How associate empowerment is driving the need for retail tech
This blog is based on the Key Retail Trajectory “Associate Engagement: High-Tech Drives High-Touch” from retail thought leader Carol Spieckerman, for more on this trajectory and 3 others, check out this webinar.
The associate empowerment movement has taken center stage. Gone are the days when retail associates were treated as mere numbers, with little regard for their well-being and career development.
Today, retailers understand the importance of engaging and empowering their associates to create a positive and productive work environment.
This blog explores the associate empowerment movement in retail, delves into the harmonious relationship between high tech and high touch, and presents best practices for implementing retail technology that empowers and enhances the associate experience.
The associate empowerment movement
Associate engagement has come full circle. For a while everyone was saying people in retail are treated like a number and it’s just about getting warm bodies. That has changed so much because of all of the tools that are available now.
Retail stores are a much more positive and empowering environment and retailers want to retain the great talent they have, they want their associates to be engaged and in it for the long haul. They want them to build skills and careers with them.
This sales associate empowerment movement flies in the face of the myth that automation and technology are going to take over and that people power is gonna go by the wayside.
The ultimate goal in retail is for high tech to drive high touch experiences.They work hand in hand, and it’s not a zero sum game— but you do need to know how to balance the two.
Balancing high tech and high touch
The challenge is about managing the handoffs between high tech and high touch and deciding when automation or technology is a better answer, or when people need to be front and center.
How can retailers execute the handoff in a way that makes associates feel empowered rather than diminished or even threatened?
High tech is not a replacement, and neither is high touch. It’s not like a self checkout lane at the grocery store versus the human cashier. One doesn’t get rid of the other in retail.
Retailers need the tools, but the tools are there to enhance the associate, and help them be productive with all of the things they need to get done, and the sales goals that they have to achieve.
Best practices for implementing retail technology
1. Don’t overly-complicate technology
Firstly, when implementing new solutions into an organization, it’s really important that it’s not overly complicated.
If you give an associate tools that are so complicated that you need a hundred page manual to figure out how to use it, that’s not helpful. It needs to be something that is going to achieve the results that you want in a way that is straightforward enough that associates feel empowered, not hindered.
To do that, retailers need to focus on the things that associates are struggling with that they need to make easier, faster, and simpler. Training needs to be focused on how the tools do that, and the business use cases, instead of the technical “push this button and then this button and this thing happens”.
Putting technology in the hands of associates lets them do the most amount of work in the shortest amount of time, which then puts them right back where everyone wants them to be, which is on the sales floor because that’s where they’re happiest, that’s where the company is making money.
2. Make sure customer data is accessible
Secondly, associates need to have access to data points on their clients and their business.
When a customer walks into a store for the first time, there’s a series of questions that everyone asks “have you been here before?”, “what do you like?”, and “what’s your size?”.
If associates have data points that tell them that already by just knowing the customer’s name, then they can skip fifteen minutes of questions and get to the good stuff, which is what you’re here for.
By storing this robust customer data in a cloud-based clienteling solution, associates can also know everything about a customer who has never been in their store, even if they’re from another country. Having access to this information isn’t just helpful to the associates, but it also helps give customers a consistent experience with the brand which helps boost loyalty— this is something that global brands like COACH implement in their stores.
3. Provide a way to communicate across channels
Lastly, associates need to be able to contact customers who aren’t in-store.
Selling isn’t just within the four walls of the store, now it happens anywhere— on computers, apps, and social media.
So, giving an associate customer data that lets them know who their clients empowers them to filter and organize their lists to target their outreach and reach customers where they are. That way, messages are personalized and actually sound like they’re coming from the associate— a trusted advisor— instead of a corporate marketing team.
And even if that message was sent to a hundred people, every person will feel like it’s a message just for them because it targets their specific wants, likes, and needs. And these associate-led messages convert into a sale at twice the rate of corporate messages.
For an associate, it’s also very empowering to know that they can manage their business and track the impacts of their efforts. By being able to see if a message resonated with their audience and how many people bought from the messaging helps associates know what did well, what didn’t, and what they can do to change their behaviors and messaging accordingly to maximize their efforts.
When discussing high tech and best practices, that’s the crux of it. The maximization of effort to get the most out of the least amount of work.
Bringing it all together
The associate empowerment movement in retail aims to create a positive and empowering environment that fosters associate engagement and retention.
This movement challenges the myth that automation and technology will replace human power in retail. Instead, the goal is to leverage technology to enhance the capabilities of associates and blend high tech and high touch experiences.
By implementing retail technology following best practices, such as avoiding overly complicated solutions, providing access to customer data, and enabling cross-channel communication, retailers can empower associates to deliver exceptional customer experiences, increase sales, and build long-term relationships with customers.
This approach ultimately benefits both the associates and the retail organization as a whole.
Learn more
Want to learn more about the solutions behind the experiences at the world’s most iconic retailers like David Yurman, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Mulberry, Saks Fifth Avenue, Ferragamo, COACH, and Michael Kors?
Check out Tulip’s mobile-first omnichannel Clienteling and Point of Sale solutions or contact us today for a demo!
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