How Artificial Intelligence is transforming security in physical retail
Contrary to popular belief, physical retail is not disappearing — it is evolving.
While out-of-town hypermarkets are slowing down, convenience stores and urban formats are enjoying sustained growth. Even in a world dominated by e-commerce, every product bought online passes through a physical space: a warehouse, a logistics centre or a collection point.
Retail is changing.
And so are its challenges.
Among them, shoplifting remains one of the main factors eroding profitability.
The CCTV paradox
Today, most shops are equipped with networks of surveillance cameras covering all of their premises.
But one thing is clear:
There are too many video feeds to monitor effectively and continuously
Human concentration has its limits
An incident can occur on another screen or in an unmonitored corner
Recordings are rarely used in real time
Shops have the footage…
but not the capacity for instant analysis.
Traditional surveillance is reactive.
Modern retail needs a proactive approach.
anavid: Artificial Intelligence serving retail
Founded in Paris and established in Tunisia, anavid develops deep tech solutions based on:
Artificial Intelligence
Computer vision
Cloud technologies
Convolutional neural networks (3D CNN)
Our mission: to turn video feeds into actionable decisions in real time.
Intelligent detection of suspicious gestures
Our solution continuously analyses security camera feeds and automatically identifies behaviour associated with shoplifting.
Thanks to a 3D CNN model optimised for video analysis, our system can distinguish between:
✔ Normal shopping behaviour (comparing products, handling items on the shelf)
✔ Suspicious behaviour (concealing an item in a bag or clothing)
When a suspicious gesture is detected:
An instant alert is sent to staff
A video clip is sent to a smartphone
Immediate intervention becomes possible
We thus move from passive surveillance to active prevention.
Measurable impact on economic performance
Security is not just an operational issue.
It is a direct lever for profitability.
Our solution enables:
A reduction in losses that can exceed 60%
Optimised security teams
Better allocation of human resources
An overall improvement in store performance
By integrating AI into security, retail becomes more resilient and more profitable.
A privacy-friendly approach
At anavid, innovation goes hand in hand with technological responsibility.
Our system:
Does not use facial recognition
Does not perform any biometric identification
Does not correlate individuals across different cameras
Does not use data for any purpose other than security
We analyse gestures, not people.
This approach guarantees use that complies with regulatory requirements and respects customers’ privacy.
Why adopt AI today?
Retailers are facing growing pressure:
Inflation and rising costs
Shrinking margins
Staff shortages
Rising unknown losses
Artificial Intelligence makes it possible to automate detection without increasing operating costs.
It strengthens existing teams rather than replacing them.