermarkets and forecourt service stations of the presence of thieves. Using geofence location technology to set virtual boundaries around a specific location, this module enables retailers to both monitor individual sites and instantly alert other company sites in and around the same area, which may also be vulnerable to attack.
- EPOS & CCTV Integration
The ‘back office’ integration between the M.A.R.S software and electronic point-of-sale systems (EPOS) provides automatic pairing of CCTV images/video clips with the relevant transaction, alongside relevant audio and with till data overlaid onto the surveillance footage to significantly enhance existing analytic capabilities. For the system user, in practice, this means they can swiftly search for specific transactions and avoid lengthy, time-consuming loss prevention investigations and audits by providing quick and easy data retrieval using straightforward search parameters.
How it works
- M.A.R.S is a retail software solution which seamlessly interfaces with in-store hardware including high-resolution CCTV cameras, electronic point-of-sale equipment and other inputs, e.g. audio relating to suspect transactions and reliable facial recognition technology
- The M.A.R.S system’s sophisticated analytics ‘engine’ addresses shrinkage losses by ensuring that items being scanned into the till are actually purchased from the store. A.R.S’ innovative, multi-purpose applications also allow store owners/managers to successfully tackle fraudulent credit transactions and spurious refunds while enabling the monitoring of multiple stores and sites simultaneously. This also includes the operational capability to check store deliveries/ movements remotely, via PC, tablet or smartphone.
- Event-driven image recordings are stored, enabling system operators to filter and refine their search criteria by, for example, product type, voids, payment method and other definable options
- M.A.R.S’ sophisticated software data patterns/mining techniques ‘flag up’ trends of concern and summarise these to store owners/managers using easy-to-use ‘dashboard’ information
- M.A.R.S’ integrated hardware/software and holistic loss prevention functionality, combined with its added-value non-security/revenue-boosting features, eliminates lengthy and time-consuming investigations by providing quick and easy data retrieval using straightforward search parameters
The Benefits
- The innovative M.A.R.S system cost-effectively combats a range of retail losses including ‘shrinkage’, theft and fraud – as just one practical example, international High St retailer Frasers Group plc (formerly Sports Direct International) uses the system in hundreds of its stores around the UK and 20 other European countries, achieving 70% fewer losses and a 65% reduction in audit costs (as measured by the retailer itself)
- M.A.R.S improves security, maximises loss prevention, assists store management, helps train staff, improves marketing opportunities and boosts retailers’ revenues
- The M.A.R.S system’ added-value features include customer relationship management (CRM) functionality to monitor/analyse customers’ buying habits and combine this with target advertising – enabling retailers to tailor their selection of goods. This also allows optimization of store configuration, improves stock management, and allows retailers to train their staff appropriately to generate increased profit from faster selling and higher margin items
- M.A.R.S is useable across markedly different types and sizes of retail applications, ranging from independent shops through to fuel forecourt kiosk environments and rising in scale to operate across multiple outlet High St chain stores and sites simultaneously
Contacts
Unit 5, Trade City, Ashton Rd, Romford, Essex RM3 8UJ
+44 (0)843 382 4999
