Using blockchain technology to combat retail theft

The retail trade is among the most necessary sectors of the US financial system. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has left the trillion-dollar retail sector weak to in-store theft. 

Findings from the Nationwide Retail Federation’s 2022 Retail Safety Survey show that retail losses from stolen items elevated to $94.5 billion in 2021, up from $90.8 billion in 2020. Some retailers additionally need to lock away sure merchandise to stop theft, which can result in decreased gross sales on account of shoppers’ incapability to entry items.

Retailers look towards blockchain to unravel retail theft

Given these excessive measures, many progressive retailers have began wanting towards expertise to fight retail theft. For instance, Lowe’s, an American residence enchancment retailer, has just lately applied a proof-of-concept referred to as Mission Unlock, which makes use of radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, Web of Issues sensors and blockchain expertise. The answer is at present being examined in a number of Lowe’s shops in the US.

Josh Shabtai, senior director of ecosystem follow at Lowe’s Innovation Labs — Lowe’s tech wing that developed Mission Unlock — informed Cointelegraph that Mission Unlock goals to discover rising expertise to assist curb theft whereas creating higher buyer experiences.

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To perform this, Shabtai defined that RFID chips are used to activate particular Lowes’ energy instruments on the level of buy. “So if a buyer steals an influence software, it received’t work,” he stated.

Shabtai famous that RFID chips are a low-cost answer that many retailers use to stop theft. In response to the Nationwide Retail Federation’s 2022 Retail Safety Survey, 38.6% of shops already implement or plan to implement RFID programs. Nonetheless, Shabtai defined that combining RFID programs with a blockchain community can present retailers with a clear, tamper-proof file to trace in-store purchases. He stated:

“By Mission Unlock, a novel ID is registered and assigned to every of our energy instruments. When that product is bought, the RFID system prompts the facility software to be used. On the similar time, the transaction will be considered by anybody, since that info will get recorded to a public blockchain community.”

Mehdi Sarkeshi, lead challenge supervisor at Mission Unlock, informed Cointelegraph that Mission Unlock is predicated on the Ethereum community. Sarkeshi elaborated that every product beneath Mission Unlock is tied to a pre-minted nonfungible token (NFT), or a digital twin, that can obtain a standing change upon buy.

“A product’s NFT undergoes a standing change when it’s both bought by Lowe’s, if it has been stolen, or if the standing is unknown. All of this info is publicly seen to prospects and resellers because it’s recorded on the Ethereum blockchain. We have now primarily constructed a purchase order authenticity provenance for Lowes’ energy instruments,” he stated.

Whereas the idea behind Mission Unlock is progressive for a big retailer, David Menard, CEO of asset verification platform Actual Gadgets, informed Cointelegraph that his agency has been exploring an analogous answer. “Historically, RFID tags forestall theft, so this downside has already been solved,” he stated. Given this, Menard famous that Actual Gadgets combines digital id with bodily merchandise to make sure that stolen gadgets will be accounted for. He stated:

“If bodily gadgets are paired with digital twins, then retailers can know precisely what was stolen, from the place and from which product batch. Retailers can perceive this with extra readability versus info generated by RFID programs.”

In response to Menard, Actual Gadgets at present has a memorandum of understanding with SmartLabel, a digital platform that generates QR codes for manufacturers and retailers to offer shoppers with detailed product info. He shared that Actual Gadgets plans to implement “digital product passports” with SmartLabel merchandise sooner or later. “We view digital product passports as the muse for storing details about a product all through a product’s life cycle,” he stated.

Menard additional defined that Actual Gadgets makes use of the Polygon community to retailer product info. It’s necessary to level out that this mannequin differs from Mission Unlock since a blockchain community is just used right here to file details about a sure merchandise. “We use a product’s digital twin — also called its NFT — for engagement. It may be tied to anti-theft, however it’s extra about offering retailers with helpful knowledge.”

Whereas the options being developed by Lowe’s Innovation Labs and Actual Gadgets could possibly be a game-changer for retailers, the rise of the metaverse can also assist curb retail theft. In response to McKinsey’s “Worth Creation within the Metaverse” report, by 2030, the metaverse might generate $4 trillion to $5 trillion throughout client and enterprise use circumstances. The report notes that this contains the retail sector.

Marjorie Hernandez, managing director of LUKSO — a digital way of life Web3 platform — informed Cointelegraph that designer manufacturers like Prada and Web3 marketplaces like The Dematerialised, the place she can be CEO, are already utilizing NFT redemption processes.

Hernandez defined that this permits communities to buy a digital good in a metaverse-like atmosphere, which might then be redeemed for a bodily merchandise in retailer. She stated:

“This redemption course of permits retailers to discover new methods to authenticate merchandise on-chain and supply a extra sustainable manufacturing course of with made-to-order demand. This additionally creates a brand new and direct entry channel between creators and shoppers past level of sale.”

Hernandez believes that extra retailers will discover digital identities for way of life items within the coming yr. “This enables manufacturers, designers and customers to lastly have a clear answer for lots of the issues going through the retail trade as we speak, like counterfeit items and theft.”

Will retailers undertake blockchain options to fight theft?

Though blockchain might assist resolve in-store theft transferring ahead, retailers could also be hesitant to undertake the expertise for a number of causes. As an example, blockchain’s affiliation with cryptocurrency could also be a ache level for enterprises. Current occasions just like the collapse of FTX reinforce this. 

But, Shabtai stays optimistic, noting that Lowe’s Innovation Labs believes that it’s necessary to think about new applied sciences to raised perceive what’s viable. “By Mission Unlock, we now have confirmed that blockchain expertise is efficacious. We hope this could function a proof level for different retailers contemplating an analogous answer,” he remarked. Shabtai added that Lowe’s Innovation Labs plans to evolve its answer past energy instruments transferring ahead.

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Whereas notable, Sarkeshi identified that it might be difficult for shoppers to know the worth of utilizing blockchain to file transactions. “As an example, if I’m a buyer shopping for a second-hand product, why ought to I care if it was stolen,” he stated. Given this, Sarkeshi believes {that a} shift in buyer mindset should happen for such an answer to be fully profitable. He stated:

“It’s a tradition constructing problem. Some prospects will initially not be ok with shopping for a stolen product, however we’d like this to resonate throughout the board. We would like prospects to know that when a product is stolen, everybody throughout the provision chain will get harm. Constructing that tradition could also be difficult, however I consider it will occur in the long run.”