Case Study: 88% Reduction in Sweethearting in Just 2 Weeks

Bluemont Group + VuPoint iQ™ + March Networks Searchlight

Background: Bluemont Group + Operational Excellence

Bluemont Group, LLC is a leading Dunkin’ franchisee operating over 90 stores across seven U.S. markets. Known for operational integrity and culture, Bluemont was named Franchisee of the Year by Dunkin’ in 2022 and continues to lead with its core values of Respect, Integrity, Serve, and Excellence (RISE).

As an established user of March Networks Searchlight, Bluemont has long had access to transactional and video exception data. In early 2025, they launched a focused initiative to convert that visibility into measurable outcomes — supported by VuPoint iQ™, the intelligent operations platform that assembles and activates data into frontline action.

Challenge: Targeting a Persistent Loss Pattern

Sweethearting — where employees provide unauthorized discounts or free items to friends or regulars — often goes undetected due to its “legitimate” appearance in transaction logs. While Searchlight flagged exceptions, the behavior persisted across locations with no consistent improvement.

In response, Bluemont initiated a focused 9-week review, beginning the week of March 31, 2025, to better understand and resolve the issue using VuPoint iQ™ to assemble and clarify incident patterns — in partnership with AnchorPoint.

Goals & Objectives of the 9-Week Initiative

The initiative aimed to resolve — not just observe — internal loss. Bluemont’s goals included:

• Establishing a consistent baseline for sweethearting

• Identifying repeat offenders and high-risk behaviors

• Structuring incidents with video, receipt, and timing context

• Empowering LP teams to respond with speed and precision

• Sustaining reduction in incident volume beyond short-term dips

Establishing the Baseline: Measuring the Starting Point

To quantify progress, Bluemont and VuPoint iQ™ anchored all incident tracking to Week 1 (March 31, 2025) — defining it as the 100% baseline for sweethearting activity.

Each subsequent week’s incident count was calculated as a percentage of this baseline. This provided a consistent reference point for comparing progress across teams, stores, and time — helping isolate trend shifts regardless of operational complexity.

This gave leadership a simple but powerful way to evaluate whether change was happening — and whether it was sticking.

Not All Incidents Are Equal — But Most Were Real Loss

Each flagged incident was reviewed through VuPoint iQ™ with full operational context. The results showed that the overwhelming majority of behavior was not harmless error:

• 80–85% of incidents were true policy violations or preventable loss

• 10–12% involved procedural or operational breakdowns

• 5–8% indicated training or coaching needs

These insights confirmed that the problem wasn’t noise — it was meaningful, measurable loss.

VuPoint iQ™ enabled Bluemont’s LP team to focus attention where it mattered most — enforcing policy and reinforcing accountability with precision and fairness.

From Data to Action: The VuPoint iQ™ Advantage

Searchlight provided the raw exception data. VuPoint iQ™, in partnership with AnchorPoint, elevated that data by:

• Assembling video, receipt, and behavioral patterns into clear incident narrativesGrouping activity by store and employee

• Consulting reviews between AP and Bluemont LP to align on incident patterns, prioritize coaching opportunities, and escalate repeat behaviors

• Visualizing incident trends for fast pattern recognition

During Weeks 1–6, incident volumes ranged from 29% to 94% of the Week 1 baseline — showing that awareness alone wasn’t driving behavior change.

Week 7: LP Intervention Powered by Precision

In Week 7 (starting May 12, 2025), Bluemont’s seasoned LP team launched a targeted campaign informed by VuPoint iQ™ incident packages.

This wasn’t the beginning of LP involvement — it was the amplification of an already capable and disciplined team. VuPoint iQ™ eliminated the manual lift of assembling evidence, allowing the LP team to:

• Redirect time toward coaching and culture-building

• Deliver targeted store-level feedback using real incident footage and receipts

• Re-establish expectations around comps, scanning, and checkout behavior

• Confidently escalate repeat-pattern issues

VuPoint iQ™ helped the LP team shift from reactive review to proactive correction — without adding headcount or friction.

Results: Rapid Reduction, Sustained Change

The effect of the Week 7 intervention was both immediate and lasting:

• Week 8: Sweethearting dropped to 12% of baseline — an 88% reduction

• Week 9: Incident levels remained at 12%, confirming a true behavior shift

  • 88% reduction in one week

  • Sustained improvement with no backslide

  • Stronger store response due to high-quality incident evidence

  • LP efficiency increased — more impact with less manual investigation

What Made It Possible: Expertise Meets Technology

This outcome was not just about tools — it was about combining the on-the-ground expertise of Bluemont’s LP team with the precision and clarity delivered by VuPoint iQ™ and AnchorPoint.

• March Networks Searchlight provided the core video and transaction-level exception data

• VuPoint iQ™ transformed that data into structured incident narratives and pattern recognition

• AnchorPoint collaborated with Bluemont LP to interpret trends, identify root causes, and direct coaching with surgical focus

This was the power of human judgment + system intelligence — not replacing expertise, but amplifying it.

By aligning technology with talent, Bluemont accelerated its ability to act decisively and sustain change.

Conclusion: From Exception to Execution

This 9-week initiative proves that when a skilled LP team is equipped with precision tools and collaborative insight, they can transition from chasing issues to shaping performance.

• Key Outcomes:

  • Shift from reactive casework to proactive coaching and accountability

  • 88% reduction in sweethearting incidents

  • 80–85% of incidents confirmed as true loss

  • Sustained improvement across multiple stores

  • LP team empowered through VuPoint iQ™ and AnchorPoint review — faster, sharper interventions

Bluemont’s LP team led the change — VuPoint iQ™ and AnchorPoint gave them the structure to act, and the confidence to correct.