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How can you truly link retail training to sales performance, and showcase that impact?
Around 30% of our customers operate in the retail space, so we have a wealth of data about the most common challenges and needs – and one thing that consistently comes up is Learning & Development’s impact on sales.
Work in retail long enough, and the phrase “But how do we know the training’s actually working?” becomes inevitable and commonplace.
Part of the answer, and the hard truth, is this: Most retail L&D teams are quite simply measuring the wrong things. Completion rates. Attendance numbers. Customer satisfaction levels, measured simply by a rainbow of smiley faces ranging from “green, happy” to “red, sad.”
Sure, this is all good to know – but none of it tells you whether your teams are actually selling more makeup, T-shirts, TVs, or donuts because of it.
If L&D wants a seat at the commercial table, it’s time to stop counting completions and start connecting learning to sales performance.
We don’t have to tell you twice that retail is a fast, high-pressure environment. Metrics like sales targets and customer satisfaction scores rule the day – and if L&D can’t prove its impact on those metrics, it ultimately risks being seen as the dreaded “nice-to-have” rather than a business-critical function.
The good news is that it absolutely is possible to link training to sales performance. The catch is that it requires moving beyond vanity metrics, and building meaningful connections between learning and the bottom line.
Let’s be honest: Completion rates don’t pay the bills – and nor does a 95% learner satisfaction score.
These metrics are easy to capture and report, but they rarely tell the full story. Just because someone completed a course doesn’t mean they’re actually applying what they learned. (And it definitely doesn’t mean they’re selling more.)
If you want to prove L&D is driving commercial success, you have to start measuring what actually matters.
To link learning to sales performance, shift your focus to these key metrics:
Start by speaking the language of retail – which, unsurprisingly, all comes down to the bottom line. Avoid pitching your learning programme as “developing skills” – this will only get you so far. Instead, pitch it as “driving sales” or “boosting conversion.”
A crucial part of this step is to work with department heads to agree on what business outcomes and objectives matter the most. Make sure you’re 100% clear on what success looks like before any learning goes live.
This sounds obvious, but it’s often missed. If your training goal is "improve product knowledge," what does that actually mean commercially? Are you trying to:
Be specific. Learning objectives should ladder up to sales outcomes.
To prove the impact of training, you need a before-and-after picture. We’re well aware of this need here at Thrive, which is why we have our very own Impact service designed to help customers track what really matters.
Where possible, compare sales and customer metrics:
Thrive customer Ann Summers understood the need for this experimental approach.
The iconic lingerie and adult toy brand had already been making use of Thrive’s all-in-one platform for over a year when they decided to implement our Impact service. Their L&D team noticed an important correlation: Stores with the highest engagement rates demonstrated the highest level of performance – and vice versa, stores with the lowest engagement rates had the lowest performance.
Knowing that they needed conclusive data to prove this correlation to their stakeholders, they enlisted the help of the Thrive Impact team.
The aim of the experiment was simple: develop high performing teams who can deliver outstanding customer experiences. Ann Summers knew that their stakeholders would be compelled by an increase in strike rates for their Buzz Fresh and Hosiery lines, so they set out to demonstrate that their learning and development strategy could support them in achieving just that.
For the experiment, Ann Summers stores were split into four regions, with Region 2 (The Test Group) receiving a slightly higher target than the others. All other regions were under the umbrella of The Control Group.
While the Test Group received a blended learning approach comprising workshops, webinars and learning pathways, the Control Group only received the learning pathways. As the Ann Summers team was able to provide sales data for all regions, the Thrive Impact team could directly track the impact that the blended learning approach had had on the Test Group - and, hopefully prove that Learning and Development was the key to their success.
The success of the experiment was easy to see and quantify. All regions (both those with the blended learning approach, and those with just the learning pathways) saw a year-on-year increase for both product lines. Most importantly, the Test Group who were undergoing the blended learning approach outperformed all other groups in the experiment for the Buzz Fresh line, and came in second place for the Hosiery lines.
By doing this experiment, Ann Summers were able to measure a 10% increase in revenue with Region 2 making £3,617 (over 36%) of that revenue - proving undeniably the positive impacts of their approach.
As we’re sure you’ve gathered from our Ann Summers example, numbers matter. But stories can be just as powerful, so capture feedback from store managers and sales leaders about behavioural changes they’re seeing after training.
For example: "Since the new product training, the team is actively recommending accessories more often — and it's showing in our ATV."
These insights can help build a richer picture of impact and make your data more compelling when presenting to leadership.
No strategy is without its challenges, and the sooner you address them, the easier they’ll be to mitigate. With that in mind, we’ve laid out what we believe to be the three most common challenges for this strategy and some proposed solutions.
L&D data, sales data, HR data… Often, these live in disparate, different systems. Breaking down those silos requires consistent collaboration (and relationship-building.)
Solution: Build relationships with data owners across all the relevant departments. Make the case that learning data is business data.
It's rarely possible to say, "This training alone increased sales by 10%." Sales performance is influenced by many factors: promotions, footfall, economic conditions, whether it’s supposed to rain that day… the list goes on.
Solution: Acknowledge this complexity. Your goal isn’t to prove causation beyond all doubt; it’s to demonstrate a clear, credible contribution to business results.
Measuring what matters takes more effort than tracking course completions. It requires new processes, stakeholder engagement, and often, extra analysis.
Solution: Start small. Choose one pilot project, one product line, or one store group to test your measurement approach. Build from there.
If you want to start measuring what matters, here’s a simple roadmap:
If L&D wants to be seen as a driver of commercial success and not just a training provider, you need to measure what matters.
That means rolling up your sleeves, talking to your colleagues across the business, and making the case for a joined-up approach to learning and performance.
You don’t need a PhD in data science to do it; just curiosity and collaboration.
Because when it comes down to it, it’s not about how many courses your people complete. It’s about how well they can help your business thrive.
Interested in how Thrive can help your retail teams? Book a demo today.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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How can you truly link retail training to sales performance, and showcase that impact?
Around 30% of our customers operate in the retail space, so we have a wealth of data about the most common challenges and needs – and one thing that consistently comes up is Learning & Development’s impact on sales.
Work in retail long enough, and the phrase “But how do we know the training’s actually working?” becomes inevitable and commonplace.
Part of the answer, and the hard truth, is this: Most retail L&D teams are quite simply measuring the wrong things. Completion rates. Attendance numbers. Customer satisfaction levels, measured simply by a rainbow of smiley faces ranging from “green, happy” to “red, sad.”
Sure, this is all good to know – but none of it tells you whether your teams are actually selling more makeup, T-shirts, TVs, or donuts because of it.
If L&D wants a seat at the commercial table, it’s time to stop counting completions and start connecting learning to sales performance.
We don’t have to tell you twice that retail is a fast, high-pressure environment. Metrics like sales targets and customer satisfaction scores rule the day – and if L&D can’t prove its impact on those metrics, it ultimately risks being seen as the dreaded “nice-to-have” rather than a business-critical function.
The good news is that it absolutely is possible to link training to sales performance. The catch is that it requires moving beyond vanity metrics, and building meaningful connections between learning and the bottom line.
Let’s be honest: Completion rates don’t pay the bills – and nor does a 95% learner satisfaction score.
These metrics are easy to capture and report, but they rarely tell the full story. Just because someone completed a course doesn’t mean they’re actually applying what they learned. (And it definitely doesn’t mean they’re selling more.)
If you want to prove L&D is driving commercial success, you have to start measuring what actually matters.
To link learning to sales performance, shift your focus to these key metrics:
Start by speaking the language of retail – which, unsurprisingly, all comes down to the bottom line. Avoid pitching your learning programme as “developing skills” – this will only get you so far. Instead, pitch it as “driving sales” or “boosting conversion.”
A crucial part of this step is to work with department heads to agree on what business outcomes and objectives matter the most. Make sure you’re 100% clear on what success looks like before any learning goes live.
This sounds obvious, but it’s often missed. If your training goal is "improve product knowledge," what does that actually mean commercially? Are you trying to:
Be specific. Learning objectives should ladder up to sales outcomes.
To prove the impact of training, you need a before-and-after picture. We’re well aware of this need here at Thrive, which is why we have our very own Impact service designed to help customers track what really matters.
Where possible, compare sales and customer metrics:
Thrive customer Ann Summers understood the need for this experimental approach.
The iconic lingerie and adult toy brand had already been making use of Thrive’s all-in-one platform for over a year when they decided to implement our Impact service. Their L&D team noticed an important correlation: Stores with the highest engagement rates demonstrated the highest level of performance – and vice versa, stores with the lowest engagement rates had the lowest performance.
Knowing that they needed conclusive data to prove this correlation to their stakeholders, they enlisted the help of the Thrive Impact team.
The aim of the experiment was simple: develop high performing teams who can deliver outstanding customer experiences. Ann Summers knew that their stakeholders would be compelled by an increase in strike rates for their Buzz Fresh and Hosiery lines, so they set out to demonstrate that their learning and development strategy could support them in achieving just that.
For the experiment, Ann Summers stores were split into four regions, with Region 2 (The Test Group) receiving a slightly higher target than the others. All other regions were under the umbrella of The Control Group.
While the Test Group received a blended learning approach comprising workshops, webinars and learning pathways, the Control Group only received the learning pathways. As the Ann Summers team was able to provide sales data for all regions, the Thrive Impact team could directly track the impact that the blended learning approach had had on the Test Group - and, hopefully prove that Learning and Development was the key to their success.
The success of the experiment was easy to see and quantify. All regions (both those with the blended learning approach, and those with just the learning pathways) saw a year-on-year increase for both product lines. Most importantly, the Test Group who were undergoing the blended learning approach outperformed all other groups in the experiment for the Buzz Fresh line, and came in second place for the Hosiery lines.
By doing this experiment, Ann Summers were able to measure a 10% increase in revenue with Region 2 making £3,617 (over 36%) of that revenue - proving undeniably the positive impacts of their approach.
As we’re sure you’ve gathered from our Ann Summers example, numbers matter. But stories can be just as powerful, so capture feedback from store managers and sales leaders about behavioural changes they’re seeing after training.
For example: "Since the new product training, the team is actively recommending accessories more often — and it's showing in our ATV."
These insights can help build a richer picture of impact and make your data more compelling when presenting to leadership.
No strategy is without its challenges, and the sooner you address them, the easier they’ll be to mitigate. With that in mind, we’ve laid out what we believe to be the three most common challenges for this strategy and some proposed solutions.
L&D data, sales data, HR data… Often, these live in disparate, different systems. Breaking down those silos requires consistent collaboration (and relationship-building.)
Solution: Build relationships with data owners across all the relevant departments. Make the case that learning data is business data.
It's rarely possible to say, "This training alone increased sales by 10%." Sales performance is influenced by many factors: promotions, footfall, economic conditions, whether it’s supposed to rain that day… the list goes on.
Solution: Acknowledge this complexity. Your goal isn’t to prove causation beyond all doubt; it’s to demonstrate a clear, credible contribution to business results.
Measuring what matters takes more effort than tracking course completions. It requires new processes, stakeholder engagement, and often, extra analysis.
Solution: Start small. Choose one pilot project, one product line, or one store group to test your measurement approach. Build from there.
If you want to start measuring what matters, here’s a simple roadmap:
If L&D wants to be seen as a driver of commercial success and not just a training provider, you need to measure what matters.
That means rolling up your sleeves, talking to your colleagues across the business, and making the case for a joined-up approach to learning and performance.
You don’t need a PhD in data science to do it; just curiosity and collaboration.
Because when it comes down to it, it’s not about how many courses your people complete. It’s about how well they can help your business thrive.
Interested in how Thrive can help your retail teams? Book a demo today.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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