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Halloween is here and nearly gone, which means we’re pivoting quickly to the holiday season. Kinda scary, isn’t it!
As we race towards the end of the year, here are some big questions and priorities to ponder, hopefully with all treats and no tricks in store for you during this critical season:
Are your staffing levels where you wanted them to be when you started recruiting in August?
Have your leaders communicated expectations effectively with your store teams, and are they equipped to coach in real time as challenges and opportunities arise?
Are your frontline associates appropriately trained and ready to deliver memorable experiences and capitalize on every perishable moment?
If there’s one constant through-line, it’s that the human side remains pivotal in the make-or-break seasons of retail. This is especially true in today’s environment. We know that balancing technology with personalized service is key, especially in a climate where customers expect both convenience and the human touch. With operational challenges like staffing shortages, a higher volume of online orders, and increased customer demands squeezing retailers, leaders are deploying their team members in multifaceted ways to ensure a smooth customer experience. As a result, frontline associates are adapting to a range of new and expanded roles.
The upshot of all of this is that the old saying about doing more with less has never resonated more than it does right now. Not only do we have fewer staff members taking on multiple roles, we also need store leaders to successfully juggle more responsibilities as well. They’re increasingly mired in the administrative and operational tasks, yet they still need to find the time to get out onto the sales floor where the most important aspects of the jobs take place — the interactions between customers and the frontline store teams who service them.
For many retailers, the holiday season is when these kinds of challenges really start to intensify. For others, the pressure-cooker period may happen at different times throughout the year. At MOHR Retail we have the privilege of collaborating with a diverse client base who don’t all define retail in the traditional sense. While many retailers are focused on the holiday season, other sectors of the industry are focused on planning for the next fiscal year and the busy spring season. In both cases, the changing and expanding roles of frontline associates and the heightened need for skilled, strategic leadership at all levels are unmistakable.
I’m grateful that several of our clients recently took time out of their busy schedules to share a few of the key insights and tips that are top of mind for them during the holiday season and beyond.
Read on for a look at recent retail trends and how to turn them into the cornerstone of a successful holiday season — or any peak season. I imagine many of these themes will resonate with you, and I hope the insights and tips will help you deliver an enhanced shopping experience that supports both your customer engagement and operational goals in the seasons ahead.
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