(The Center Square) – Illinois Retail Merchants Association CEO Rob Karr isn’t surprised by the findings of a new study that concludes that local consumers now overwhelmingly prefer online shopping as a way of steering clear of the still rising retail theft crime scene.
With data showing shoplifting crimes across Chicago jumped by nearly 50% over a recent nine-month period, the new Flock Safety and Zencity survey finds consumers by a better than 2-1 margin now prefer shopping online.
“The data from this survey shows that – like retailers – consumers are increasingly concerned about shoplifting and organized retail crime,” the survey concludes. “This has led to a shift in shopping preferences, with more consumers opting for online shopping over in-person shopping.”
In addition, at 49%, researchers found more residents now also view retail crime as a serious issue, compared to the national average of 30%.
“We warned this was coming,” Karr told The Center Square. “I think the bright side is that we have a new state’s attorney in [Cook County State’s Attorney] Eileen Burke. She’s made important changes, but it’s going to take a while to undo the damage of the last eight years. We have to see how this tide turns, given her efforts, her focus of that office, but I’m not surprised by those results at the moment.”
With reported instances of shoplifting up by 27% over the last five years, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul recently joined lawmakers in pushing a national organized retail crime bill that would provide more state and federal resources to combat the problem. In 2021, Raoul established the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, which has recovered millions in stolen goods.
Karr said it’s clear what consumers want to see when they venture out.
“It has to be an engaging safe environment and if that safety isn’t there they don’t have the incentive to come, particularly downtown to the former like hotspots that we’re used to seeing them prior to the pandemic and then prior to the changes in enforcement,” he said. “The result is they go elsewhere. They’re not captive to a brick and mortar. So, you have to make sure that you’re creating an environment that encourages brick and mortar as well as online.”
Among the changes instituted by Burke’s office was resetting the threshold for charging retail theft crimes as a felony at $300. Under her predecessor Kim Foxx’s terms, the standard was set at $1,000.
Karr said there’s still plenty of work that needs to be done.
“You don’t get into any problem, whether it’s this problem or any other problem, overnight,” he added. “It’s rarely a watershed moment that suddenly everything happens. It takes a while to get in, it takes a while to get out. We’re going to have to see consistent enforcement, consistent prosecution for the criminals to realize that … they no longer have free license.”
