External Theft Incidents Increased 19 Percent in 2024, Retail Report Finds

Retail crime is still expanding, with reported increases across external theft and digital fraud, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) The Impact of Retail Theft and Violence Report 2025.

The report, presented by the NRF, the Loss Prevention Research Council, and Sensormatic Solutions, surveyed senior loss prevention and security executives from 70 retail companies representing 168 brands about their security incidents in 2024. Respondents said they are most concerned about organized retail crime, shoplifting, repeat offenders, phone scams, return fraud, and credit card-related theft.

Theft

Incidents of shoplifting and merchandise theft increased 19 percent from 2023 to 2024, further compounding the 26 percent growth from 2022 to 2023, the report said.

“There is no single type of shoplifter or universal method of shoplifting,” the NRF report said. “Methods range from individuals concealing product to destructive burglaries or multiple-person events. Compared with last year, retailers are now most likely to be more concerned about multiple individuals shoplifting together to steal multiple items; individuals shoplifting several items at once; and individuals coming in to shoplift a few items. ‘Smash-and-grab’ events are the only area respondents consider less of a concern than last year.”

More than half of retailers reported an increase in repeat offender theft in 2024. Cargo or supply chain theft increased for 48 percent of retailers, and shoplifting increased for 46 percent.

Fraud is also a top concern for senior loss prevention professionals. Phone scams (62 percent), loyalty fraud (46 percent), and quick-change schemes (41 percent) were the most likely to have increased in frequency, the report said.

Shoplifting apprehensions are climbing, too, though—28 percent of respondents said apprehensions increased in 2024 and that arrests grew 15 percent.

But amid concerns for employee safety, retailers are limiting who can approach or stop a suspected shoplifter.

Workplace Violence

In 2023, 73 percent of respondents said shoplifters had exhibited heightened levels of aggression and violence, the NRF report said. Retailers noted the same or higher instances of violence-related events in their organizations in 2024 as in 2023, and 46 percent of respondents reported further increases in guest-related violence and violence during a crime, such as shoplifting.

Looking at the next 12 months, retailers identified violence during a crime (17 percent), mass violence (11 percent), and guest violence (10 percent) as their top three concerns.

Nearly all survey respondents said that violence-related theft has required them to increase employee workplace violence training, and 48 percent said that workplace violence has required them to implement measures that negatively affect the customer experience. More than a third said they have experienced labor challenges due to violence-related theft in their stores.

Safety and Security Measures

In response to these risks, retailers are enhancing safety measures: 63 percent increased training for management on handling threats or violence; 60 percent increased workplace violence prevention training for employees; 59 percent increased threat identification processes, structures, or procedures, and 50 percent increased global or travel-related threat or violence training or procedures.

Retailers are also exploring layering new technology or measures to mitigate loss and improve workplace safety without negatively affecting the customer experience. Interior and exterior security measures are the top loss prevention actions that retailers have taken or are planning to take in the next 18 months to address crime, the NRF report found. For perimeter and exterior security alone, including lighting, cameras, and license plate readers, 61 percent increased these measures last year and 57 percent said they plan to increase them in the next 18 months.

Other measures that retailers are eyeing for the next 18 months include store- or employee-specific safety measures like panic buttons (46 percent), merchandise protection measures (41 percent), item-level security measures (38 percent) and in-store loss prevention personnel (30 percent).

Some retailers are also planning to alter the interiors of their stores to deter theft, such as altering store design or layout, removing some in-store product selection, or altering customer purchase or payment options (such as self-checkout). Some retailers have reduced store hours or closed some locations.

Loss prevention executives are trying to limit the effect on customers by investing in technology or staff to improve customer experience with security measures, such as enabling customers to unlock cases with a mobile app or adding staff to help customers access products (29 percent). In areas where crime and theft have declined, 22 percent of respondents said they will remove some security measures.

Some retailers are considering implementing next-generation technology such as artificial intelligence-powered suspicious behavior detection, facial recognition, body-worn cameras, or autonomous security robots. But they had concerns, including budget and return on investment, how the technology might affect customers, and how well the new technology integrates with existing security solutions.