If you sell auto parts today, you’re fighting a two-front war: rising costs and rising shrink. Parts were already high ticket; now, with broad tariffs touching a huge portion of the automotive supply chain, and headline rates around 25% on some vehicle categories, sticker prices are climbing. That squeezes honest shoppers and, unfortunately, makes parts a hotter target for opportunistic theft and organized retail crime (ORC).
The uncomfortable truth: many auto parts retailers and discount stores with automotive aisles still rely on “eyes on” security and hope. That’s no match for rising incentives to steal. Even if you’re not ready for a full Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) rollout (you should consider it), you can still make a big dent in shrink with smart, lightweight physical protection, especially tag/label solutions built for metal heavy merchandise.
Below is a practical playbook you can put to work this quarter.
Why Auto Parts Need AM EAS (Not RF)
Automotive SKUs are infamous for being hard to protect: metal housings, foil pouches, conductive packaging, liquids (oils, additives), clamshells tossed into metal carts, the works. RF (8.2 MHz) labels can struggle around metal and liquids, leading to inconsistent detection or false alarms.
Acousto-Magnetic (AM, 58 kHz) systems are simply better for this category:
Metal tolerance: Some AM labels and hard tags perform reliably near/on metal and liquids.
Range & speed: Strong detection through wider exits and busy doorways.
Deactivation reliability: Designed for high volume POS with consistent knockdown.
If automotive is more than a tiny corner of your assortment, AM should be your baseline.
Start with High-Impact, Low-Friction Labeling
Even without pedestals day one, visible tags and security lanyards are deterrents. And once your EAS gates are installed, you’re already standardized.
Workhorse AM Labels for Automotive
ZLDRS1 / ZLDRS2 AM Labels (Classic Workhorses)
Compact footprint, consistent detection, POS deactivation that doesn’t slow the line. Ideal for:
Spark plugs & ignition components
Wiper blades (inside or on the sleeve)
Small electronics (OBD scanners, chargers)
Additives & cleaners (on the bottle, AM handles liquids better)
Metal Sheet Label (On-Metal Champion)
When packaging is fully metallic or has large metallic panels, standard labels underperform. The Metal Sheet Label is tuned for direct application to metal surfaces or metallic packaging so you can finally protect SKUs that used to be “unprotectable.” Use it on:
Brake pads/rotors in metalized or foil boxes
Alternators, starters, and sensors with metallic housings
Premium filters in foil pouches
APX Sheet Labels (Premium Performance)
These deliver exceptional range, sensitivity, and tamper resistance with rock-solid deactivation and minimal nuisance alarms. They’re excellent when you need consistent results across mixed environments (liquids, foil, metal carts). Highlights:
Reliable detection with proven AM tech
Small footprint preserves branding & instructions
Built tough for shop floor handling
Expands protection to categories you previously skipped
Where to place labels:
On boxes: inside the flap or underside to deter quick removal.
On clamshell: on the insert card, behind branding.
On bottles: vertical placement along the back label where it won’t peel easily.
When Pins Won’t Work: Lanyards That Alarm
Not every item takes a pin (foam grips, rubber hoses, wiring kits, tool sets, odd shapes). That’s where a compact alarming lanyard shines.
Magnetic Mini Alarming 2-Tone Lanyard
Two-tone audible alarm escalates attention if cut or forced.
Small footprint keeps the product shoppable and doesn’t kill the planogram.
Integrated cable wraps handles, hang holes, or hardware loops, no pinholes.
Open merchandising stays possible so you don’t sacrifice sales for security.
Great for:
Premium wiper multipacks & blade refills
Diagnostic tools & specialty hand tools
Fuel system cleaners in multi bottle sleeves
Tow straps, jumper cables, air compressors, portable inflators
Build a Fast Tagging Matrix (90 Minutes, Real Results)
You don’t need to tag everything. Prioritize by price, theft history, and resale value.
Pull last 90 days of shrink + POS: Rank SKUs by unit loss x price.
Bucket SKUs by packaging: paperboard/clam, foil/metal, liquid bottles, odd-shapes.
Assign protection type:
Paperboard/clam → ZLDRS1/ZLDRS2
Foil/metal → Metal Sheet Label or APX Sheet Label
Liquids → ZLDRS1/ZLDRS2/APX Sheet Label (great near liquids/carts)
Odd-shape/high-risk → Mini Alarming 2-Tone Lanyard
Pilot one aisle or 50 SKUs: Measure alert rate, detags at POS, and recovery incidents for 2–4 weeks.
Refine & scale: Add hard tags for the top 10 loss drivers if labeling alone isn’t enough.
Don’t Forget the Front End: POS and Exit
Even basic infrastructure boosts your label ROI.
AM Pedestals at Primary Exits: The single most effective step for sustained shrink reduction. You’ll see the deterrence effect in under a week.
Deactivators at Every Lane: If labels aren’t reliably deactivated, associates stop trusting the system. AM deactivators should be plug and play and fast.
Cart Choke Points: If you run a cart heavy format, align pedestals for full cart coverage; AM excels here.
Signage: A simple “Protected by EAS” decal and visible labels reduces grab and go behavior.
ORC Tactics Are Evolving, So Should Your Response
Tariff driven price pressure increases demand for fenced goods. Auto parts are portable, easy to flip, and essential, exactly what ORC rings want. A few frontline best practices:
Mix visible and covert protection. Visible labels deter casual theft; covert labels surprise repeat offenders.
Randomize label placement. Don’t train bad actors on a single “peel here” spot.
Serial number capture for high value cores/components. Pair with lanyard protection to cut returns fraud.
Zone cameras to aisle ends. Pair with alarming lanyards for a one-two punch.
Train fast “detag and inspect” at POS. Keep false alarms low to maintain credibility.
ROI: How This Pays for Itself Quickly
A simple back-of-napkin model:
Current category shrink: $6,000/month
After AM labels + targeted lanyards: conservative 35–55% reduction in 60 days
Savings: $2,100–$3,300/month
Hardware + labels for a pilot bay: often paid back in 1–2 months
Enterprise rollout: use your pilot metrics to forecast by store and seasonality
(Your exact numbers will vary, season, store format, and ORC pressure matter. The point: properly chosen AM protection typically pays back fast in automotive.)
A Quick Starter Kit for Auto Aisles
AM Pedestals for all exits (scalable to bathroom doors)
AM Deactivation Pads at every POS
ZLDRS1 / ZLDRS2 labels for cartonized/clam merchandise
Metal Sheet Labels for direct-to-metal and metallic packaging
ZLDRS1 / ZLDRS2/APX Sheet Labels for liquids, foils, and mixed environments with carts
Magnetic Mini Alarming 2-Tone Lanyards for odd-shape, high-risk SKUs
Add a store specific tagging matrix and 30 minute associate training, and you’re operational.
Bottom Line
Auto parts have always been valuable; tariffs and higher retail prices just made them more tempting. You don’t need to choose between sales and security.