For the last 60 years, Sensormatic Solutions has led the charge toward seamless, secure and successful retail operations. From day one, our work has been guided by a simple mission: to redefine retail experiences through the power of innovation, creativity and collaboration.

With a new decade of innovation ahead of us, we wanted to look back at where we’ve been, reflect on where we are and look towards what’s next.

Sensormatic Solutions’ commitment to collaborative problem-solving started from day one. In 1966, Ronald Assaf – a supermarket manager frustrated by a failed attempt to catch a shoplifter – challenged his electronics-savvy cousin Jack Welch to create a solution capable of deterring retail theft. Welch went home and got to work, and he designed something that would reshape retail for good.

Together, Welch and Assaf refined the solution. It was simple, straightforward and purpose-built for the challenge at hand, consisting of a sensitised tag, a point-of-sale deactivator, an exit scanner and an alarmed receiver. They called it ‘The Shoplifter’s Enemy’, and they realised that it had the potential not just to address Assaf’s frustrations but to transform the industry’s approach to loss prevention.

It was the first electronic article surveillance (EAS) system, and it was the initial step towards more effective, technology-backed protection. It would also form the basis for a new endeavour: Sensormatic Electronics, a company devoted to improving shopping for all.

Throughout its first few years, Sensormatic Electronics – helmed by Assaf – continued to rework the initial design. In 1968, Sensormatic Electronics brought the first microwave EAS system to market, which was well suited to the needs of the department stores that would come to dominate the 1970s retail landscape. By 1972, the company realised that – for most retailers – the goal is to deter theft, not catch thieves. As a result, the first visible retail theft deterrent, the Alligator Tag, was born.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Sensormatic Electronics team pushed technology to its limits in the name of better retail experiences. The 1980s saw the organisation redefine the industry’s approach to loss prevention once again with the introduction of the first acousto-magnetic (AM) EAS system: UltraMax AM. This system proved more effective than the traditional microwave-based build at detecting tags inside foil-lined bags and metal shopping trolleys, as well as in tagging products with non-ferrous metals.

By the 1990s, technological progress was moving faster than ever before – and Sensormatic Electronics worked hard to keep up with each advancement. Between 1991 and 1995, the company made three critical breakthroughs:

• Embedded EAS labels – introduced in 1991 – were the first step towards pre-protected merchandise. Designed for clothing and consumer packaged goods, these small tags were integrated into products and packaging during manufacturing to ensure protection while preserving branding and reducing the need for assistants to tag items on arrival.
• The first visible source-tagging programme , which Sensormatic Electronics began offering in 1994, expanded the potential of pre-tagging by giving retailers protection and proactive deterrence. Alongside this service, Sensormatic Electronics also added radio frequency (RF)-based tags to its portfolio, which enhanced deactivation capabilities.
• - The first ‘clamp’ tag – Sensormatic Electronics’ ‘SuperTag’ – was a milestone for the company and the industry. Its patented design made it harder to remove, establishing a performance standard that continues to serve as a benchmark to this day.

The second half of the decade proved transformational for the brand, driving recognition outside of retail and to new heights. In 1996, Sensormatic Electronics served as the security solutions provider for the Summer Olympics hosted in Atlanta, Georgia, deploying newly introduced RFID/biometric access control and CCTV systems. These systems were originally released in 1986 and combined CCTV systems with electronic ID door openers to help industrial customers reduce on-the-job theft and fraud. Following a 1992 merger that bolstered the solution’s capabilities, they were refined and re-imagined to protect athletes and spectators on the world stage.

The turn of the millennium brought a new era of discovery and a new approach to retail systems. Computing, connectivity and digital tools began to change the way shopping – and business – was done.

Sensormatic Electronics – which became a part of Tyco International in 2001 – rose to the challenge, pursuing cutting-edge solutions to retailers’ most pressing and persistent obstacles. During this time, the team focused its efforts on a new vision: retail as a precise, data-driven industry.

In 2008, Tyco International acquired Vue Technology to expand its RF-based product portfolio. TrueVUE leveraged advancements in RF technology that allowed for individual item identification to help retailers better visualise, manage and control their stock.

From there, the organisation spent the next decade expanding its data-first solutions with products such as: its Synergy series of pedestals, which feature AM and RFID functionality, built-in traffic counting and a self-contained design to eliminate the need for an external controller (2015).

That same year, Tyco International acquired FootFall and ShopperTrak, which extended visibility into shopper movement and behaviour to contextualise inventory and other data. This led to the launch of the Orbit 8 Traffic Counter, a remotely configurable and upgradable people-counting solution offering recording and streaming functionalities.

The early 2000s also ushered in an era of environmental awareness among business owners and consumers, inspiring the organisation to develop services that help retailers to operate more responsibly. The result was a novel approach to tag use and reuse: source tag recirculation. Built upon the existing source tagging network, this programme allowed retailers to return used tags for reapplication, keeping more than 1 billion plastic tags out of landfill sites to date.

During this time, the organisation underwent its own transformation. Tyco International merged with Johnson Controls in 2016, which later resulted in the retail solutions portfolio being rebranded as Sensormatic Solutions in 2019. This reflected its identity not just as an electronics provider, but as a purveyor of outcome-first retailer products and solutions.

The last five years have not been easy for retailers. From COVID-19 to supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, growing ORC and more, retail leaders have had to weather many storms – and Sensormatic Solutions has been there every step of the way:

• 2022: Introduced Introduced Digital Food Safety (Compliance Manager), a configurable, innovative and easy-to-use platform designed to enhance food product traceability
• 2023: Released Released Shrink Analyzer, a first-of-its-kind loss prevention analytics application designed to give retailers visibility into where, when and how shrink happens
• 2024: Released a new, more sustainable label option – the SPX label – for retailers hoping to limit their reliance on single-use plastics
• 2025: Showcased the embedded RFID seam tag and launched a suite of new AI-driven tools, including:
  • Orbit AI, a next-generation stereoscopic people counter that seamlessly integrates shopper demographics in a single device.
  • Video AI, an edge-end image recognition sensor which uses ML and AI deep learning models to deliver insights into shopper behaviour in and around the shop.
  • Re-ID, powering both Orbit AI and Video AI, which uses non-facial physical characteristics to differentiate shoppers, assistants, repeat visitors and workers to refine traffic insights.

Plus, there’s a lot of exciting innovation happening this year and beyond. Recently, at NRF 2026, we showcased our:

• Category Level Shrink Insights
• Traffic analytics tools, like Orbit AI and Video AI
• Shrink Analyzer use cases beyond the exit and along the supply chain
• Flexible Loss-prevention & Engagement Experience Platform (FLEX)
• RFID powered hands free cycle counting
• TrueVUE Cloud expansion to a platform as a service

We’ve been driving retail forward for the past 60 years, and we’re excited to continue our work redefining shopping experiences in the next 60. To learn more about Sensormatic Solutions rich history, visit the “Celebrating 60 Years of Retail Firsts” landing page. To follow along with all things Sensormatic Solutions 60th, follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube and X.