SPAR mini tackles crime and improves customer experience with MOBOTIX 360° Vision

The 160 m² SPAR mini in Trogen, near St. Gallen, is a village store that offers a range of goods focused primarily on fresh and regional products, as well as ready-to-eat snacks. The franchise employs eight people and is the only grocery store in the village. 

Challenge — Limited Space, Lots of Customers

Every day approximately 500 pupils attend the nearby Kantonsschule Trogen school. Many students and parents come into the grocery store in the morning to purchase baked goods, sandwiches and drinks before heading to class or work. Being so close to a school generates a lot of custom for the business. However, its popularity has also made it an attractive target for theft.  A high concentration of customers in store meant shoplifters were often able to escape unnoticed. Preventing loss of goods and tracing them when they were stolen was a top priority for managers.

Protecting the SPAR mini against burglary was also important, especially as break-ins had already occurred at two neighboring businesses. During COVID-19 restricting and monitoring the number of customers allowed in the store at any one time was handled  manually using a basic analog video system.

SPAR Eingang
SPAR Kasse

Solutions & Benefits — Complete Overview, Better Analytics 

The Trogen SPAR mini has installed a MOBOTIX video surveillance solution comprising two v26 Indoor Dome cameras and four c26 cameras with a hemispheric 360° all-round view. The v26 cameras monitor  the checkout area,  main sliding door entrance and the door for deliveries. When the store is closed, the cameras are primarily used to film attempted burglaries. Analysis software integrated with the MOBOTIX system makes it possible to count the number of people in store automatically, which has been particularly important during the COVID-19  pandemic. In addition, the system captures customer statistics and heat maps showing the most frequented areas of the store to provide valuable insights into customer behavior.

Conclusion — Reduced Theft, Improved  Shopping Experience    

The MOBOTIX video surveillance system has led to a significantly high number of perpetrators being caught and is helping to resolve a large proportion of losses. It also showed how many thefts were occurring, which shocked the store owner. By analyzing video images the store is able to spot incidents and identify perpetrators.  Previously this had  been almost impossible during the day when the store was busy. Furthermore, the ability to automatically count how many customers are in store saves time. Heat maps provide information on how people move through the store to help improve the customer experience.