A potent mix of changing shopping behaviours, spiralling overheads and increased competition meant many retailers were already being squeezed hard before the pandemic. Now, after large swathes of non-essential retailers were forced to close their doors during two nationwide lockdowns, the fight for physical retail’s future is well and truly on.
1. Staff spark success
Speak to the retail experts and they’ll tell you three things that are crucial for the future of physical retail: bridging the gap between online and physical stores, increased innovation and the use of smart tech, and turning store staff into brand champions in order to deliver on customer expectations.
It’s this final point - the role of store staff - that’s pivotal. 2020 has been rife with uncertainty and unknowns for retail employees. From not knowing when they’re working next through to their job roles evolving (for example, the rise of click and collect and curbside pick-up services have seen retail staff performing different roles yet still providing a crucial link between the business and the consumer), they’ve had to adapt and overcome, often learning as they go with limited support from their employer.
As Tristan Rogers, CEO of Concrete Platform, told us earlier this year: “2020 has demonstrated how critical associates are to retail. If you can't work on an individual level with all of your employees and if you can't educate them, and engage them, and take them on a journey, you’ll always be dealing with a constant churn problem.
“Physical retail will only be brought to life by great store staff. So, now is about making sure you really understand what the value of your associates is. “
Yet it’s here - in how valued associates feel - where a huge number of retailers are failing.
When we talk about the challenges retailers face, we tend to look at external factors or focus on productivity and efficiency. Rarely do we stop to consider the state of retail’s workforce.
We took the time to do so earlier this year and the results from our report The State of the Deskless Workforce 2020 were startling.
Of the retail employees we surveyed:
The numbers paint a bleak picture especially when we consider how important engaged and happy employees are for retail - a positive employee experience creates a better customer experience with increased sales, more repeat visits, more loyalty, and bigger basket sizes.
The good news is, creating a best-in-class employee experience isn’t hard. It might not happen overnight but, by investing in your most precious resource, and supplementing it with a smart use of tech, you’ll be laying the groundwork for short and long term success.
You can improve your employee experience by:
If you improve the employee experience, you’ll have happier employees who are more productive, take less sick days, provide better customer service and are more engaged.
Download our report on the state of the deskless workforce in 2020 for more insight and analysis.