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Training for retail employees goes far beyond simply teaching them product knowledge.
From helping customers find what they need in store to fielding complaints, retail employees spin a lot of plates – all while representing the face of your brand. That’s just one of the reasons why employee training is so essential. It has the power to strengthen (or break) your customer loyalty.
In this blog, we’ll be exploring why we think employee training is the key to creating customer loyalty, along with some strategies to help you create the most effective training possible, from day one.
As we alluded to at the start of this blog, retail employee training goes so far beyond basic onboarding and product knowledge. It might feel like the office-based L&D teams are far removed from shop-based employees who interact with customers every single day, but in fact they’re intrinsically intertwined.
After all, untrained and unknowledgeable staff have a knock-on effect on your customers’ perception of your brand, which in turn has an effect on revenue.
Let’s break down what we mean. Here are just a few of the specific ways in which L&D contributes to brand and customer loyalty:
It’s a proven fact that employees who are more knowledgeable and comfortable within their roles lead to more satisfied customers. We’ll share real case studies (from Thrive customers Ann Summers and Reiss) later in this blog that prove this link – including a strategy that resulted in a 10% increase in overall sales.
Another side of this coin is that customers who feel valued through training and career development are more likely to go the extra mile for customers. It’s a win-win.
Something that might not immediately spring to mind when it comes to building customer loyalty is consistency. While memorable, standout customer service moments can grab attention, it’s the reliability of your brand that truly makes people feel comfortable enough to keep coming back.
And L&D is pivotal when it comes to building consistency. A deliberate, well-structured L&D strategy guarantees that your entire retail workforce is equipped with the right skills to deliver a uniform experience across the board.
This consistency in customer service then builds a strong sense of trust.
Okay, we said L&D isn’t just responsible for product knowledge, and that’s true – but it is definitely an important piece of this puzzle.
After all, a well-informed team is essential for delivering a smooth customer experience. When employees have a deep understanding of what they’re offering, they can provide the most accurate information and ultimately build trust with your customers.
Now that we’ve sold you on why employee training is at the heart of good customer experiences, let’s cover a few strategies that make up effective learning experiences.
Don’t shy away from experimentation.
There’s a perception that experimenting with new ways of learning and working can be a waste of time and a risk – and while there is always an inherent risk in trying something new, that doesn’t mean it’s a waste of time. Quite the opposite.
Experimenting with different approaches to training means that you’re steadily gathering data on what works and what doesn’t.
Don’t believe us?
To showcase the true value of an experimental approach to training, we need look no further than Thrive customer Ann Summers. The lingerie and adult toy brand has long been a pioneer in female empowerment, but their commitment to innovation doesn’t stop at their products; it also extends to their people.
In partnership with Thrive Impact, the L&D team at Ann Summers put Learning & Development to the test, proving that a strategic, blended learning approach directly boosts sales performance. By splitting stores into test and control groups, with the former receiving a mix of workshops, webinars, and structured learning pathways, Ann Summers could track the real impact of L&D on revenue.
The results? A 10% overall sales increase, with the test group leading the way. Region 2 alone generated a staggering 36% of the additional revenue.
What can we take from this?
In our opinion, Ann Summers’ case study perfectly demonstrates how essential a culture of experimentation is for L&D teams in retail settings. It’s only through taking risks that your team can discover what works, and what translates to real results you can take back to your stakeholders.
For retail brands looking to maximise frontline performance, experimenting with L&D isn’t a gamble; it’s a growth strategy.
When it comes to training for retail teams, the importance of a mobile learning platform can’t be overstated. We have the anecdotal evidence to back this up – a significant portion of our customers are in the retail sector, and one pain point that comes up again and again is inaccessible learning that’s restricted to one desktop device.
Retail staff are always on the go. When they have a customer waiting on the shop floor, it’s not convenient for them to disappear for a full five minutes while they boot up an ancient desktop computer in the back office and hunt down the information they need.
Mobile learning is the answer.
Just ask Thrive customer Reiss. With a majority deskless workforce, they knew that a mobile app was a non-negotiable element of a new learning platform. And their partnership with Thrive has empowered their frontline teams with training that travels the shop floor with them, allowing them to learn on the go. This strategy has led them to adopt the tagline “Deskless doesn’t mean voiceless.”
In the words of Tim Brown, Senior People Development Manager at Reiss: “Our aim is to support our stores to close the performance gap, by connecting our stores, building a global community, and giving them all the tools to succeed!”
If you want to ensure that your frontline team’s learning is accessible to them no matter where they are, make sure that your learning platform has a mobile app.
A positive employee training experience starts with a robust onboarding strategy – but it certainly shouldn’t end there. In order to make sure that retail employees remain up-to-speed, it’s essential that upskilling and additional learning opportunities are available to them throughout their career.
But let’s start with onboarding (as everyone should.)
We’ve all been that new employee, starting a job where every single other person except you seems to know exactly what to do and how to do it. Meanwhile, you’re frozen amongst the chaos like a spare part and you seem to have forgotten how human beings stand.
But with the help of a thorough onboarding process, new retail starters needn’t feel adrift. When done correctly, your introductory training can help anchor them in a place that feels strong and confident – so what exactly does that look like?
Here are the ingredients that will help you make the most robust onboarding strategy, and continue that learning well into your employees’ careers.
Orientation: Orientation should cover the business’ values and mission, workplace policies, the expectations of their specific job role, introduction to Point of Sale systems, and an introduction to their team. By the end of their orientation, your new starter should be fully aware of the company’s mission and their place in it.
Onboarding roadmap: For the benefit of both of you, it’s good practice to create a clear onboarding roadmap that details your new starter’s journey, outlining specific steps. Highlight any milestones and training modules, and remember to celebrate progress! This helps alleviate any uncertainty or anxiety they might be feeling going into the new role.
Provide both general and role-specific training: Onboarding is not a one-size-fits all process, and there’s no point overloading a new starter with unnecessary information. Beyond the information that every single new starter needs to receive when they join, you should also provide training that is specific to their role and responsibilities.
Social learning: Social learning is hugely effective for knowledge retention.
Why not take a page out of Thrive customer DECIEM's book? They used Thrive’s user generated content capabilities to foster a culture of social and self-led learning. After launch, 53% of DECIEM's learning platform is user-generated content, compared to 23% from the L&D team. This has led to a 'learners as teachers' approach, empowering everyone to learn from one another.
Soft skills training: It’s important to acknowledge the place that both hard and soft skills have in the learning process. While the new starter learns all about the company’s systems, processes and procedures (if you’ve ever been a new starter in a retail job, you’ll remember the pain of trying to learn how to use the till while a customer stands in front of you), they should also be acquainted with the soft skills that are essential to the role.
These are things like communication, customer interaction, and problem-solving. The likelihood is they already have a lot of these without necessarily recognising them as soft skills, but you can empower them to develop them further by designing specific training modules.
Are you part of a retail team looking to develop customer loyalty through training?
Thrive Learning has helped retail teams just like yours improve sales, reduce onboarding time, and connect employees all in one central place.
If you’re curious to learn more, book a Thrive demo today.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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Training for retail employees goes far beyond simply teaching them product knowledge.
From helping customers find what they need in store to fielding complaints, retail employees spin a lot of plates – all while representing the face of your brand. That’s just one of the reasons why employee training is so essential. It has the power to strengthen (or break) your customer loyalty.
In this blog, we’ll be exploring why we think employee training is the key to creating customer loyalty, along with some strategies to help you create the most effective training possible, from day one.
As we alluded to at the start of this blog, retail employee training goes so far beyond basic onboarding and product knowledge. It might feel like the office-based L&D teams are far removed from shop-based employees who interact with customers every single day, but in fact they’re intrinsically intertwined.
After all, untrained and unknowledgeable staff have a knock-on effect on your customers’ perception of your brand, which in turn has an effect on revenue.
Let’s break down what we mean. Here are just a few of the specific ways in which L&D contributes to brand and customer loyalty:
It’s a proven fact that employees who are more knowledgeable and comfortable within their roles lead to more satisfied customers. We’ll share real case studies (from Thrive customers Ann Summers and Reiss) later in this blog that prove this link – including a strategy that resulted in a 10% increase in overall sales.
Another side of this coin is that customers who feel valued through training and career development are more likely to go the extra mile for customers. It’s a win-win.
Something that might not immediately spring to mind when it comes to building customer loyalty is consistency. While memorable, standout customer service moments can grab attention, it’s the reliability of your brand that truly makes people feel comfortable enough to keep coming back.
And L&D is pivotal when it comes to building consistency. A deliberate, well-structured L&D strategy guarantees that your entire retail workforce is equipped with the right skills to deliver a uniform experience across the board.
This consistency in customer service then builds a strong sense of trust.
Okay, we said L&D isn’t just responsible for product knowledge, and that’s true – but it is definitely an important piece of this puzzle.
After all, a well-informed team is essential for delivering a smooth customer experience. When employees have a deep understanding of what they’re offering, they can provide the most accurate information and ultimately build trust with your customers.
Now that we’ve sold you on why employee training is at the heart of good customer experiences, let’s cover a few strategies that make up effective learning experiences.
Don’t shy away from experimentation.
There’s a perception that experimenting with new ways of learning and working can be a waste of time and a risk – and while there is always an inherent risk in trying something new, that doesn’t mean it’s a waste of time. Quite the opposite.
Experimenting with different approaches to training means that you’re steadily gathering data on what works and what doesn’t.
Don’t believe us?
To showcase the true value of an experimental approach to training, we need look no further than Thrive customer Ann Summers. The lingerie and adult toy brand has long been a pioneer in female empowerment, but their commitment to innovation doesn’t stop at their products; it also extends to their people.
In partnership with Thrive Impact, the L&D team at Ann Summers put Learning & Development to the test, proving that a strategic, blended learning approach directly boosts sales performance. By splitting stores into test and control groups, with the former receiving a mix of workshops, webinars, and structured learning pathways, Ann Summers could track the real impact of L&D on revenue.
The results? A 10% overall sales increase, with the test group leading the way. Region 2 alone generated a staggering 36% of the additional revenue.
What can we take from this?
In our opinion, Ann Summers’ case study perfectly demonstrates how essential a culture of experimentation is for L&D teams in retail settings. It’s only through taking risks that your team can discover what works, and what translates to real results you can take back to your stakeholders.
For retail brands looking to maximise frontline performance, experimenting with L&D isn’t a gamble; it’s a growth strategy.
When it comes to training for retail teams, the importance of a mobile learning platform can’t be overstated. We have the anecdotal evidence to back this up – a significant portion of our customers are in the retail sector, and one pain point that comes up again and again is inaccessible learning that’s restricted to one desktop device.
Retail staff are always on the go. When they have a customer waiting on the shop floor, it’s not convenient for them to disappear for a full five minutes while they boot up an ancient desktop computer in the back office and hunt down the information they need.
Mobile learning is the answer.
Just ask Thrive customer Reiss. With a majority deskless workforce, they knew that a mobile app was a non-negotiable element of a new learning platform. And their partnership with Thrive has empowered their frontline teams with training that travels the shop floor with them, allowing them to learn on the go. This strategy has led them to adopt the tagline “Deskless doesn’t mean voiceless.”
In the words of Tim Brown, Senior People Development Manager at Reiss: “Our aim is to support our stores to close the performance gap, by connecting our stores, building a global community, and giving them all the tools to succeed!”
If you want to ensure that your frontline team’s learning is accessible to them no matter where they are, make sure that your learning platform has a mobile app.
A positive employee training experience starts with a robust onboarding strategy – but it certainly shouldn’t end there. In order to make sure that retail employees remain up-to-speed, it’s essential that upskilling and additional learning opportunities are available to them throughout their career.
But let’s start with onboarding (as everyone should.)
We’ve all been that new employee, starting a job where every single other person except you seems to know exactly what to do and how to do it. Meanwhile, you’re frozen amongst the chaos like a spare part and you seem to have forgotten how human beings stand.
But with the help of a thorough onboarding process, new retail starters needn’t feel adrift. When done correctly, your introductory training can help anchor them in a place that feels strong and confident – so what exactly does that look like?
Here are the ingredients that will help you make the most robust onboarding strategy, and continue that learning well into your employees’ careers.
Orientation: Orientation should cover the business’ values and mission, workplace policies, the expectations of their specific job role, introduction to Point of Sale systems, and an introduction to their team. By the end of their orientation, your new starter should be fully aware of the company’s mission and their place in it.
Onboarding roadmap: For the benefit of both of you, it’s good practice to create a clear onboarding roadmap that details your new starter’s journey, outlining specific steps. Highlight any milestones and training modules, and remember to celebrate progress! This helps alleviate any uncertainty or anxiety they might be feeling going into the new role.
Provide both general and role-specific training: Onboarding is not a one-size-fits all process, and there’s no point overloading a new starter with unnecessary information. Beyond the information that every single new starter needs to receive when they join, you should also provide training that is specific to their role and responsibilities.
Social learning: Social learning is hugely effective for knowledge retention.
Why not take a page out of Thrive customer DECIEM's book? They used Thrive’s user generated content capabilities to foster a culture of social and self-led learning. After launch, 53% of DECIEM's learning platform is user-generated content, compared to 23% from the L&D team. This has led to a 'learners as teachers' approach, empowering everyone to learn from one another.
Soft skills training: It’s important to acknowledge the place that both hard and soft skills have in the learning process. While the new starter learns all about the company’s systems, processes and procedures (if you’ve ever been a new starter in a retail job, you’ll remember the pain of trying to learn how to use the till while a customer stands in front of you), they should also be acquainted with the soft skills that are essential to the role.
These are things like communication, customer interaction, and problem-solving. The likelihood is they already have a lot of these without necessarily recognising them as soft skills, but you can empower them to develop them further by designing specific training modules.
Are you part of a retail team looking to develop customer loyalty through training?
Thrive Learning has helped retail teams just like yours improve sales, reduce onboarding time, and connect employees all in one central place.
If you’re curious to learn more, book a Thrive demo today.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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