As much as mobile and online continue to transform retail, the physical store is still an indelible part of the retail experience (see Section 2 above), albeit one in need of a refresh.
Rising to the experiential occasion are clothing retailers like Argent, which sells corporate women’s workwear at pop-up stores and conferences.42 Meanwhile, Macy’s employs 250 stylists to craft customers’ full outfits, and Nordstrom recently opened a store without inventory, at which fashion experts build a wardrobe to later be shipped.
The justification for this increased personal attention was confirmed by a recent PwC report, where 78 percent of consumers recently called “sales associates with a deep knowledge of the product range” the most important factor in an in-store shopping experience.43
Workforce management functionality can buoy these innovative approaches by helping optimize in-store operations through:
- Swift reallocation of sales associates and cashiers from one department to another, based on real-time data on long lines
- On-demand video learning modules to improve performance and share sales strategies
- Self-service mobile functionality for mundane HR queries about scheduling, allowing managers to focus on more-strategic activities
- Text-message-enabled chatbots to automatically answer questions about benefits and payroll
Figure 4: New customer expectations
of in-store retail experiences.47
Customers are:
- Increasingly influenced by digital and less influenced by traditional retail methods.
- More discerning and demanding of detailed product knowledge when interacting with retail associates.
- Drawn to the ease and convenience of ecommerce, demanding retailers enhance their in-store experiences to drive traffic.
Digital influence on retail speed
A fluid retail team structure.
What’s most exciting about advanced workforce management software is the ability to rethink and experiment with the traditional retail structure, both in-store and at headquarters. According to Deloitte, “standardizing agility” can be a key competitive advantage, despite only 19 percent of retail executives having expertise in forming cross-functional teams.44
"Retailers with the flexibility to quickly build and deploy teams will likely be better suited to respond to unexpected market fluctuations and disruptions. [They] should also move away from hierarchical models by eliminating organizational layers and by questioning the need for middle managers. Responsibility should sit closer to where decisions have effect. The most successful retailers tend to emphasize high degrees of empowerment, strong communication, and rapid information flow."45—Deloitte
Standardizing agility can be achieved with a cloud solution that leaves the hassles of data centers and customizations behind. With a data-driven cloud system, retailers can finally have a platform providing the benefits of transformative new technologies, from the automation and chatbots of today to the AI and VR of tomorrow.
And remember: innovation can come from anywhere. Just look at Home Depot, a retail institution with a brick-and-mortar image that’s more inherent than most. By deploying an orientation and retention coach for each new employee—and creating new positions in delivery, order fulfillment, and logistical analysis—the home improvement chain has actually opened some new stores.46
- Carol Hymowitz, “Argent Is Filling the Gap in Affordable Women’s Workwear,” Bloomberg Businessweek, December 11, 2017,
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-07/argent-is-filling-the-gap-in-affordable-women-s-workwear. - “Total Retail 2017: 10 Retailer Investments for an Uncertain Future,” PwC, 2017,
pwc.com/gx/en/industries/assets/total-retail-2017.pdf. - “Retail Talent Disrupted,” Deloitte, 2016,
deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/retail-talent-disrupted.html - Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.