Having just come off stage at Shoptalk, I'd like to reflect on the topics discussed and have a candid conversation about THE ROLE OF STORE ASSOCIATES in today's fast-paced retail environment.

Store Associates are now expected to not only deliver exceptional IN-STORE shopping experiences for customers but take on a multitude of other roles too - place online orders in-store, fulfil ship-form-store and click & collect orders, manage inventory, process returns, contact customers remotely, etc...

However, despite their crucial role in driving sales and enhancing customer loyalty, store associates are NOT rewarded for these extra roles, and often lack the tools they need to leverage product inventory or customer data to fulfil these roles effectively, and as some of my colleagues on stage shared, recruiting and retaining staff is equally a vital area of concern that we as a retail community need to address.

On this point, fellow panellist Steven Kramer Co-founder & CEO - WorkJam commented,"employees are frustrated because they don’t know what they are doing because retailers have too much in store technology that they struggle to use; usually up to 6/7 apps". 

Which is a really interesting point, and is why we at Mercaux took a composable-first approach which consolidates the multiple store associate apps into one single end-to-end platform where they can access all the product, customer and omnichannel transaction data to perform the multitude of roles expected from them today

At the same time, with the rise of e-commerce, mobile shopping, and social media, customers have become increasingly tech-savvy and demanding in their shopping expectations. In response, retailers have had to shift their focus towards a more customer-centric approach that prioritises the in-store experience.

To empower store associates to deliver exceptional shopping experiences, in-store digital platforms such as Mercaux have emerged to make their multiple jobs easier to perform. Now store associates can access real-time product information and inventory levels, customer data and preferences, place online orders and checkout in-store, all from a single platform.

Additionally, Mercaux's clienteling solution, for example, allows store associates to capture customers' in-store product interests and wish lists, even if they are not ready to buy today, and pass it to e-commerce and marketing. That means that sales people are rewarded for the sale even if happens later online and contribute to overall customer LTV. It also allows them to follow up with customers after they visited the store or invite customers who haven't purchased for a while to a private sale or styling event, essentially turning sales people also into marketing employees.

We conducted a survey in Q1 of this year with store associates to understand the sentiment and value that they associate with the Mercaux platform. I shared these results during the panel discussion to show how tools such as Mercaux can make the lives of store associates better.

With the competition for talent at an all-time high, retailers are looking for ways to attract and retain top-performing employees. In-store digital platforms can help provide store associates with the tools they need to be successful and feel valued.

Please get in touch with me if you'd like to continue the conversation.