In the world of electronic article surveillance, hard tags have evolved to protect a wide variety of products ranging from clothing to liquor, eyewear and fashion accessories.

And one way they have improved to accommodate these different products is through the addition of cables, lanyards or straps.

Cables, lanyards and straps allow hard tags to be affixed to products like footwear, handbags and more, offering a simple yet secure solution where the pinhead of the tag is not required to pass through the product.

So let’s talk lanyard, cable, and strap tags, how they work and when they are used to best effect…

What is a lanyard or cable tag?

Cable and lanyard tags are available in a variety of styles, but the principle is always the same; rather than having the tag fix directly to the item and the tag pinhead pass through the product, in this instance the security tag is affixed to the item using a cable, lanyard or strap.

These lanyards and cables are available in different strengths featuring materials which are resistant to being cut such as steel or heavy-duty plastics.

Some lanyards have pins on the end which then lock into the tag, some have secure loops which fit onto the tag, while some feature adjustable straps that affix to the product like a zip-tie and have the tag built-in.

The benefit of these types of tag options is that they allow retailers the ability to affix security tags to a wide range of products while catering to items of different sizes, shapes and materials.

So what type of products do we mean?

Products suited to lanyard and slimline tags

Lanyard and slimline tags work with a wide variety of products but are particularly suited to those tricky items where it’s not appropriate for the pinhead of a hard to pass through the product.

That means they can be used on:

• Handbags
• Sports shoes
• Sporting goods
• Luggage
• Hardware tools

Let’s look at some examples…

Handbags

Often made of premium materials like leather, handbags frequently feature in the most stolen items’ list for both department stores and designer brands.

High in value, and easy to re-sell on the black market, they are a target for both organized retail crime (ORC) and individual shoplifters.

To combat this, lanyards are often used to affix a hard tag to the handbag, with the lanyard able to pass through either the zip-puller or the strap of the bag.

Sport Shoes

Believe it or not footwear ranks as the most commonly stolen item in the apparel and fashion accessories vertical, according to the most recent Global Retail Theft Barometer.

Lanyards and tags offer a means to protect these items in an innovative way, particularly when it comes to sports shoes. In this instance, the lanyard or slimline is inserted through a lace hole in the shoe, and can lock onto an EAS hard tag.

Luggage

Like handbags, luggage is protected with tags and lanyards by looping the lanyard through the luggage handle or through the eye of the zip-puller.

Hardware Tools

High in value and sought after by thieves, hardware tools often require an innovative approach to theft prevention. It firmly affixes to power tools or hand tools, and allows the item to be monitored by EAS at a product-based level.

The final word... 

These are just some of the ways that lanyards, cables and straps are used in conjunction with EAS Security Tags to prevent the theft of tricky items.

Of course, they can also be applied to a whole host of other products when standard clothing tags simply aren’t suited to the task.