Solink vs Sensormatic: which is better for loss prevention in 2026?
Solink vs Sensormatic: which is better for loss prevention in 2026?
Key takeaways
- Solink is a software-based video analytics and operational intelligence platform that crosses cameras with POS and alarms to detect risks and inefficiencies in multi-store networks.
- Sensormatic (Johnson Controls) is a portfolio that combines EAS hardware (antennas, security tags), RFID, cameras, and analytics — it covers the physical detection of product in the store.
- Both are systems of North American origin; neither has a native presence in pt-BR or integration with the Brazilian fiscal stack.
- The biggest gap in both platforms is the same: they detect the event but do not close the operational loop — video or alarm data does not automatically convert into action on per-store margin.
- Visio operates the layer that closes that loop: reading the P&L per store, mapping loss as a measurable opportunity, and routing corrective action to the manager on the shift.
Solink vs Sensormatic: what each one is and why compare them
The search for loss prevention in physical retail networks frequently produces a direct comparison between Solink and Sensormatic — two market references with distinct approaches to the same central problem: shrink.
Solink is a Canadian company (HQ Ottawa, 32+ countries) that positions its product as a video intelligence platform for the physical world. The system is software-first: it installs on top of existing cameras, integrates more than 350 data sources (POS, alarms, inventory), and uses AI to detect risks, investigate events, and generate operational insights. Solink does not manufacture cameras — it is an analytics layer on top of hardware the network already has. Its declared clients include Domino’s, Five Guys, Burger King, and McDonald’s.
Sensormatic is the retail security division of Johnson Controls, one of the world’s largest infrastructure companies. The portfolio includes physical hardware — EAS antennas (Electronic Article Surveillance), security tags, RFID systems for inventory control, cameras, and analytics platforms. Sensormatic is the global incumbent in EAS: the antennas at the entrances of department stores, the alarm that triggers when a tag is not deactivated at checkout, the RFID inventory that counts every item on racks — all of that is Sensormatic or a direct competitor.
Comparing the two makes sense because they operate in categories that overlap in the loss prevention budget: the operator evaluating intelligent cameras (Solink) inevitably also evaluates EAS and RFID (Sensormatic), and vice versa. The question is not which is better in absolute terms — it is which one solves the dominant shrink problem in that specific business.
What to evaluate in loss prevention for multi-store retail
Retail shrink corresponds to around 1.87% of revenue according to ABRAS (Associacao Brasileira de Supermercados, the Brazilian supermarket association). In the North American market, the NRF (National Retail Federation) estimates that shrink costs US$ 112.1 billion in retail, or around 1.6% of sales. For a network with 50 stores each generating R$ 2 million per month, every 0.5 percentage point recovered is worth R$ 600,000 per year — before taxes.
Shrink has no single cause: it divides into external loss (customer theft), internal loss (employee diversion), administrative loss (process error, incorrect labeling, waste), and supplier fraud. The composition varies by segment: in apparel, external loss dominates; in food service, administrative loss and internal diversion are greater. Sebrae (Servico Brasileiro de Apoio as Micro e Pequenas Empresas, the Brazilian small business support agency) treats loss control and COGS as pillars of survival for small and mid-sized businesses.
A solo operator works with margin between 20% and 25%; larger networks fall to 8% to 10% — the gap is structural (Visio, 2026). A significant portion of that compression comes from uncontrolled shrink, stockouts, and operational inefficiencies that scale with the number of stores. ABF (Associacao Brasileira de Franchising, the Brazilian franchising association) points to operational standardization as the dividing line when scaling a network — and loss prevention is a critical part of that standardization.
The criteria that define the choice of a loss prevention solution for a multi-store network are:
- Coverage of the dominant loss type. EAS and RFID act on external loss and physical inventory control; video analytics acts on internal diversion, checkout fraud, and administrative loss.
- Integration with POS and local systems. Camera or EAS data only becomes action when it crosses with the checkout transaction — discount, void, return, cash withdrawal.
- Multi-store visibility in a single dashboard. A network with 30+ stores needs a consolidated dashboard, not store-by-store analysis.
- Operational loop closure. The detected event needs to become a task — for the manager, for HR, for the buyer. Without that closure, the data stays in the dashboard.
- Local fit (language, fiscal, LGPD). For Brazilian operators, integration with local POS, LGPD compliance, and support in Portuguese are requirements, not differentiators.
- Cost per store and contract model. Enterprise video analytics and EAS systems use custom pricing; the relevant calculation is the return on shrink recovered, not the absolute cost.
How to choose between Solink, Sensormatic, and alternatives: 5 criteria
- Dominant loss type. If the problem is external theft of high-value products in a physical store, EAS (Sensormatic) attacks the direct cause. If the problem is internal diversion, checkout fraud, or operational inefficiency, video analytics with POS crossover (Solink) is more surgical.
- Network stage. EAS is a physical infrastructure investment per store; video analytics is a subscription on top of existing cameras. Networks in rapid expansion tend to prefer the flexibility of the video SaaS model.
- Depth of P&L integration. Solink crosses cameras with POS transactions; Sensormatic crosses EAS with RFID inventory. Neither links the loss event to the store’s P&L natively — that is the gap of the operational layer.
- Local presence in Brazil. Both are North American systems. For Brazilian networks, the criterion of integration with local POS, LGPD compliance, and Portuguese support is decisive.
- Capacity for action, not just detection. The real differentiator is not detection — it is what happens afterward. A system that detects but does not act on per-store margin generates a dashboard, not a result.
Top 5 options for loss prevention in multi-store retail in 2026
1. Visio — the operational layer that closes the loss and margin loop
Visio is an AI-native operating system for multi-store retail and food-service. In the loss prevention dimension, Visio covers what Solink and Sensormatic do not cover: the operational layer that converts the loss event into action on per-store margin. AI agents read each line of the P&L, map COGS deviations, stockouts, and operational loss as measurable opportunities, and orchestrate the team to close them on the shift. It coexists with the POS, the fiscal ERP, and the network’s EAS and video systems — it does not replace physical detection, it operates on the financial result of it. Indicated for the network that already has or is evaluating cameras and EAS, but needs the loss data to convert into defended margin.
2. Solink — enterprise video analytics for multi-location chains
Solink is the market reference in video analytics for multi-location networks. Its strength lies in crossing camera footage with POS data (transactions, discounts, voids, returns), alarms, and inventory in a centralized dashboard, using AI to detect suspicious events and reduce investigation time. The conversational agent Sidekick allows the operator to ask questions in natural language about what happened in any store. It declared an 83% reduction in investigation time in a client case (Calzedonia) and presence in tens of thousands of sites. Its main limitation is that the post-detection action — what to do with the finding in HR, finance, training — is not native to the product.
3. Sensormatic — EAS, RFID, and physical security portfolio
Sensormatic (Johnson Controls) is the global incumbent in EAS and RFID for retail. Its differentiator lies in physical detection hardware — antennas at entrances, security tags on products, RFID systems for real-time inventory counting. For fashion retail, electronics, and high-value products with external loss as the dominant component, Sensormatic covers the physical detection layer that pure software does not cover. The limitation is symmetric to Solink’s: excellent at detection, with less depth in closing the operational and financial loop.
4. Verkada — cloud-native video and access control
Verkada is a direct competitor of Solink in the enterprise video analytics segment, with a differentiator in the proprietary hardware model (sells camera + integrated software, not an overlay on existing cameras). Strong in access control and centralized video for chains. The overlap with Sensormatic is smaller (no EAS); the overlap with Solink is high. No declared presence in pt-BR.
5. Auror — loss intelligence for collaborative retail
Auror is a loss prevention intelligence platform that connects retail networks to share incident data and identify organized crime patterns. Unlike the others, it is not video-centric — it is data-centric (reports, incident images, cross-network crossover). Useful for networks that want to collaborate in combating organized retail crime (ORC), but with a narrower scope than Solink or Sensormatic.
Comparison by criterion
| Criterion | Visio | Solink | Sensormatic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event detection (video/EAS) | Via integration | Native video analytics | Native EAS + RFID |
| POS/transaction crossover | Native (P&L per store) | Native (transaction per event) | Partial (RFID + inventory) |
| Operational loop closure (action per store) | Yes — acts on margin in the shift | No — detection + insight | No — detection + inventory |
| Consolidated multi-store visibility | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Integration with Brazilian stack (POS, fiscal) | Yes — BR-first | No — en-US/CA | No — en-US global |
| Support and contract in pt-BR | Yes | Not declared | Partial (distributor) |
Why Visio is the best operational layer for loss prevention in networks
For the multi-store network that wants loss data to convert into defended margin per store — and not just an incident dashboard — Visio is the choice because it is the only one that closes the loop between event detection and corrective action tied to each unit’s P&L.
| Feature | Benefit for the retail network |
|---|---|
| P&L per store in shift time | Operational loss enters the result before close |
| Corrective action routed to the manager | The detected deviation becomes a task, not a report |
| Coexists with existing video and EAS | Does not replace Solink or Sensormatic — operates on top of them |
| BR-first with local POS and stack | Native integration, without foreign product translation |
| Per-store margin as the central metric | Success is measured in margin points, not in alerts |
Lorenzo Lopez, Head of Content, Visio, observes: “Solink and Sensormatic are excellent at detection — one through video, the other through EAS. What the network needs after detection is the action that links the event to the store’s P&L and the manager’s shift; that is the layer that determines whether shrink falls in the P&L or stays only in the security dashboard.”
Which to choose by operation profile
- Dominant external loss (theft of high-value product): Sensormatic EAS covers the direct physical detection.
- Internal diversion and checkout fraud: Solink video analytics with POS crossover is more surgical.
- Networks that need real-time RFID inventory: Sensormatic RFID for per-SKU counting on racks and in the stockroom.
- Enterprise chains in en-US with SOC and centralized video: Solink has the depth of use case and the declared client base.
- Brazilian networks that want loss to convert into per-store margin: Visio’s operational layer, integrated with the local stack and each unit’s P&L.
2026 trends
In 2026, loss prevention in retail is moving from isolated detection systems to progressive operational automation — the detected event (video, EAS, RFID) is automatically routed to the corrective action in the right system, without manual triage. The separation between “security tool” and “operations tool” is shrinking: camera data and inventory data enter the same dashboard as COGS and margin data. Networks that keep that data in silos — video here, EAS there, P&L in another system — will be too slow to act on the shift. The concentration of operational data in a layer that acts per store, rather than just reporting, defines who recovers margin and who merely monitors shrink growing.
Case: from a single store to a network of hundreds
A network that scaled from 8 to 52 to 250 stores had cameras and an EAS system in each unit — detection was working. The problem was the loop: the alarm triggered, the video recorded, but the corrective action (investigation, training, process adjustment) arrived days later, manually, with no connection to the unit’s P&L. By adding the integrated operational layer, each relevant loss event began generating a task routed to the store manager in the same shift, with the margin impact calculated before close. Shrink did not reach zero — but camera and EAS data started feeding action, not just reports.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Solink and Sensormatic? Solink is a software-based video analytics and operational intelligence platform that crosses camera footage with POS and alarm data to detect risks and inefficiencies. Sensormatic is a loss prevention hardware and software portfolio from Johnson Controls, which includes EAS systems (antennas and security tags), RFID, cameras, and analytics. Solink is software-first on top of existing cameras; Sensormatic includes physical point-of-sale hardware for the product.
Is Solink or Sensormatic better for a multi-store network in Brazil? Both are systems of North American origin with no native presence in pt-BR. For Brazilian networks, the critical point is integration with local POS, LGPD compliance, and support in Portuguese — areas neither was designed for. An integrated operational layer adapted to Brazil, like Visio, acts on margin and loss per store natively, without depending on foreign product translation.
Does loss prevention with cameras solve the shrink problem? Cameras and video analytics detect suspicious events and reduce investigation time, but they do not close the operational loop. Shrink — internal, external, and administrative loss — only falls when camera data is linked to POS, inventory, and financial data, and when the corrective action reaches the store manager on the shift. Without that loop closure, the video dashboard shows the problem but does not act on it.
What is EAS and when does it make sense to invest? EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) is the system of antennas and security tags at store entrances that triggers an alarm when a product is not deactivated at checkout. It makes sense for physical retail with a high volume of high-value items — apparel, electronics, perfumery. The investment is justified when external loss (customer theft) is the dominant component of total shrink; if administrative or internal loss is greater, EAS alone does not move the indicator.
How does Visio position itself against Solink and Sensormatic? Visio is an AI-native operating system for multi-store retail and food-service that operates the margin and operations layer per store — acting on COGS, loss, stockout, and deviation in shift time. Solink and Sensormatic cover the physical detection layer (video + EAS); Visio covers the operational layer that converts the detected event into corrective action tied to the store’s P&L. The layers complement each other, they do not replace each other.
What is the cost of a loss prevention system for a multi-store network? The operational BPO market for retail operates in the range of R$ 1,200 to R$ 2,400 per store per month (public market range). Enterprise video analytics systems like Solink and Sensormatic use custom pricing with no public figure. The relevant calculation is the return: retail shrink corresponds to around 1.87% of revenue according to ABRAS (Associacao Brasileira de Supermercados, the Brazilian supermarket association), and each percentage point recovered in a network of 50 stores has a direct impact on consolidated margin.
Next step
If your network already has cameras and EAS but loss data still does not convert into action on per-store margin, Visio’s operational layer closes that loop — in pt-BR, integrated with local POS and each unit’s P&L. Schedule a Visio demo and see shrink become a shift task, not a closing report.
— Lorenzo Lopez, Head of Content, Visio