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Retail labor shortage is not a problem if you have this.

The real culprit behind lost sales and dissatisfied customers

Did you know shoppers are 43% more likely to make a purchase and spend 81% more if they interact with an associate[1]? The shopper-staff interaction is also the main determinant of the overall customer experience[2], signaling the importance of staff in customer experience.

Unfortunately, a staggering 40% of shoppers report leaving a store because they couldn't find an associate when assistance was needed. This results in lost revenue and dissatisfied customers. As a seasoned CX leader, it's crucial to understand the real reason behind this challenge to make sure stores delight customers in every touchpoint.

Retail's data blindspot: Ignoring in-store insights costs you 12% of possible sales

The current retail infrastructure relies solely on past sales data and Net Promoter Score(NPS) to inform the CX and operations team.

This outdated approach fails to capture the true dynamics happening within stores resulting in a 12% loss of all possible sales[3]. What’s worse is that the team has no way to use data-driven strategies unlike e-commerce, creating a big performance gap between the two channels.

With the development of AI to harness and capture what’s happening in the physical stores, retailers who adopt the new way of creating the best store experience will surge ahead of the competition. 

Stop using NPS to measure CX ROI

More than half of CX teams have no clue how their strategies impact in-store customer experience as they solely rely on sales data or Net Promoter Score (NPS)[4].

It's like cooking without tasting. How can you ensure the flavors develop perfectly if you never taste the dish along the way? This approach prevents the team from analyzing successes and failures to iterate and enhance their CX strategies.

Imagine your CX team having e-commerce-like data in your brick-and-mortar store:

Now, you can see if the dwell time has increased after implementing a new display layout, if it led to higher conversion rate, and truly understand the effectiveness of your new in-store CX strategy. Start making CX decisions based on data to prove the ROI of each strategy, double down on what works best, and deliver an exceptional in-store customer experience like no one else.

Computer vision AI detecting product engagement in apparel store
Product engagement detection by AI

Staff stores proactively

With over 60% of the retail industry experiencing staff shortages, allocation has become even more important in 2023 [5].

Hiring and scheduling based on sales data fails to capture customers who left due to lack of support. This is why even when retailers hire based on the optimal sales-to-associate ratio, they fail to capture 10-15% of all potential sales[3].

Using store footfall data allows retailers to ensure more staff during hours that have more shoppers, successfully supporting all customers. Allocating staff with in-store traffic data can lead to a 16% increase in profit. Identify your stores’ optimal shoppers-to-associate ratio and equip stores with the actual number of associates they need.

Infographic describing how optimal staff scheduling improves sales
How optimal staff scheduling improves sales

Guide associates in real-time

Fun fact: Most retail associates understand they have a crucial role in customer experience and in-store conversion. It’s the lack of guidance that is blocking them, says 94% of retail associates[6].

Store associates have many operational responsibilities, like restocking, organizing, and item labeling. It’s easy to get carried away with these pending tasks and forget about supporting customers. No wonder having little time to help customers was one of the biggest frustrations faced by store associates [7].

With real-time traffic data, CX leaders and store managers can set up notifications to alert store associates when and where customers need support. Start sending store associates to exactly where your customers are waiting for help. No more missed sales opportunities, frustrated customers, or store associates only handling operations.

Virtual Manager on Duty alerting unattended customer

Stop driving your CX blindfolded: Surge ahead of competition

Break free from retail's data blindspot with AI that transforms your customer experience strategy. Simply connect your existing CCTV cameras to capture, track, and analyze critical customer insights. Say goodbye to guesswork and leaving money on the table. Give your retail CX team the power to delight customers at every physical touchpoint.

Schedule a demo today to get started. Not ready yet? Sign up for our newsletter to gain access to invaluable data, tips, and strategies. Act now to lead retail innovation, not follow, and empower your team to exceed customer expectations.

May 25, 2023
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