Improved Area Monitoring with New Meraki Smart Cameras

Meraki’s smart cameras offer businesses an easy-to-deploy way to monitor their physical security, with the added benefit of being managed entirely on the cloud. Various Meraki cameras are deployed in the Cisco Store, including the outdoor smart cameras MV63 and MV93, which have long been useful in the Cisco Store. The MV63’s wide-angle, fixed-focused lens monitors the entrances and exits of the store, while the MV93’s 360° fish-eye lens offers panoramic wide area coverage, enhancing surveillance capabilities even in low lighting. Both cameras have helped keep the Cisco Store secure by using important features such as intelligent object detection using machine learning, motion search, and motion recap.

Now, these two cameras have indoor counterparts. Launched in February 2024, the Meraki MV13 and MV33 cameras will continue to improve security measures with even clearer footage, high performance, and stronger analytics. Meraki’s latest camera features, attribute search and presence analytics, will further improve these cameras’ capabilities.

Introducing the newest indoor smart cameras, Meraki MV13 and MV33

The new Meraki MV13 has a fixed lens and is ideal for monitoring indoor hallways and spaces. It is easy to deploy and offers some of the best visual components like 8.4 MP image quality and up to 4K video resolution.

Meraki MV13 smart camera

Meanwhile, the Meraki MV33 has a 360° fish-eye lens and 12.4 MP image quality, and can be used to monitor general indoor retail, hospitality, education, and healthcare spaces.

Meraki MV33 smart camera

Faster search, smarter insights

Meraki simultaneously launched two new features: attribute search and presence analytics.

The attribute search feature is an easier and faster way of parsing through video footage based on a person’s clothing color (both top and bottom) as well as a vehicle’s color and make. In the event there is a suspicious person or theft, this feature would allow security teams to quickly filter through footage by these attributes from up to four cameras, thus improving store security measures.

Meanwhile, the new presence analytics feature includes area occupancy analytics and line-crossing analytics. These will allow security teams to define areas to be analyzed and then accurately gain insights on people movement in those spaces.

Both the MV13 and MV33 will add to Meraki’s broader portfolio of cameras, giving organizations more flexibility and ways to monitor all areas of their buildings with ease, including in the Cisco Store. Attribute search has been incorporated into both the indoor Meraki MV13 and outdoor Meraki MV63, while presence analytics is now available on all second and third generation cameras. By creating tracking areas and easily being able to adjust those lines, security teams can customize what they monitor and then receive analytics that help them identify suspicious activity and gain insights into crowds.

Source: cisco.com

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Webex Connect and a new digital experience

Consumers are relying on digital channels for their retail needs now more than ever. This shift requires online experiences to be increasingly enhanced, and a strong digital experience can make a significant difference in consumer attraction and retention.

While creating such engaging experiences is necessary for businesses of all sizes, smaller teams in particular need to find a way to get their customers’ questions answered without relying on as much manpower. The Cisco Store is one such program, and Webex Connect provides an efficient, easy-to-use solution to this problem.

Multi-Channel Communication

Webex Connect is an enterprise-grade Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) that transforms how businesses engage with their customers. In simple terms, CPaaS is a cloud-based technology that lets companies easily add custom communication features—like messaging, video, and voice—into their apps or services by deploying application programming interfaces (APIs). Webex Connect enables enterprises to deliver secure, automated, and hyper-personalized interactions at scale. And with little to no coding required, it empowers technical and non-technical teams alike to create rich, seamless customer interactions.

With a diverse API portfolio and multitude of integration options, businesses can connect their existing backend systems – such as their customer relationship management (CRM), order management, delivery management or even shift management – with the latest digital communication channels to create personalized, automated customer experiences.

Webex Connect handles customer communications over multiple digital channels, including SMS, WhatsApp, Voice, Email and more. The platform allows for inbound messages and automated two-way interactions, allowing customers to feel just as attended to as they might in a physical location. Customers can manage their communication preferences and consent at all times in accordance with online regulations, giving them full control over their digital experience. On the business side, employees can easily debug any issues in real-time and view key statistics through the platform’s centralized dashboards, data visualization, and data analytics capabilities.

Ease of Use

The Cisco Store sets up multiple travel stores every year at events such as Cisco Live Amsterdam, Cisco Live Vegas, and Cisco IMPACT. These stores feature both our merchandise and our Tech Lab equipment, and our small team hosts numerous customer tours every day. To streamline efficiency with our limited staff, we can easily program Webex Connect to have prompts and answers ready regarding our events, such as the store’s hours and location in the building. Customers simply need to message the bot on their channel of choice to receive rapid assistance.

Live Agent Handover

The platform also allows for bot interactions to be seamlessly handed over to live agents while still retaining the conversation context. Escalation to an agent is routed to a Webex Space, where someone on the Cisco Store team can claim the task and interact directly with the customer.

Webex Connect and a New Digital Experience

Webex Connect is currently being used both online and in-person at the Cisco Store, with 77% of the bot’s sessions occurring on the web, followed by 23% of the sessions occurring on Apple Messages for Business. Moreover, throughout the first quarter of FY24, Webex Connect averaged 30.4 messages per day, with 42% of the total sessions being handled by the bot.

 Interactions with Webex Connect during Q1 FY24 have mostly occurred online compared to in-person at the store locations. The most common conversation topics with the bot, in order of frequency, were engagement with a live agent, order tracking, store timings, and store locations. 

Looking Ahead

The Cisco Store plans to use Webex Connect in a multitude of additional ways moving forward to truly maximize customer engagement. Customers may be able to do self-checkout via the platform by simply scanning a QR code and paying from their mobile devices. To speed up their order process, customers could buy their products online and pick them up curbside with the assistance of the chatbot. Moreover, Webex Connect could eventually be integrated with order management systems: customers can receive updates on their order statuses and shipping notifications via their preferred mobile channel. 

The possibilities of Webex Connect reach far beyond a simple Q&A platform – teams will receive 24/7 support, developer resources, account management, and expert live chat whenever they need it. Webex Connect will prove to be an efficient solution for customer engagement, starting with the Cisco Store itself.

Source: cisco.com

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Retail network segmentation landscape

For as long as I can remember, retailers have recognized the importance of segmentation. The perils of mixing transactional data with other types of network traffic are significant. Yet, many retailers have found that a lack of attention in this area results in the compromise of transactional or Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

The challenge becomes exponentially more complex as the use of technology expands:

The long-predicted explosion of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is finally here. As many businesses respond to unpredictable business circumstances, it has become increasingly important that they have near real-time operational data on their stores and distribution centers. What is the current occupancy of my store? Are my chillers, freezers and hot tables working properly? Where are my associates and customers? What is my current inventory-on-hand (and what’s on the inbound truck, and when will it be here)? These questions can all be answered using IoT sensors. It is worth noting though that IoT sensors are either limited, or single-function devices, and therefore are not always able to defend themselves. If left unprotected, these devices can present a tempting attack surface for threat actors.

Point of Sale may not always be a static location. We are seeing more retailers shun the traditional fixed point of sale and adopt mobile devices. In some cases the POS may still be at a lane or cash wrap, but it may also be used for line busting, curbside pickup, home delivery, and for omni-channel returns. These additional use cases shift the emphasis from dedicated payment terminals that communicate directly with a payment processor, to multifunction devices sitting on the wireless network.

Guest wireless is now table stakes – customers expect to be able to send and receive text and email, access their shopping lists, or showroom their impending purchase to ensure they are getting the best price. A robust wireless network will not only be an expectation going forward, but a necessity to support associate efficiency and customer needs. With the advent of 5G networks, any communication that happens in the store via a mobile device needs to happen over the store wireless network, because 5G signals are unlikely to penetrate the structure of the building. Voice and data will cease when customers enter the store, unless the device can seamlessly roam onto the store network. That network will need the resilience and capacity to handle that traffic. Customers who cannot continue their conversations or access their data while in the store are likely to “vote with their feet” and shop elsewhere. In much the same way as guests now judge hotels by how fast and reliable the internet service is in their rooms, connectivity will be paramount for consumers and guests alike.

The inextricable move to the cloud has accelerated recently for multiple reasons – a need to

◉ reduce the physical IT footprint in the store

◉ stand up and configure new or pop-up stores quickly

◉ capitalize on the elastic capacity that cloud processing provides for busy periods

◉ leverage Software as a Service offerings for business systems such as supply chain and customer relationship management.

This shift to public, private and hybrid cloud can present new complexities and create a reliance on external parties, resulting in limited visibility and management to the retailer.

Many systems that are considered non-essential to the core retail mission (such as mechanical maintenance and physical security) are increasingly being outsourced. These moves result in third-party managed (or unmanaged) devices and sensors residing on the store or distribution center network.

These changes in the day-to-day operations of retailers can significantly increase the attack surface, and consequently the risk profile, for the retailer if not appropriately mitigated. The key is having a well-planned and executed segmentation and access control policy to ensure that devices and users can only access the systems and data appropriate for their role. Traditionally, this has been a somewhat manual process, which may be perfectly feasible for smaller organizations, but much more complex for larger retailers.

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Navigating supply chain disruptions for agile retail

Business continuity is so important for retailers that face disruption to their supply chain. Between overseas shipments decreasing and physical stores closing, it’s no secret that the retail industry is coming face to face with the changing business landscape. Retailers that have solely relied on in-store offerings are now looking to quickly take their business to the web with a secure network. Luxury brands that rely heavily on global supply chains are particularly looking to creatively pivot their business model. Some sectors of retail are experiencing an uptick, particularly those leveraging delivery services and curbside pickup (such as quick service restaurants). The surge in remote workers and the need for visibility across both the network and across business operations, calls for agility for all retailers alike.

The largest question for retail brands around COVID-19 quickly becomes how to manage resources when they see interruptions to their supply chain. The best way to combat these disruptions is to engage employees, associates, suppliers and consumers with the right digital solutions. The goal of course being to find business continuity and a rhythm across the value chain, however manageable. Here’s a look at what how retailers can leverage the power of IT, and even look ahead to the increasingly evolving end consumer.

◉ Information and communication Real-time insight around product availability levels is especially important, as the continuous flow of updates requires up-to-the-minute inventory management. Retailers that can leverage a unified communication platform to support timely product information is key for all workers across the distribution center, to the customer service centers, to those managing stock in stores, and newly remote workers supporting retail operations from home.  For broader internal communications, collaboration and video conferencing enables retailers to ensure alignment around priorities and company strategy. Ramping up additional licenses to scale efforts aimed at helping organizations move as a unit has become top of mind as well.

◉ A whole new network A timely approach to setting up virtual firewalls is another beneficial move for retailers. A newly mobile workforce that can leverage a VPN connection allows workers to more effectively help customers in their online purchase journey while keeping transactional data secure. That in mind, threat detection and protection for an increasingly remote workforce is the best way to not only protect customer information but, to keep integrated retail systems secure as well across the network.

◉ Lock down on secure data Increased online presence for shoppers who are no longer visiting physical stores means online retail platforms may have to support a higher volume of traffic. An agile IT infrastructure and the right data storage for your network can up-level digital capabilities to grow that ecommerce channel and improve overall customer sentiment.

◉ Unified commerce The right contact center solution can help get customers the answers to their delivery or pickup questions more quickly, and location awareness can speed up the pickup process. From an omni-channel perspective, direct to consumer communication such as click to chat features can improve that customer experience and awareness around their order. This simply pushes the envelope around click-and-collect fulfillment methods that the industry has seen consumers gravitate to for years. What was a convenience has just become more of a necessity. Retailers that can support unified commerce are able to remain fluid during dynamic and uncertain times, as the consumer behaviors continue to evolve.

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The 5 Critical Components of a Secure Store

We discussed how the Cisco SAFE methodology can help you to implement a reliable security solution for your store. This approach can help you define and address each threat to the retail branch with corresponding security capabilities, architectures, and designs – guiding you to a complete security solution against everything from worms to ransomware attacks.

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