U.S. Electronic Article Surveillance Market Size & Share Analysis - Trends, Drivers, Competitive Landscape, and Forecasts (2025 - 2032)

U.S. Electronic Article Surveillance Market Emerging Trends & Growth Drivers

Adoption of RFID-Enabled EAS Systems Is Major Trend

• Retailers are adopting RFID-based systems as they substitute traditional EAS systems based on the acoustomagnetic (AM) and electromagnetic (EM) technologies.
• This is because RFID systems provide the dual advantages of theft protection and live inventory tracking.
• The view of inventory between multiple stores becomes possible through RFID-enabled EAS systems, which enables better management of stock and supply chain operations.
• The U.S. retail market depends on cloud-based, internet-connected RFID tracking systems for remote business monitoring through live analytics, to detect theft patterns and generate optimized security protocols.
• RFID EAS tags provide greater accuracy in theft detection compared to traditional systems, which helps in reducing false alarms.
• The decreasing prices of the RFID technology enable small and medium-sized retailers to adopt these EAS solutions for better security and inventory control.
• The rising incidence of shoplifting, fraud, and organized retail crime (ORC) in the U.S. makes retailers implement better RFID-enabled EAS systems to secure their assets and fight loss.
• RFID-based EAS solutions provide real-time data and inventory control, enabling retailers to minimize stock losses, improve supply chain management, and properly schedule replenishment.
• The development of RFID tags, cloud computing, and the IoT has enhanced the performance of RFID-enabled EAS systems and made them more affordable, flexible, and easily expandable.
• The growth in the usage of smart retail technologies, including automated checkouts, AI analytics, and digital store management, stimulates the need for RFID-integrated EAS systems to improve security and optimize business operations.
• The cost of the RFID components like the tags and readers has been decreasing which makes the RFID-based EAS systems more accessible to small and medium-size enterprises thus increasing their usage in the market.

Rising Retail Shrinkage and Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Driving Security Investments

• As per studies, U.S.-based retailers lose up to USD 13 billion a year in shoplifting, with over 9% of the adults in the country admitting to these crimes.
• This prompts small and large retailers to use EAS solutions to track thefts and protect themselves from losses.
• This approach usually involves the attachment of smart tags and labels to merchandise, the signals from which are picked up by sensors installed near the store entrance.
• At the presentation of a bill with the stamp of payment from the cashier at the entrance, the security person stationed there deactivates and removes the tag.
• In case a tag that has not been removed or deactivated passes near the sensor, alarms are activated or the cashier might get an alert on their system/PoS terminal.
• Because these tags and labels are incredibly common around the U.S., they somewhat deter shoplifters.
• In the case of a potential theft, this technology enables swift action by the store staff or dedicated security personnel.
• This way this technology also checks the theft of pharmaceuticals, the incidence of which is rising in the U.S.
• Over 5% of the people in the country, which is over 14 million individuals, abuse prescription drugs.
• Most of these medications are either procured through fake or forged prescriptions or stolen straight from a pharmacy.
• EAS systems now utilize individual identification markers of batch number, production and expiry dates, and serial numbers, to see if any fakes are circulating in the market.

U.S. Electronic Article Surveillance Market Segmentation Analysis

Component Insights

The tags category dominates market, with a revenue share of 45% in 2024. Tags are procured in huge numbers to protect businesses from shoplifting and retail shrinkage, by helping them secure their merchandise inventory. The use of hard tags is prevalent because they prove most effective in securing high-value merchandise, such as electronics, clothing, cosmetics, and jewelry. The physical attachment of these tags on merchandise enables alarm triggering at exit gates, to prevent store theft. This category is expanding due to the rising retail shrinkage triggered by shoplifting and ORC.

Components covered in the report:

• Tags (Largest Category)
  • Hard
  • Soft
  • Ink
• Antennas (Fastest-Growing Category)
• Deactivators/Detachers
• Others

Technology Insights

The radio frequency category dominates the market, and it is the fastest-growing too, with a CAGR of 5%. RF systems are ideal for all retail business types, from apparel and jewelry outlets to supermarkets and pharmacies, because of their dependable performance. These systems detect the tags on the merchandise with a simple setup and minimal cost. RF-based EAS solutions provide high accuracy, generate fewer false alarms, and have strong anti-interference features.

Technologies covered in the report are:

• Acoustomagnetic
• Electromagnetic
• Radio Frequency (Largest and Fastest-Growing Category)
• Microwave
• Video Wall

Application Insights

The retail category dominates the market with 55% share, and it also has the highest CAGR, of 6%. EAS systems have become essential at apparel stores, supermarkets, and pharmacies for maintaining the security of merchandise and fight theft. The growth of retail networks, their complex inventory needs, and the rising footfall make EAS solutions fundamental in the country. Retailers invest in them to guard valuable products, decrease losses, and enhance operational efficiency.

Here are the applications studied in the report:

• Retail (Largest and Fastest-Growing Category)
• Commercial & Public Institutions
• Industrial & Warehousing

U.S. Electronic Article Surveillance Regional Market Performance

The Northeast region is the largest because it is home to a huge number of retail outlets and developed urban areas. A large number of department stores and boutique shops exist in the major regional cities, such as New York City, Jersey City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. The high retail activity in this region leads businesses to invest in state-of-the-art EAS systems to protect their merchandise from theft. The fast adoption of the RFID and IoT technologies by Northeastern businesses and the advancements in them boost the market advance.

These are the regions which have been considered in the report:

• Northeast (Largest Region)
• Midwest
• West
• South (Fastest-Growing Region)

U.S. Electronic Article Surveillance Market Share Analysis

• The market is fragmented as multiple small and large companies offer a diverse range of EAS systems that utilize the RF, acoustomagnetic, and various other technologies.
• Checkpoint Systems, Tyco Retail Solutions, and Nedap are the key players, but the sector includes numerous regional competitors too.
• The presence of numerous technologies fragments the market as they often target different segments within the retail sector.
• The variable implementation rate of EAS systems across states and regions results in additional fragmentation.
• The Northeastern part of the U.S. has more EAS systems than other regions because of its high urbanization level.

U.S. Electronic Article Surveillance Market Developments

• In June 2024, Sensormatic, a subsidiary of Jonson Controls International PLC, established a new RFID Service Bureau in Matamoros, Mexico, from where it will offer RFID source tagging solutions to retailers across North and Central America.
• In April 2023, Checkpoint Systems announced the acquisition of Alert Systems, a Danish provider of IoT-based metal and magnet detection solutions for retailers, in order to tackle ORC.