Advanced Digital Watermarking Enhances Self-Checkout Security and Reduces Loss
Picadeli, a pioneer salad company, and Digimarc Corporation have announced a strategic partnership aimed at tackling the increasing problem of retail shrink and food fraud in the fresh and prepared foods market. This partnership integrates Digimarc’s advanced digital watermarks into Picadeli’s branded packaging, enabling retailers to implement secure, automated product verification and ensure pricing accuracy at self-checkout. This innovation significantly reduces shrinkage while maintaining a seamless customer experience.
Retailers, both large and small, are facing rising challenges with price look-up (PLU) fraud at self-checkout, particularly in areas like produce, deli counters, and salad bars. A recent study reveals that retail shrink rates for businesses using self-checkout lanes are more than double the industry average, reaching nearly 4%1. The fresh foods category is especially vulnerable to this kind of fraud, impacting profitability.
“As Picadeli scales fresh meals via its AI-powered Salad Bar across the U.S., we’re committed to helping our retail partners eliminate shrink,” said Patrik Hellstrand, CEO of Picadeli US. “Our collaboration with Digimarc addresses key challenges like PLU fraud to ensure profitable store operations and a frictionless consumer shopping experience. It’s an extension of our mission to innovate and disrupt the fresh food market with cutting-edge technologies.”
Digimarc digital watermarks seamlessly integrate with weight-based and variable product codes, triggering automatic system overrides when entered codes don’t align with the digital watermark’s data. These invisible digital watermarks are embedded throughout the packaging, providing protection that is resistant to tampering and ensuring product information remains intact during self-checkout. Unlike traditional barcodes that can be manipulated or obscured, Digimarc’s technology maintains checkout accuracy without compromising packaging design or operational efficiency.
Learn more about solutions to fight PLU fraud at self-checkout.