A trial involving Kagawa University and the prefectural police has begun in a home improvement store in Takamatsu, Japan. Five small robots that speak to customers are meant to draw shoppers towards isolated aisles and increase natural surveillance of vulnerable areas.
The idea is simple: increase interactions and the number of people watching in the parts of the store where shoplifting is easiest. The robots have been placed in five locations, including little-visited aisles and blind spots.
How the robots use voice messages to draw shoppers in
The small devices play messages inviting customers to smile. Through these voice messages, they are meant to guide visitors towards the quieter areas of the store. The organisers aim to increase the presence and attention of customers in these spaces, making shoplifting more difficult.
A previous tablet trial cut shoplifting losses by 70%
The store had already tested a system designed to encourage smiles. A tablet inviting customers to smile was installed two years earlier. According to the results reported for that trial, losses from shoplifting fell by 70%.
The new test is scheduled to last one month. It will assess how effective small talking robots are at preventing shoplifting, as a complement to the approach previously tested with the tablet.