This study evaluated the effectiveness and efficacy of Keeper boxes.
Retail companies lose large quantities of key merchandise because of errors, omissions, fraud, and theft. Lost inventory frustrates consumers, skews stocking processes, and reduces sales. Further, theft events introduce violence and concern into retail environments. Victimized businesses fight back against losses by installing crime prevention measures, but fail to use rigorous research to design, evaluate, and refine countermeasures. Grounded in situational crime prevention, this article describes a 10-store randomized controlled trial on the effects of plastic protective Keeper boxes on loss and sales levels of a 'hot product'. This study provided evidence of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the countermeasure in a micro place environment. (Published Abstract)