Retail CCTV gets planned wrong more often than any other property type — usually because the layout gets covered generically instead of around where theft, disputes and blind spots actually happen. Here's what a properly planned shop system actually needs.
Till and register area — the most important camera in the store
A camera should be angled to clearly capture both the till screen and the cash drawer, not just a wide shot of the counter. This single camera resolves the majority of refund disputes, cash discrepancies during stocktake, and staff-related incidents — it's worth getting this one placement right even if budget is tight elsewhere.
Entrance and exit coverage
Cameras at every entrance serve two purposes: identifying who enters and exits (useful for both security and, with the right camera, basic footfall counting), and creating a clear time-stamped record for any incident investigation. Angle to capture faces at head height, not just the tops of heads from a ceiling-mounted wide shot.
Stockroom and back door
Back-of-house areas are where internal shrinkage (stock walking out the back rather than being shoplifted from the floor) most often goes undetected. A camera covering the stockroom and back exit closes this gap.
Shop floor — cover blind spots created by shelving
Tall shelving units create natural blind spots that shoplifters learn quickly. Rather than one wide camera trying to cover the whole floor, multiple angled cameras positioned to see down aisles (not just across the top of them) close these gaps properly.
Common mistakes we see in existing shop installations
- Till camera too wide or too high — can't actually read the register screen or clearly see hands at the drawer
- No back-of-house coverage — only the customer-facing floor is covered, leaving stockroom shrinkage invisible
- Insufficient storage retention — footage overwritten within days, gone by the time a discrepancy is noticed during a weekly or monthly stocktake
- No remote viewing set up — the owner can't check in on the shop after hours or while away, missing the main benefit of a modern system
A typical small-to-medium shop setup
For most retail spaces, we recommend a PoE NVR-based system like our UNV NVR301-08S3 paired with 4-6 cameras — giving centralized, longer-retention storage rather than individual WiFi cameras, which suits a commercial environment with staff turnover and higher security stakes than a home.
Getting a system designed for your shop's actual layout
Generic camera counts don't account for your specific till position, shelving layout or back-of-house access. Our engineers assess your actual floor plan during a free site visit and design coverage around where incidents actually happen in a retail environment.
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Frequently asked questions
Most small shops (under 100 sqm) need 4-6 cameras: one covering each entrance, one on the till/register area, one on the stockroom or back door, and general floor coverage depending on layout and blind spots created by shelving.
Yes — till-area cameras angled to capture the register screen and cash drawer help identify discrepancies during stocktakes or refund disputes, in addition to deterring external shoplifting.
Commercial CCTV installations should be done by a licensed installer, and larger retail or commercial properties may have additional civil defense or municipality requirements depending on the property type — we handle compliance as part of installation.
Yes, motion detection alerts work whether the shop is open or closed — many retail owners specifically rely on after-hours alerts to catch break-ins in real time rather than discovering them the next morning.
Questions & comments
Have a question about your specific situation? Leave a comment and our engineers reply within one business day.