How Changing Retail Best Practices Will Advance Workforce Management, Talent Management, Payroll, HR Core and Benefits
Retailing is poised for radical change. Gone are the days when customers had to find their way to the store. Today, consumers have a host of choices, including online shopping and mobile commerce, and no longer have to set foot inside a physical store. Distinctions between the pure “e-tailer” and the “retailer” no longer make sense. Why? Digital transformation is not only driving the future of Web-based retailers but also forcing change for brick-and-mortar-based retailers who must introduce new best practices incorporating digital technologies. All these changes will have a deep impact on the people practices in retailing.
The retail industry will undergo major changes brought about by the spread of digital technology, the ubiquity of mobile devices, advances in cloud computing and the growing priority on providing personalized, flexible services to customers. Changes in retail best practices will increasingly affect how people in retail are managed and will redefine and expand the roles of retail workers.
Retail innovations such as personal and hybrid shoppers, extended store hours, Buy Online-Pick Up in Store (BOPIS), and Buy Online-Ship from Store (BOSFS), will have profound impacts on people practices, requiring new skills and roles for workers and managers. This report analyzes the emerging changes for retailers in hiring, training, scheduling and managing of a multi-generational workforce. This paper concludes with a set of recommendations on how retailers should consider rolling out best practice innovations that will affect people management.