New Zealand-founded retail crime intelligence company Auror has grown to more than 85,000 stores globally and increased annual revenue by 60% as retailers increasingly turn to intelligence and surveillance software to combat organised retail crime.
The Auckland-founded company, which provides software used by retailers to record theft, violence and repeat offending across store networks, says much of its recent growth has come from existing customers expanding Auror into overseas markets.
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Founder and chief executive officer Phil Thomson told BNZ Business Breakfast the company's growth was increasingly being driven by existing customers taking the platform into new markets.
"What's really cool is that we're being pulled by our customers - they're seeing the value in what we do, and so they're pulling us into markets that they've got stores in as well," he said.
Despite the company's global growth, Thomson said Auror remained rooted in New Zealand.
"While only 10% of our revenue probably comes from this market now... we overinvest, over-optimise here. It's a great place to start a company and as a test market."
The Auckland-founded company says revenue rose 60% over the past year as retailers globally invest more heavily in organised retail crime prevention technology. (Source: BNZ Business Breakfast) (Source: Breakfast)
Auror raised $82 million in late 2024 in a Series C funding round led by US security company Axon, valuing the company at more than $500 million.
Thomson said breaking into overseas markets had required rebuilding credibility from scratch.
"If you look at the US, probably a great example for us... the three questions that we often got were: 'Are you a US company? Who are your US customers? And where is New Zealand?'" he said.
"Even though we had great credibility down here in New Zealand and Australia, we had to start again."
Auror's rapid expansion has also brought increased attention to privacy and the use of facial recognition technology.
The company said its core platform does not operate as a camera operator or hardware provider, and prohibits retailers from entering sensitive information — such as race, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation — into the system.
Its optional Subject Recognition feature can integrate with retailer camera systems and included governance controls around how it can be used.
Facial recognition technology has faced growing scrutiny internationally over concerns around accuracy, consent and how customer data is collected and shared.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has previously warned businesses using facial recognition technology must ensure its use is necessary, proportionate and compliant with privacy laws.
Thomson said the company had invested heavily in safeguards and oversight.
"We want to make it really easy to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing," he said, adding the company believed "the good honest shopper is never impacted".
He said technology was helping retailers and police respond more effectively to organised retail crime.
"The police being more efficient is never a bad thing if they're solving more crime."
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