How retailers are expanding security beyond loss prevention

Retail security modernization starts with existing technology

AI is high on retail security agendas, while reuse ranks slightly higher in Genetec’s 2026 State of Physical Security Report. Among surveyed retail respondents, 54% plan to use existing technology for new challenges, compared with 51% who intend to use AI to streamline security processes.

The three-percentage-point difference is too small to establish a clear hierarchy. Both are prominent priorities. Retail leaders must decide where installed systems can meet new needs and where new technology supports a defined objective.

Ageing systems and workforce constraints support a staged approach

Retail respondents in Genetec’s survey identified several operational challenges:

Operational challenge	Respondents
Physical security infrastructure	40%
Training and upskilling staff	38%
Attracting and hiring talent	37%
Ageing IT infrastructure	33%

These findings put infrastructure and workforce constraints in the same planning environment. Retailers considering new security capabilities are also dealing with physical infrastructure, ageing IT, training and hiring challenges.

Genetec’s survey found that 48% plan to assess new security systems for specific use cases. This supports a staged planning model alongside plans to get more from installed systems: determine what current systems can support, identify unmet use cases, and evaluate new systems against those needs.

These plans do not show that a staged approach produces better financial or operational results. The decision depends on whether current systems can meet the retailer’s security, operational and compliance requirements.

Retailers expect broader value from security data

In Genetec’s survey, more than 60% of respondents cited improving operational efficiency within the security department as a primary objective, while the same proportion prioritized improving safety and security.

The expected uses reach other business concerns. Genetec’s survey found that compliance was cited by 55% of respondents, and 48% said security data is used to improve customer and employee experience.

For executives, these objectives widen the investment decision. Cameras, access-control systems and other security technologies can be evaluated against several stated goals: safety, compliance, customer and employee experience, and security-team efficiency. The management question is which capabilities support those goals and which gaps require investment.

Scott Thomas, National Director for Signature Brands at Genetec, characterizes this as a strategic shift. “Physical security is becoming a strategic business asset for retailers, extending well beyond traditional loss prevention,” he said. Thomas argues that retailers can preserve the value of earlier investments by treating modernization as an ongoing strategy and adding capabilities over time. He also predicts that retailers adopting ongoing modernization “will see the greatest return.”

These are Genetec’s interpretations and predictions rather than demonstrated outcomes from the survey findings. Genetec sells physical security software and related systems to businesses, governments and public sector organizations, giving it a commercial stake in demand for physical-security modernization.

AI sits within a broader modernization decision

AI is one part of the investment picture. Its place on retail security agendas shows substantial interest, alongside plans to reuse technology, assess systems for specific use cases, and address infrastructure and workforce challenges.

That context gives executives a concrete test for AI investment. Start with the operational objective. Then determine whether AI addresses the defined use case and what changes the deployment requires in current systems, processes or staff capabilities.

The same test applies to other security investments. A new capability has a clearer role when tied to a stated business objective and evaluated against the retailer’s current systems and workforce constraints.

Key executive takeaways

Reuse before replacement: Retailers should assess whether existing security technology can meet new needs before adding systems. In Genetec’s survey, 54% plan to reuse current technology, while 51% plan to use AI to streamline security processes.
Modernize around specific constraints: Physical infrastructure, ageing IT and workforce challenges can limit security upgrades. Leaders should identify capability gaps and evaluate new systems against defined use cases rather than pursuing broad replacement.
Connect security data to business goals: Security investments increasingly support efficiency, compliance, safety, and customer and employee experience. Executives should evaluate capabilities against these specific objectives and require evidence of business value.
Give AI a defined role: AI should be treated as one component of security modernization. Start with the operational need, then determine whether AI addresses it and what changes are required across systems, processes and staff capabilities.