Retail Radar – Retail recruitment and turnover. Challenges and solutions

/0 Comments/in /by

In recent years, the retail sector has faced increasingly complex challenges in finding and retaining qualified personnel, especially for the role of Sales Assistant. These difficulties are compounded by a number of factors that make talent recruitment and retention a real undertaking.

  1. The Attractiveness of New Digital Jobs
    Young talents are increasingly attracted to new digital jobs that offer the freedom to manage their time and activities. These works not only allow greater flexibility, but also offer ample opportunities to express their creativity and there is a widespread opinion that they can earn a lot with little effort. In comparison, retail work is perceived as less challenging, more rigid and less paid.
  2. The Perception of the Role
    There is a widespread perception that sales assistant work is too humble and not very “cool”. It often involves repetitive and over-operational activities, feels like the lowest rung on the ladder and feels that the role is not properly valued compared to other professions. In addition we see the climb to professional success as a path too long and tiring, missing the immediate gratification that we are now accustomed to find in other areas of life.
  3. The New Communication
    Today, much of the social interaction takes place through social media, where relationships develop less directly and more mediately than the face-to-face contact typical of sales assistant work. This cultural change can, in our opinion, have a significant impact on the choice to join this world. New generations are used to establishing online relationships and may find it uncomfortable to have to interact directly and immediately with customers, a crucial aspect of retail work.
    The mandatory and subordinate nature of these interactions – where the assistant has to “serve” the client – can be particularly burdensome. For many, the transition from mediated communication, offering a certain distance and control, to a personal and direct relationship can be perceived as an uncomfortable and stressful experience.
  4. Leadership and Coaching
    Another important problem is the lack of specific training for these roles. Many companies do not invest enough in training and developing sales assistants’ skills, and they train little leaders on how to motivate and manage their teams. Without effective guidance and proper support, it is difficult for sales teams to maintain high levels of motivation and performance. The lack of these skills in managers can lead to ineffective management, further increasing staff turnover.

But what are the solutions to Improve Engagement and Attract Talent to the Retail world? That’s what we think.

To effectively address retail recruitment challenges, a strategic and well-structured approach is crucial. Here’s where to start:

THE MISSION
The cornerstone is the creation of a strong brand identity that serves not only external customers, but also all internal teams. What is the mission of the brand? Why does it exist and what makes it worthy of being represented and purchased? A reason aimed at improving life, status, society, the world, the environment, a reason “high” and engaging. Whether there’s a clear mission or not, it’s time for organizations’ leaders to identify or reinvent it and use it as a guide for all departments, as well as customers. A well-defined mission facilitates the creation, sale and purchase of products. Simon Sinek, in a famous and now dated Tedex, stressed the importance of starting from the “why”.
We still find it topical and highly effective.

“People don’t buy what you do, people buy why you do it”.

Here the link for those who want to learn more
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?utm_source=rn-app-share&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=tedspread

FUN
In addition to a strong identity and clear leadership, organizations should ensure that work is fun and satisfying for all employees, regardless of the role they hold. By “fun” we mean work that somehow encourages creativity; by “satisfying”, we assign tasks that can be completed during working hours and for which employees receive feedback before returning home. It is essential to clearly explain the purpose of each task, so that each team member feels part of the company project.

TRAINING
Training is crucial and should be focused on the development of skills for this role while taking into account the characteristics of the new generations, such as the development of relational skills. But not only that, training should also be focused on developing skills for the role that the employee aspires to play in the future, this will create a stronger sense of belonging because it shows that the company invests in its future and its growth. This requires regular meetings throughout the year between employees and managers to define the growth path of each.

REWARDS AND GIFTS
It’s not just about rewards and benefits, but also about small gifts that employees can proudly use in their daily lives. A limited edition tote bag with the company’s logo, a custom power bank for the smartphone or, why not, the flagship of the collection or the possibility to choose a product each collection. Employees would become Brand Ambassadors and this will develop a greater sense of belonging.

TRUE LEADERS
Team leaders are key to engagement and talent retention. However, it is crucial that ideal leadership starts at the top of the organization. Corporate values will only be credible if the company itself believes in them. It is not enough for a good HR manager to write and disseminate them; the company must apply them concretely so that employees follow them and choose to take part in the project. The best leaders are those motivated to do well not for the economic result and prestige, but they are those who strongly believe in the corporate mission and use it to lead teams, and thanks to this they will reach and exceed every economic result and give an incomparable prestige to the company.

Let’s think about what “engages” society today, we all follow those who believe in what we believe in, the world is moved by inspiration and example. There are millions of influencers followed because they inspire people to want to be like them and those who are most successful are just the most authentic ones who really believe and love what they do. We believe that the talent retention mechanism is strongly linked to the new “rules” of today’s society and this is what should inspire all companies.

💬 Share the experiences and strategies you’ve adopted to attract and retain retail talent. Comment below and join the conversation!

Retail Toolkit – Is in-store operational efficiency still an important focus for retail companies?

/0 Comments/in /by

In the fast-paced world of retail, operational efficiency and increased productivity are, in our view, the foundation on which every company’s success is built. 📈 But who knows if all retail companies are aware of it all the way, or instead with the constant focus on Omnichannel, the theme of in-store technology, AI is not removing the attention from those operational activities that most affect the trend of stores.
The management and processing of goods, the timely replenishment of products sold and layout changes require meticulous and careful planning. These processes must be periodically reviewed and optimized to ensure maximum speed and efficiency, so as not to compromise customer service, which remains our top priority.💡 So innovations and new technologies are welcome as long as you do not forget to apply them and make them available to the team in order to improve the processes in store.
Actually, we at B_Labb have known very few retail companies, especially in the fashion sector, who constantly study and update their operating processes, creating standards to follow and KPIs related to store operations.

But what makes these companies successful and what makes them different? Their constant focus on the Store, because they consider it, rightly, the center of the business.

And we too fully share this philosophy. In fact:

  1. Stores organized, curated in the product layout, always stocked and with teams trained, motivated and customer-oriented are the best marketing strategy
  2. It’s in the store that we find all the answers to the opportunities that the numbers highlight
  3. The store is the link that connects the company/brand more directly to the protagonist of our sector: THE CUSTOMER

🔑 So let us not underestimate the importance of continuous training and targeted coaching for the teams in the store! It is often mistaken that “manual” activities do not require training. Actually, making sure every store has impeccable organization, clear processes, and a balanced distribution of daily tasks is crucial. Optimal operations management can completely transform store results, reducing lost sales, minimizing waste of hours and resources, keeping staff motivated and delivering an amazing customer experience. 🛍️✨
All this means having more profitable stores and thus improving business results.

And for this not only the organization in store, it is necessary to spread the Store-Centric mentality in all departments, monitor and if necessary review the operating process since the production of the product. The question to be asked constantly is “How can we facilitate the performance of all those “backstage” activities that have the sole purpose of getting our products into the hands of the customer?”
For example, how the product is packed when it arrives in store; how it is divided into boxes, whether by category or by collection. How often stores receive replenishment, and following what criteria. If the size of the stores in the store is adequate for the amount of goods that stores should have as replenishment. Verify that the softwares are up to date, agile and intuitive.

Is your company Store-Centric? Is excellence in operations among the goals you give to your Retail Manager?

Below you can find the free guide that B_Labb created to check the Operations in your company. Download it!

💬 Let us know if you agree with us and what strategies do you adopt to optimize operations in your stores? Do you have experiences or tips to share? Comment below and share your insights! ⬇️

Operations-Check-up-by-B_Labb-EngDownload

B_Labb retail consulting. My start up 100% retail made.

/in /by

A 100% retail made consulting company. But what does that mean? 

Hello everyone, first of all I introduce myself. I’m Barbara Olivieri, retailer to the core, I’ve worked for over twenty years in some of the best retail companies and after all this time I’m still totally in love with the work I do. Of the adrenaline, the emotions and the satisfactions that this world gives, to us of the field and above all to the customer, that then is the center of all our thoughts. Retail is truly magical for everyone.

B_Labb was born in my head several years ago, I always wanted to create my own company and take the path of entrepreneurship. In the last year due to family reasons I had to abandon my work routine to live between Italy and Spain, and since staying away from retail has never been an option, I decided to dedicate myself to consulting. This allowed me to stay up to date on the industry, to get to know a bit the customer profile, and above all to plan in detail the business strategy I wanted for B_Labb.

The main feature is the structure, in fact we have the same roles and the same professionals as a retail company. There are no consultants, only experienced retailers who work or have worked in large industry companies.

We develop sales and marketing strategies, we work on talent development, customer centricity, stock optimization, sustainability and innovation. The only difference is that we don’t have a product to sell because we sell our clients’ product. Why our contribution is so important? Because we have an external vision while having expert eyes and those who are part of this world know how important it is to see ourself from the outside. A perfect partnership and teamwork is what we offer to the companies we work with, speaking the same language, the Retailian.

And then there’s our image, our logo, our pictogram. Everything has been designed just as if B_Labb were a brand, and I must say that I am really proud of the end result. I thank Mattia and his boundless creativity and professionalism because the beginning of this journey could not be better.

And today the curtains open, March 1° 2024, we launch the website, our Linkedin page and we make ourselves more visible. 

See you soon!

Barbara