The Great Debate: To Empower or Not to Empower
Posted by Amanda McLaughlin on Nov 2, 2017
Deliver modern, mobile-first shopping experiences that delight your customers. Drive ROI back to your business across all customer touchpoints—in-store, online, and on mobile. Book a time with our team to learn how we can help transform your business with our omnichannel solutions.
*Privacy Notice: By hitting "Submit," I acknowledge receipt of the NewStore Privacy Policy.
When it comes to store associates, they can be one of two things (to me, at least): helpful or annoying. There is absolutely no in between. I have nothing against the kind associates that offer to assist me during my all too frequent shopping sprees, but I would rather they steer clear until I need a fitting room or a branded mini bottle of water.
I, like many other millennial shoppers, prefer to shop alone until it’s time to check out or I can’t find the right color / size combo. When I do call in for backup, it is often a long and painful battle with old technology and outdated processes. Our 2017 Mobile Retail Report revealed some of the reasons why. For example, only 19% of associates can offer endless aisle through a smartphone or tablet by purchasing inventory from a distribution center, and only 13% of associates can offer endless aisle through a smartphone or tablet by purchasing inventory from another store.
The experience I’ve had at major retailers too many times to count is not uncommon. I only ask for assistance finding a product when I feel I’ve exhausted all other options. Then comes the charade of an associate wrestling with legacy POS system behind the register, searching for inventory in the stockroom ultimately to return without the product or a reason as to why the inventory system is showing a handful of exactly what I want in-store but is nowhere to be found. And don’t get me started on calling other stores. I have literally gone behind the counter to help an associate look up store codes and corresponding phone numbers to see if we can order the item I wanted from another location. Most of the time, I call off the search party abruptly, apologize, and leave without purchasing a single thing. Talk about first world problems.
My experiences, and the frustrations of many other shoppers, could all be solved if store associates were empowered with the proper tools and information to improve on these shopping experiences. Perhaps brand and retail executives fear associates will use in-store devices for personal activities like email or social media, or they fear the cost of new technologies. It can’t be a training issue, because most store associates grew up using Snapchat, Facebook, and other popular mobile apps.
Customers expect a higher level of tailored service than what is available at most stores today. The apps and the data are there, simply waiting to be used. To learn more about store associate empowerment, along with information on the customer journey from app to aisle, download the 2017 Mobile Retail Report: www.newstore.com/mobile-retail-report.
