88 percent of retailers have seen colleagues quit over customer abuse

New research shows the impact of rising crime and abuse on retail colleagues, with young shoppers aged 18-24 the most likely to offend  

Nearly nine in ten (88 percent) retailers have had colleagues resign from their roles because of physical or verbal abuse from a customer, according to new research by retail communications specialist VoCoVo.

The survey, which polled both UK consumers and retail decision-makers, reveals that crime in the industry is being driven disproportionately by younger shoppers. Nearly half (47 perent) of adults aged 18-24 admit to stealing from a store, and over a third (35 percent) have abused a retail colleague or another customer in-store.

Published in VoCoVo’s latest report, In-Store Intelligence: AI’s Role in Retail’s Human Touch, the findings highlight the growing toll that rising in-store crime and abuse is taking on the sector. For many retailers, incidents are no longer isolated events but a regular challenge, with over a third (37 percent) reporting incidents occurring at least once a week. This has led to widespread concern for 86 percent of retailers.

The prospect of facing abuse at work is not just impacting retailers’ ability to retain staff but also attract new talent – rising levels of crime and abuse is now the third biggest reason why jobseekers would avoid joining the retail industry. This sits behind only unattractive shift patterns and pay.

As incidents become more frequent, the impact is being felt beyond retail teams. Nearly half (48 percent) of shoppers say they feel uncomfortable when witnessing abuse in-store, contributing to a negative shopping experience.

In an effort to improve safety for colleagues and maintain a positive experience for shoppers, AI is viewed as a key solution by more than two-thirds (67 percent) of retailers. AI-assisted reporting and logging tools (35 percent), automated incident alert systems (33 percent) and AI-powered CCTV (27 percent) are cited as the technologies most valuable in reducing incidents of crime and abuse.

Beth Worrall, CEO, VoCoVo, says, “Retail colleagues are facing unprecedented levels of stress from verbal and physical aggression, which is eroding morale and making both recruitment and retention increasingly difficult.

Technology has a vital role to play, helping retailers identify suspicious behaviour earlier while keeping colleagues connected at all times to call on support when a situation escalates.

But tackling abuse at scale requires an industry-wide effort, bringing retailers together to share best practices, standardise safety measures and explore innovative solutions to protect colleagues, supported by policy and government.”