Retailer New Look Enhances Loss Prevention And Improves Customer Service With Fingerprint Technology

New Look is a leading global fashion retailer with six new stores in China and plans to expand to 100 stores by 2017. Headquartered in the U.K., this international brand has 1,150 locations across mainland Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the U.K. As part of its foray into China, New Look wanted an alternative to password-based identification to improve time and attendance tracking and eliminate the potential for payroll fraud. The retailer initially selected a Point of Sale (POS) system enabled with Crossmatch ™ fingerprint technology to prevent employees from clocking in for each other, but discovered additional benefits for loss prevention and customer service along the way.

IT CHALLENGE

Prior to adopting a biometrics-based solution, New Look implemented six-digit passwords to enhance security and confirm the identity of store employees when they clock in at POS terminals. Employees share the terminals, which allows the potential for employees to clock each other in.

In addition, passwords were cumbersome for employees to remember and had to be changed every 90 days to meet security standards. As a result, the IT staff at New Look’s UK headquarters experienced an increase in the number of calls by employees to reset forgotten passwords.