In an age when consumers can make a purchase with the click of a mouse, brick-and-mortar retailers are facing some big obstacles. But outside competition isn’t the only problem plaguing the trade. It has one of the highest employee turnover rates of any industry. To be competitive, focus on your biggest asset: your frontline workers.
Adopting a team app to manage internal communications will give your retail store an edge by improving the employee experience and increasing retention. This will save money, increase consumer satisfaction, and help you outperform the competition.
It costs retailers an average of $3,400 to replace an hourly worker. To keep your staff engaged and onboard, start by shifting priorities. Make employee experience the top action item of your business plan. Implementing a mobile solution will include your entire team in the internal conversation, and show them you’re invested in their well being at work. Retails employers who invest in technology for their frontline team boost retention by 26%.
Here’s how an app improves the retail employee experience and makes your business more competitive.
Redefine Your Retail Culture
Your first step should be a culture shake up. Throw out your top-down approach. You want to facilitate a back and forth with your entire staff, start listening, start sharing, and encourage your employees to communicate back. A team app for non-desk workers, like Beekeeper, builds a two-way communication bridge via mobile devices. Use it to share the company’s visions, goals, quarterly reports (good or bad,) and other relevant information. Transparency is the first reason retailers should adopt a team communication app. It creates a culture of inclusivity, which directly impacts employee engagement.
As Forbes Magazine recently declared, “Transparency is the new normal for retail.” This cultural philosophy flows to a retailer’s customer as well. Whether it’s food or clothing, the modern consumer wants to be educated about the products they purchase, such as ingredients and origins. An app can provide your retail store associates with all of the information they can share with the customer. It boosts your employee’s confidence which builds consumer trust and loyalty.
A Mobile Solution Puts People First
If you want to be rewarded with great sales and a solid bottom line, put people first. If you have an employee-centric communications strategy, your product will end up being the star of the show thanks to a productive, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic sales team. A well-informed, positive interaction with your team creates a better customer experience, one they’ll prefer even over the ease of shopping online. Most people research products online before they shop at a physical retailer. An app can give your staff the information a consumer needs in real time. Human interaction is a big benefit of the in-store experience. Make it great for your customer.
“We needed a way to communicate with our retail associates without disrupting the customer experience. Implementing Beekeeper at MediaMarkt was the perfect solution to fit these needs. We now have the ability to reach our colleagues fast and efficiently. We can communicate the right information to the right colleagues at the appropriate time, which has not only increased our productivity, but also enriched the employee experience.”
–Luca Turina, Human Resources, MediaMarkt
From Retail Sales Associates to Strategic Partners
On average, retail workers walk three miles during their shift. Over the course of those miles they’re touching the products, hearing consumer feedback, seeing how items move off the shelf, which sales strategies work, and which ones don’t. An app will give them an avenue to relay this invaluable information back to you. Ask for ideas and input from this frontline team. Your retail staff are your brand ambassadors and a mobile communication solution enables you to make them strategic partners, too.
An App Empowers Your Retail Team
A mobile solution like Beekeeper has features that support and empower your workforce. We’ve already established that a team app gives them a voice in the company dialogue. But access to their personal data like payroll, benefits, and online scheduling will give them more autonomy, something most hourly workers don’t have.
77% of store associates don’t have the ability to re-order out-of-stock items. Every hour an item is off the shelves can mean customers lost to other retailers. An app allows employees to report and/or reorder low-stock products. Delegating this responsibility puts trust in your team, another app element that’s rewarded with a more engaged team.
In-store consumer spending was up an average of 5% the first half of 2018. To make sure those consumers spend their dollars with your business, elevate the employee experience with an app. You’ll attract top talent, reduce turnover, and increase productivity, and, lo and behold, see your bottom line grow.
