Retail

In the 21st century, for most countries in North America, Europe and Asia, coffee drinking has evolved from eating habits into a philosophy of life and one’s attitude towards it. This perception is also what most coffee shop owners hope to convey to their customers. Besides the delicious rich coffee, the perfect blend of music, the cakes and biscuits to enjoy, and even the in-store display of merchandises on the shelf, etc... The culture created by the store is in fact the most influential factor for customer loyalty. However, in the highly competitive coffee industry, how can one reduce costs and maximize profits when raw materials, coffee machines, snacks are easily accessible and open priced in the market? First of all, with the advancement in technology, implementing automated equipment can offer the most effective assistance when human resources are limited. Second, the improvement of store’s awareness for loss prevention and better response capabilities are essential.

So how can one achieve these two key points? Besides the basic need of the existing human handled equipments such as stereos, cash registers, network equipments, what we want to talk about today is the introduction of the missing link - Video Surveillance.  Due to the development of the Internet era, video surveillance has clearly divided into two kinds, analog and IP, in which the two have many obvious differences. The analog system often requires additional on-site equipment such as Digital video recorder (DVR) standalone plus a monitor or a PC with pc-based DVR boards. These devices easily run into analog and network-compatible issues when personnel outside the shop wish to connect to the system via internet, not to mention that you usually need to have professional installers deploy and maintain the system for you. But on the other hand, the Network Video Recorder (NVR) is a network device which is fully compatible with IT equipment in the store and also it doesn’t require a complicated installation process. All you have to do is just plug in the Internet line and it will automatically find the IP camera, which allows it to conduct basic monitoring. In addition, detailed resolution is very important when you need it the most to define events, especially since most DVR resolution can only reach 0.4 times of NVR resolution.

Now let’s talk more about the 2 key points in increasing coffee shop competitiveness: Improving productivity through automated equipment as well as improving the responsiveness of loss prevention.

For example, many successful coffee chain stores in the industry already implement highly automated coffee machine, which under appropriate handling by personnel can save time and ensure the coffee’s quality. The same concept also works for video surveillance, instead of a using a device which needs tedious human control, the intelligent NVR can be used to automatically save, backup, remind you of incidents, and also allows managers to monitor the shop via internet anytime. Thus, greatly increasing the flexibility of human resource allocation, even when an event occurs, you can save hours of human resource by using smart search to immediately find related image data instead of sending a man to search through dozens of hours of video files. Finally, you can also observe customer behavior and their interaction with the staff to find the more suitable store layout, display design and staff service training. All these tasks can be done with recorded images!

Going on, improving response ability to enhance loss prevention. Loss prevention includes common cases of credit card fraud, suspicious customer and employee behavior, shoplifting, etc… All of the above mentioned can result in losses for coffee shops. In which the essential coffee shop set ups such as cash registers, merchandises, and self-seasoning area, are most prone to losses. With intelligent IP appliance, these events can be clearly defined and alarmed as well as schedule regular related video search. You can even output stored files for media player as a training course for staff during the weekly meeting, instructing on which situations should be avoided and on response protocol.

How Plustek Smart NVR assists coffee shop owners?

Plustek IP video surveillance system has done a lot of third-party integration and functionality research especially for the coffee industry, including support for megapixel cameras to film the environment and also allow higher details by zooming in. Through the usage of the free back-end software multi-manager, the recording data can be automatically saved and safely stored in the network storage device; In addition, managers can connect to the system via Internet to check the latest in-store situation and provide instant support, while observing consumer behavior. Regarding coffee shop deployment, the Plustek standalone NVR can be a valuable IT addition taking up only limited space with its palm size and energy efficient design which achieves the highest standards of automation. None of the above operations require professional training or any IT background; not to mention the special operating system also allows you to safely connect to the Internet with out worrying about viruses. In the end, if you know how to get on Internet, than you know how to use Plustek NVR Systems.

Challenges
ABC Jewelry store, located in the heart of Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany, bears in its simple store front what every women wants at the most important moment of her life – a sparkling stone –the diamond. Behind the transparent counters, where silver, gold ornaments, all kinds of rare pearls, diamonds, are set forth by their value, two to three friendly clerks are happily assisting couples and families to easily find among all shiny sight of jewelry in front of them, the right treasure to hold in their bright future. However, thefts are still inevitable when the clerks are busy or retrieving pieces from the limited edition jewelry cabinet jewelry for their customers. The theft occurred 7 years ago at closing time to this 22-year old shop jewelry when two thieves stole a complete set of precious pearls imported from Fiji. Unfortunately, because of the original CCTV system pixels was not high enough, the thieves’ faces could not be clearly defined, so the jewelry store owner, Uwe, decided to take the initiative in confronting the possible future robbery or theft. He began looking for architect and engineering consultants to learn how to not only deploy a better solution without completely replacing his current CCTV system but also how to improve on existing concerns such as lack of higher pixels of his cameras, high power consumption and scalability. This way, besides preventing the occurrence of theft, he can also provide a secure environment for his customers to happily and safely select the most touching gift for their family, friend, and fiancée.

Solution
The security system consultant recommended the Plustek solution as its own video server is designed for high compatibility with the NVR and has been tested thousands of times to ensure a high degree of stability. More importantly, through its flexible customization with third party integration, Plustek NDVR integrated the access control system with push alarm and notification to warn the police station and Uwe, which allows immediate responses to any abnormal activities in any store. Uwe added Plustek video server to connect to the original three analogue cameras while as the Standalone NVR Slim240 is connected to two 1.3 megapixel cameras from Panasonic, the 2 megapixel cameras are used to monitor the most valuable diamond window, coupled with the plustek software interface to control PTZ for a wide range view. The system was setup for 8 hours recording during business hours, and anomaly detection recording after business hours, with the Slim 240’s free 320G HDD, the system can save data up to 15 days. In addition, Uwe also set up full Backup and export scheduling control at his home PC through Plustek ‘s free complimentary back-end Multi-Manager.

Customer Feedback
Uwe indicated, "Since the addition of Plustek NVR to the original DVR, not only can he offer a greater security for his customers and reduce store losses due to theft, but also allows him to preserve some of the original equipment. This new solution allows ABC Jewelry store clerks to be more concentrated on offering a better friendly service and allows them to be at relieved when displaying valuable collections of jewelry in obvious locations without significant safety concerns.” He also added: “A real nice jewelry store is one that makes customers feel right at home as often is the case that only in a pressure-free environment can customers make the most important choices in life.” Everybody says: “Diamonds are a girl's best friend, but then again, a great monitoring system is the most important mate for any jewelry shop ". Diamonds are a girl's best friend, then again, Plustek is the best mate for any jewelry shop_EN_20110225

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Mission
When Hanes Parker inherited a successful 12-year old family business, he was faced with the daunting task of replacing the old surveillance system with something that can meet all his requirements and keep up with society’s technology-driven changes. The system instated by his father, Brett Parker, 10 years ago consisted of a PC-based DVR and a DVR standalone placed in each of the 3 subsidiary convenient stores in the business. A PC located in one of the storage rooms supported the systems of all 3 locations. This surveillance structure had many flaws that caused Brett and Hanes significant losses in human resources and cable costs over the years.  Moreover, with credit card usage becoming more and more mainstream, Hanes saw a concurrent increase in the associated frauds. The old system, which could not provide enough resolution to see detail images of the checkout counter, fell even more into oblivion. To make matters worse, the system was also very expensive to upgrade. Driven by all these factors, Hanes started his search for a long-term economically sustainable megapixel surveillance solution.

Distributed Onsite Surveillance
The new system needed to fulfill three main requirements: flexibility to be placed in the different environments of the dissimilar convenient stores, ability to monitoring multiple locations with different needs, and capability to minimize data loss caused by remote data transfer. Hanes’s search led him to Plustek Linux-based NVR Slim Series, which were petite, heat-resistant, and noiseless. While their small size let them conveniently fit in various positions, the heat-resistant characteristic allowed them to be placed virtually anywhere and the noiselessness enabled them truly hide from potential intruders and vandals. Their simple 4 to 8 channel IP camera inputs also made them ideal for use in small retail stores such as convenient stores and gas stations, all the recordings can be additionally lively viewed via Android mobile devices which was newly supported by Plustek NVR. In addition, the built-in storage system permitted these machines to bypass the need for any remote transmissions and the consequent possible data losses. Even when internet connections were unstable, users could connect to any Plustek Smart NVR Series to retrieve important recordings. This “distributed onsite surveillance” concept, which evolved over the years from CCTV System, effectively solved many of Hanes’s problems.

Centralized VMS 
To sweeten the deal, Plustek’s solution also incorporated the all-in-one “centralized management concept”. With just one interface at one location, users could access live view, playback, and alarm notifications of multiple locations. They can even streamline a third security device, such as a fire and access control type of cross-platform security system, through an open protocol. Plustek creates a true open platform system by employing an IP-based system and offers free backend software “MultiManager”, which was developed based on this very idea, to use concurrently. Through the computer at the Boston office, the security personnel is finally empowered to effectively monitor the surveillance activities of all 3 sites without consuming as much bandwidth as general server-based NVR does.

With the future in mind, Hanes chose Plustek total NVR solution at the end of 2010. Other than all of the benefits mentioned above, Hanes mentioned that the “megapixel monitoring technology is maturing and allows us to utilize NVR at key positions such as focusing in on the cash register. Moreover, once connected to our internet, Plustek’s frontend NVR Slim series can work easily without destroying the store’s aesthetic design like the protruding cables of the old system did. The free backend management software, “MultiManager”, further ensures that we can seamlessly perform management tasks such as track live views, schedule recordings, backup data remotely to any designated online service, and get alarm notifications all from our Boston office. The lifetime free software upgrade is the cherry on top of the cake. For example, Plustek recently launched a new application supporting Android mobile device live viewing, which I can download from www.smartnvr.com and then access from anywhere! All the benefits and convenience that Plustek has brought to my business really made me feel that management can really be a flexible and efficient task.”

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Case Study_distributed and centralized_EN_20110530.pdf

Background

A Shinto shrine outside of Tokyo offers a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the world’s largest city. Shinto spirituality has a significant influence in Japan, counting 119 million observers nationwide. The shrine’s tranquility attracts local worshippers as well as tourists. 

Preserved for many years, the shrine’s main purpose is to house “kami,” sacred objects with spirits or life essence. Visitors can leave donations, which are used to maintain the grounds and make them accessible. However, the shrine faces the risk of theft. The bleak economic climate and growing unemployment rates have resulted in higher vagrancy. With more reports of theft, looting and arson, crime poses a real threat to Shinto shrines.

The shrine’s caretakers wanted to monitor strategic areas, while preserving its aesthetics. They wanted evidence-grade video that could be used by the authorities to apprehend criminals. However, the existing analog cameras did not provide sufficient detail for identification. The solution needed to be discreet and not overly intrusive.

Solution

The religious caretaker selected Plustek network storage to watch over worshippers and relics. “We needed to protect our shrine’s historical treasures, while giving our visitors an open environment,” said a caretaker. “If something happens, we need video proof to help the police solve investigations.” 

With cameras alert for crime 24/7, all footage is recorded to the Plustek Network Video Recoders (NVRs) on-site and video data are transmitted back to the main office for record though the in-house design, MultiManager.  High-resolution network cameras kept watch at the gateway, offering hall and sacred objects for constant surveillance. Onboard motion detection analytics monitor the area around the shrine for any activity, alerting management if alarm zones are breached. Should an alert be triggered, two-way audio allows staff to warn would-be thieves right away.

The shrine was most vulnerable at night, with no staff on hand. Remote monitoring enabled staff to keep watch at all hours through their smartphones. Caretakers can stream video live from the shrine whether at home or on the road, giving them peace of mind.

Result

The shrine staff was pleased with Plustek’s reliable and smart network storage. It provided them with an easy-to-use solution and 24/7 surveillance. They were able to adjust their shift schedule freely and still have the entire shrine under their eyes. The capability of supporting Megapixel cameras allows them to zoom in for a clear visual of image of the theft.   Moreover, the Skype integrated function allowed the caretaker to call out for help immediately.  As a result, the shrine has witnessed a noticeable reduction in theft.  Donation box is now kept under surveillance with smart analytics and remote video capabilities made from Plustek- it is a perfect match for the shrine’s monitoring needs.

 

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Case Study_Shrine_JP_EN_20120301