How drugstores & pharmacies use video surveillance system technology

For many years, pharmacists have ranked among the professions with the highest honesty and ethics. In a recent annual survey, pharmacists are outranked only by nurses, engineers, and physicians. No surprise that more and more consumers are relying on pharmacists as their primary source of medical information. The opportunity and challenge for retail pharmacists is to turn that trust into business by continually optimizing customer experience in their stores.

Providing superior customer experience is even more important as, like other retail businesses, independent drugstores in particular are experiencing an overall decline in customer traffic. Clients are stocking up on 90 days' worth of medications, reducing the number of trips to the pharmacy, or choosing not to fill prescriptions. Meanwhile, e-commerce is taking another considerable share from brick-and-mortar pharmacies.

Customer experience is key in retail, this is also true for retail pharmacies, driven by customer trust. However, this trust can be quickly lost through poor in-store operations. The challenge, especially for large drugstore chains, is to always keep the customer experience at the highest level, even if more complex business operations and cost pressures push for more efficiency. 

Keeping superior customer experience in a fast-paced retail environment - This is where smart video technology can help make retail operations more efficient, allowing staff to spend more time on individual customer service. To achieve this, in many cases, existing retail surveillance security cameras simply need to be empowered with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Smart Retail Video Analytics for drugstores & pharmacies using security cameras equipped with AI technology helps operators ensure safety and security inside and around their stores. Smart camera systems also help optimize retail operations and customer experiences to drive sales. AI Video Analytics turns IoT cameras into retail business all-rounders.

Azena helps pharmacists and drugstore chain managers get more out of their camera systems. By installing camera apps from our Application Store with just a few clicks, new AI features can be added, tested, and used right away, just like we're used to do on our smartphones. This allows you to start small and expand step by step.

How smart video cameras help improve safety, sales, and operations

As sales floors and assortments in stores grow, it becomes more difficult for employees to keep track of everything - security, operations, and customer experience. So why not take advantage of all possibilities that video analytics security camera offers, since it is already available in many stores? 

Imagine thousands of security cameras in Walgreens' 9.500 drugstores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico could not only help ensure security but also, for example, assist optimize store layout and sales operations to boost sales? This is possible through AI Video Analytics technology, which camera owners and integrators can easily download from our Application Store and install on their devices. Any number of applications can be combined on one device.

Analyze customer flow and align product placement

Retail surveillance systems, empowered with video analytics for tracking customer behaviour, can help store managers monitor the performance of in-store promotions and quickly adjust as needed. Long-term analysis helps identify blind spots in shop layout. Since Smart Video Analytics provides not only video data but tangible results, it has never been easier for operators to monitor and take appropriate action in nearly real-time. 

Source: ONG-IT GmbH

Most pharmacy retailers don't know what their cameras could do beyond security

Surveillance cameras in drugstores and pharmacies equipped with the Azena open camera OS provide the full flexibility known from Android Open Source Project or iOS smartphones, allowing to add new functions via an app with just a view clicks. 

Worth a read: How IoT changes the game for loss prevention security in retail 

In our Application Store, you find a wide range of camera apps designed to improve security as well as business operations in retail. Here is a selection of applications you will find there:

• Reduce waiting times at checkouts: Smart video analytics in cameras detects when queues form and informs staff to open additional tills.
• Analyze visitors based on demographic characteristics: Customers in the store are "recognized" by age and gender, e.g. to activate personalized promotions on displays.
• Avoid intrusion into restricted shop areas: Replacing "dumb" alarm systems, smart video systems can distinguish between customers and employees to avoid false alarms.
• Analyze customer footfall: Monitor customer flow along storefronts and analyze individual reactions, e.g. to promotions (conversion).
• Ensure social distancing & wearing of masks: AI Video Analytics helps ensure hygiene compliance during the pandemic at entrances and in stores.

The list could go on… a variety of applications can be combined for individual needs on each device or on entire systems. Creativity has no limits when it comes to turning simple IoT cameras into real business all-rounders.

Start using Smart Video Analytics for drugstores & pharmacies

Upgrading existing retail surveillance systems with AI technology has never been easier. All you need are cameras running our camera OS and you can start installing new retail features from our Application Store. Let us know if you need any assistance!