Inside the Data War on Retail Crime, with Agilence CEO Russ Hawkins

Why it matters

Organized retail crime has evolved into a coordinated, data-driven business, forcing retailers to elevate loss prevention from a back-office security function to a strategic, cross-functional priority tied directly to profit protection.

What’s changing

• Retailers are moving from reactive responses to predictive ORC models.

• Disparate systems are being unified across POS, video, loyalty, and location data.

• Early, non-confrontational customer engagement is proving to be a powerful deterrent.

• AI is translating complex data into clear risks and recommended actions.

How it works

Hawkins outlines a four-layer analytics model:

• Descriptive: What’s happening across stores, products, and regions.

• Diagnostic: Why losses are occurring, including methods and networks.

• Predictive: What’s likely to happen next based on patterns and risk scoring.

• Prescriptive: What actions store teams and leaders should take.

Bottom line

Loss prevention is no longer about catching shoplifters; it is about using data, analytics, and AI to protect margins, employees, and customers at scale.