It may seem like an obvious statement to make, but in an ever-evolving and complexifying retail environment, the human touch is still a critical part of the sales journey.
Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have been massively pressurized by the e-commerce boom over recent years. The ease of online shopping and the ever-increasing competition in this space, traditional retailers feel forced to invest in technology and novelties to incentivize traffic and sales in their stores.
Oh no, the Robots are Taking Over!
The 4th industrial Revolution is coming and with the rise of technology, there will be many changes to how retailers traditionally trade… However, a lot of things will stay the same.
Many analysts predicted that traditional retail would rapidly decline in the years following the e-commerce boom, yet we still see a strong and thriving traditional brick-and-mortar retail industry in South Africa and Africa.
Retail has become saturated with buzzwords such as AI-Powered Sales Tools, Virtual Reality Browsing, Click&Brick & Seamless Omnichannel Integration… Yet, a significant sales factor that seems to get forgotten?
Humans.
The Human Touch is still Critical!
While technology promises to change the way that retailers sell, the fundamental basis of these transactions stays the same. Humans are looking for the best value, quality, and service.
E-Commerce speeds up the process of “getting what you want”– however, there is only so much that a customer can experience about a product or service on an online store. You cannot touch it, feel it, taste it or experience it through a digital screen. This is still a key factor which drives users into physical stores.
So how do you delight them when they arrive at your store?
With the human touch!
A high-quality retail sales team, who are well trained and motivated to deliver excellent service to your customers.
Invest in the Best
As a company dedicated to serving teams and trainers, we started our business on the premise that passionate, empowered people are the key to business success – and this is especially true in retail.
Some of the key skills which retailers need to train in their staff are the following:
- Attention to Detail
- Merchandising & Layout Design
- Business Skills
- Product Knowledge
- Communication Skills
- Time Management
- Dispute Resolution and Problem Solving
- Data Analysis
- Stock Control
- Pricing and TCO
- Entrepreneurship
Think like an Entrepreneur
The critical shift which Retail Business Owners and Managers need to make is their opinion of their team. Your retail team is not just a team of ants running around… They are much more than cleaners, packers, and fetchers. They are entrepreneurs who need to be empowered to make business decisions, to drive sales in their sector, their isle, and their store!
Invest in your Retail Team by hosting your next workshop, product launch, training workshop or team-building session with The Venue at Midrand. We have a variety of venues to accommodate groups of every size.
Get your team out of the isles, and into the bigger picture. We are here to help you invest in your Humans!
