Strategic Tagging: Why Smarter Security Beats More Security
Retailers have invested heavily in Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) over the past decades, yet losses continue to rise. In response, many stores have been forced into defensive measures: locking high-value items behind cabinets, tethering products to fixtures, or replacing stock with empty boxes. While these approaches may reduce theft, they also reduce sales, increase staff workload, frustrate customers and fundamentally change the in-store experience.
The problem isn’t that EAS doesn’t work - it’s that it’s being asked to do everything. A single layer of protection, applied universally, is no longer enough in a landscape where organised and opportunistic thieves understand exactly how traditional systems can be bypassed.
From Blanket Protection to Strategic Tagging
Chirp Protect was developed to support a more intelligent approach: strategic tagging.
Retailers can continue to use their existing EAS infrastructure for general deterrence, while adding Chirp Protect’s EAS-compatible RF and AM tags as a focused layer on high-risk, high-value lines. This allows stores to protect what matters most - without locking products away or compromising merchandising.
Chirp tags look familiar, but behave very differently. They are digitally deactivated, not magnetically released, meaning they cannot be bypassed using illicit detachers. Any attempt to tamper with the tag immediately triggers a loud, on-product alarm. In real-world uses, this has resulted in reduced theft, abandoned items and fewer repeat incidents - while allowing products to remain fully accessible to genuine customers.
Earlier Warnings, Clearer Outcomes
Unlike traditional systems where the alarm only sounds once a thief has exited, Chirp tags can trigger EAS gates within approximately one metre, providing an earlier warning to staff. Crucially, it is the tag itself that alarms, and it continues to alarm beyond the exit. This removes ambiguity, prevents wrongful accusations and shifts the deterrent onto the product - not the staff member.
Each tag supports up to five alarm states, including tamper, forced removal and exit events, creating multiple opportunities to deter theft before it becomes a loss.
Protecting Blind Spots Through Connectivity
Retail crime doesn’t only happen at exits. Changing rooms, toilets, quiet corners and low-visibility areas are well-known blind spots. Chirp Protect addresses this through its ITS Box connectivity layer.
Discreet ITS hubs can be placed strategically around the store to amplify tag alarms in these areas, ensuring staff are alerted the moment tampering occurs. The system can also integrate with headsets or radios, delivering instant “theft-in-progress” notifications without the need for constant visual monitoring.
In addition, Chirp can connect to CCTV systems, automatically time-stamping alarm events. This removes hours of manual footage review, simplifies reporting and provides clear, actionable evidence when incidents occur.
Designed for Longevity and Ease
Despite their advanced alarming capabilities, Chirp tags have been proven to last up to five years, with no significant increase in tag loss compared to standard EAS. In many cases, alarming functionality actually reduces tag theft, as items are abandoned quickly when alarms sound.
Tags are quick and easy to apply, require minimal training, and can be deployed selectively - making them ideal for phased rollouts or targeted protection strategies.
Smarter Security, Better Retail
Strategic tagging allows retailers to move away from restrictive security measures and back toward open, shoppable environments. By layering Chirp Protect on top of existing EAS, stores can reduce losses, protect staff, save time and - critically - sell more by keeping products accessible.
Security no longer needs to be all or nothing. With the right tools, it can be intelligent, targeted and effective
