Video surveillance offers more than security for Mideast retailers

Retailers who think of video surveillance as a loss prevention tool are missing a huge opportunity to leverage some powerful in-store intelligence.

The rise of IoT (Internet of Things) and its convergence with video analytics is set to have a profound impact on the Middle East video surveillance industry.

Global security solutions providers at the upcoming Intersec 2017 trade show in Dubai said the retail sector is one of many industry verticals where video surveillance can offer bottom-line benefits far beyond loss prevention and control.

Swedish company Axis Communications is one of more than 1,200 exhibitors at Intersec and will offer a range of intelligent solutions based on IP (Internet Protocol) video analytics that have multiple applications across a range of sectors, including retail.  

Johan Akesson, director of business development for retail at Axis Communications, said retailers who think of video surveillance as a loss prevention tool are missing a huge opportunity to leverage some powerful in-store intelligence.

"When retailers think of video surveillance, it's usually in the context of loss prevention and security, but there's a whole other arena where surveillance video provides enormous value: gathering real-time in-store intelligence to help improve margins," said Akesson. "With embedded analytics in network video cameras, retailers can not only observe customer behaviour in-store, but garner real-time statistics to improve store layout, product and display placements, and even identify bottlenecks and dead areas on the shopfloor."

Axis Communications will display its entire range of intelligent security solutions at Intersec 2017, which runs from January 22 to 24 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The 19th edition of the three-day event arrives as the global appetite for video analytics is expected to grow annually by 20 per cent from $1.69 billion in 2016 to $4.23 billion by 2021, according to news portal Security.World.

Dubai-based AgilityGrid is another Intersec 2017 exhibitor that will showcase its video surveillance hardware and software solutions, having already worked on a major project in a Qatar mall where it installed thousands of cameras and over 10 PB (petabyte) of storage.  

Strong demand
Costa Boukouvalas, the CEO of Agility Grid, said there is strong demand in the retail sector for large-scale surveillance solutions, with Big Data playing a key role.

"The trend for Big Data analytics and understanding more about customers and people's behaviour in general is going to increasingly be applied to video analytics - from use of facial recognition and biometric software to recognising VIP customers when they enter a retail outlet," said Boukouvalas. "Our large-scale solutions have ranged up to 10PB, 3,000 cameras and over 100 recording servers. At Intersec, we'll also be showcasing a new hardware line that better caters to customers who have medium-sized solution requirements with virtualisation."

Korean-based surveillance solutions provider IDIS will return to Intersec 2017 and is looking to emulate the partnership it established with Sedar - a home furnishing manufacturer and retailer - at one of the show's previous editions.  

Success story
Harry Kwon, GM of IDIS Middle East & North Africa, said: "IDIS first exhibited at the Intersec in 2014, and at the time Sedar needed a state-of-the-art security surveillance system that offered exceptional performance without placing a heavy burden on company resources.

"By the time the Sedar team visited IDIS at Intersec 2014, the company had already reviewed and dismissed systems from around 40 other manufacturers. At our stand, Sedar finally found what it was looking for, and by 2015, it rolled out over 400 IDIS full-HD cameras and 40 network video recorders, all operated through IDIS Solution Suite to provide both local and centralised monitoring from its headquarters in Dubai," Kwon said.

"The solution has secured Sedar's manufacturing facility, a 50,000sqm distribution centre in Riyadh, the company headquarters, eight major warehouse and 20-plus showrooms across the Middle East."

- business@khaleejtimes.com