What is the IMCo Shelf™?

The IMCo Shelf™ is a pattern recognition computer that detects the removal of products from various kinds of displays and analyses the regularities and irregularities in customer behaviour to detect thieves. It is highly adaptable for different businesses and markets and it can be used in every major form of presentation such as shelves, gravity feeds, push feeds and hooks.
The electronics is based on a custom designed circuitry with the main parts adapted from the German automotive industry, which is known worldwide for highest standards of reliability. The system and all components were developed in Germany and are protected by global patents.
The IMCo Shelf™ is designed and manufactured in Germany.

What does it do?

The IMCo Shelf™ detects each product removal. A CPU compares these off-takes with a stored removal pattern of honest shoppers to detect sweeping by professional shoplifters. All parameters have been optimized in lengthy trials to avoid false alarms. As soon as the CPU has identified a professional shoplifter an acoustic alarm goes off: Directly at the shelf and on a wireless mobile receiver, the IMCo Pager™. Furthermore it can communicate with CCTV cameras to help store detectives and staff identify the suspect.

The result: Theft is made public at a very early stage in the process and store staff can react accordingly before the thief leaves the store.

Optionally the system can indicate each product removal with a quiet acoustical signal that implies that there is electronic protection to the customer. This beep is very effective in two ways, both concerning opportunistic thieves: Those “leisure time thieves” are very risk averse and they often do not steal as soon as they don’t feel safe. And many of them steal because they need the product for personal use and so they even decide to buy the product. This effect can explain a double-digit increase in sales for some products!