Consumers have never had more choice when it comes to outlets to buy their next big ticket item. For retailers, this has raised the bar, and ahead of a big product launch, understanding the customer journey is critical to achieving sales.
For many, the belief that the journey starts as the customer enters the store is outdated. This began long before they stepped foot on the high street, having likely started when they saw ads, surfed social media, asked friends for recommendations, completed research online, and made a conscious decision to step into a store because they were ready to make a decision.
This places significance on the importance of frontline teams as the shop floor is where the product story is expected to resonate with consumers and come to life to work hard in converting a sale. While retailers continue to invest heavily on the in-store experience in line with perceived demand and expectations, with new fit-outs, promotions and loyalty incentives, the readiness of the workforce is sometimes treated as a secondary consideration. For HR and people leaders, this represents a material risk to ROI for both retailer and brand, in particular amongst product launches and new category ranges in-store.
Good Customer Service is More Than Just Sales
Customer experience is increasingly determinative of commercial success. According to recent research, 52% of consumers have stopped buying from a brand due to a bad experience, with 29% citing poor customer experience (online or in-person) as the primary reason 1. This means that retailers must invest time and energy, not necessarily budget, to ensure that staff training is the cornerstone of any product launch or sales strategy, particularly where it’s not exclusive to your store. For HR leaders, this makes frontline capability a matter of revenue protection and not just a service metric. Ultimately, the opportunity for both brand and retailer can be rewarding for both parties if confident and capable salespeople are able to engage with customers of all demographics and sell the product competently.
As products become more complex, a deeper, contextual understanding from sales staff is required, and the approach in how you do this may need to be developed from practices you’ve relied on before. Take AI, does your organisation have a training programme purely focused on this increasingly more standard subject matter? Without it, teams may struggle to build credibility and confidence with a customer when selling related products. This makes them unable to reference the product in the context of real-world, practical examples and, in turn, respond accordingly to potential objections that are likely to be presented. Coupled with higher pressures on teams due to cost restraints and rising layoffs, in-depth training can often be secondary in favour of quick-win digital sessions that don’t provide enough depth for staff to do their job effectively.
For retailers and their HR teams, it’s more crucial than ever to rethink how sales staff are trained to maximise return on new product launches, in particular with new technology, and maximise the opportunities both online and in-store. The process is simpler than many think. Dual learning is the secret; combining a mix of both online and immersive, face-to-face training experiences will help drive staff knowledge, confidence, consistency, and increase that sacred ROI that every retailer seeks.
Double Up Training to Drive Performance
Last year, research proved that only a quarter of the global workforce felt equipped with the skills to advance their careers, and less than a fifth strongly agree their organisation is investing in those skills 2. In a new world, digital learning has already been put through the ultimate fit test and has been proven to improve retention more than traditional methods. Video content, mobile access and interactive tools make learning easier and more engaging for many.
That said, when selling new or complex tech products, face-to-face, immersive training will inevitably deliver stronger engagement, advocacy, and behavioural changes. This can be achieved through interaction in a live environment, allowing staff to go deeper with questioning and getting hands-on demonstrations. When tied to product launches, these sessions will potentially maximise return on training spend, and on the all-important ROI for the wider business and brands.
Training is the Foundation of CX
Tech retail giants like Apple and Curry’s have baked customer service into their brand ethos, with staff positioned as ‘Geniuses’ and ‘Experts’, with stores labelled as the ‘Home of AI’. These mottos are selling consumers the confidence to step in-store and ask sales advisors the toughest questions well before parting with their cash.
Whilst these brands operate in a digital world, knowledge like this has not been learned from a digital module alone. Dual training with the products, whether this be smartphones, VR glasses or laptops, in immersive training sessions will have offered these ‘experts’ first-hand experiences to effectively sell in-store, particularly around new technology product launches.
Last year, upskilling and reskilling became the top HR priorities for employers, topping talent acquisition and well-being 3. Empowering frontline retail staff with the technical know-how to advise correctly cannot only sell products, but also help define brand and store confidence as part of a long-term strategy to lead to enabling better storytelling, effective demonstration, and the ability to provide the personal nuance each customer requires and expects when they engage with your staff.
Customer choice is increasingly being shaped by the quality of the in-store experience, and that experience succeeds or fails with perceived consumer frontline confidence, knowledge, and credibility in your store. For HR leaders, the opportunity is clear. Elevating training to a core pillar of launch planning should no longer be optional or a secondary thought. It’s a commercial decision that should be baked into the strategy to determine sales performance, brand perception, and customer loyalty to achieve success in selling and repeat customers that become fans of your brand and the brands you sell.
To read the published article by Daniel Todaro, CEO, Gekko Group, please visit the HR Director
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