Below, we answer the most frequently asked questions about how ID scanners reduce theft, improve safety, and enhance accountability in retail settings.
Retail theft refers to the unlawful taking of merchandise or store assets. This includes petty theft and organized retail crime (ORC). Contributing factors include economic pressure, staff shortages, and increasingly sophisticated theft tactics.
Recent data shows losses exceeding $100 billion annually in the U.S. alone, with similar trends seen across Canada, the U.K., and Australia.
ID scanners help retailers combat theft in three key ways:
Access Control – Restrict access to merchandise, goods, or restricted areas.
Accountability – Log and associate access attempts with verified identities.
Repeat Offender Tracking – Flag and track individuals who have previously caused issues.
This combination of deterrence, visibility, and automation gives retailers an edge in loss prevention, while also improving overall customer experience and operational efficiency. For example, a Canadian retail chain with over 50 locations was able to reduce theft by over 90% in the first 3 months of operations using Patronscan technology.
Yes. Organized retail crime often targets high-value products and weak access points. By requiring ID to access controlled areas, retail staff raise the perceived risk and reduce the likelihood of theft attempts.
Patronscan scanners also support multi-location analytics, helping businesses identify patterns and prevent repeat offenses across stores.
Yes. ID scanning technology is used by retailers in:
United States – Particularly in high-traffic retail environments, and those with age-restricted products. Major implementations have taken place in Texas, Oklahoma, and South Carolina to name a few.
Canada – Across major provinces, including Alberta, Ontario, Mantiba, and British Columbia.
United Kingdom – Especially in areas with elevated retail crime risk.
Australia – In large-format and specialty retail stores.
Patronscan supports nearly 5,000 different ID types, including passports and driver’s licenses, making it one of the most globally compatible ID verification platforms.
ID scanners are ideal for:
Locked liquor cabinets or stockrooms
Employee-only storage areas
Event or VIP access zones
Customer service or refund counters
Any location within a store where theft or misuse could occur can benefit from ID-based access control.
Absolutely. Retailers using Patronscan benefit from:
Detailed audit trails for every scan
Scan count reports by time, location, or user
Flagged entry attempts and alert notifications
Exportable compliance documentation for internal reviews or external audits
This data is invaluable for operations, legal compliance, and loss prevention.
Yes. Patronscan is built to meet the world’s most stringent data privacy standards, including:
GDPR (EU)
CCPA (California)
PIPEDA (Canada)
Australian Privacy Principles
All data is securely encrypted, access-controlled, and never sold or shared with unauthorized parties.
Yes. Patronscan offers flexible deployment models:
Single-store retailers can use standalone devices with built-in reporting and alerting.
Multi-location retailers benefit from centralized management, real-time data syncing, and enterprise reporting tools.
Whether you're protecting one location or a national chain, the solution scales with you.
Patronscan regularly updates its ID recognition engine to keep up with evolving government-issued IDs. With support for nearly 5,000 global IDs, the system receives frequent updates to ensure maximum accuracy and catch rate.
Here are red flags to avoid:
Overpromising vendors – No technology is perfect. Be cautious of companies claiming 100% accuracy or guaranteed fraud elimination.
Disparaging others – Professional companies focus on their value and impact, not criticising competitors.
Lack of transparency – Check for published NPS scores, customer support surveys, support availability, uptime reporting, and public privacy policies.
Limited ID support – Ensure the system can recognize a wide range of IDs and formats such as Driver's License, Passport, and other regional ID types.
Patronscan has been a trusted leader in the space for nearly 20 years, with a mission to help build safer communities through trusted and reliable technology.