Retailers Expanding Physical Security Systems Beyond Loss Prevention
Global store operators are leveraging security data to streamline daily operations, protect staff and upgrade aging store infrastructure.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- Aug 21, 2026
Retailers worldwide are expanding their use of physical security technology beyond basic loss prevention, according to new research published by enterprise security software provider Genetec Inc.
Findings from the company's 2026 State of Physical Security Report show that store operators are increasingly treating physical security as a multi-use business tool designed to boost operational efficiency, enhance employee safety and support broader modernization goals.
According to the report, more than 60% of retail professionals surveyed identified improving internal security operations as a primary objective for their security data. An identical percentage cited overall safety and security as a top priority. Additionally, 55% of respondents use security data for compliance purposes, while 48% leverage the information to enhance the customer and employee experience.
The research also highlighted significant infrastructure hurdles across the sector. Forty percent of retailers identified aging physical security hardware as a major operational challenge, followed by staff training at 38%, recruitment at 37% and legacy IT infrastructure at 33%.
To overcome these obstacles without overhauling entire systems, retail firms are opting for gradual technology upgrades. Looking ahead, 54% of respondents plan to re-purpose existing technology to tackle new challenges, 51% intend to deploy artificial intelligence to streamline security workflows and 48% plan to evaluate new security platforms for targeted use cases.