There will be real-world retail life after the pandemic. The uncertainty for many brick-and-mortar businesses is whether theirs will be one of the few that thrive or one of the many that fade into oblivion. It is not so much a question as a choice: Are you going to bet that your familiar pre-pandemic retail model will succeed in a post-pandemic world, or are you going to invest in a makeover?

The kind of investment I am suggesting does not require adding “nice-to-have” expenditures to a budget that is already strained. It involves aligning your priorities with innovative strategies to meet the moment. 

Practicing Integrative Business
In our personal lives, we recognize that a holistic approach is necessary to maintain good health. We have to nurture both our physical and mental well-being. The same is true for a retail operation. It is important to address both the infrastructure and the corporate culture that breathes life into it. 

A mind-body approach to the coming retail revival may not fend off the e-commerce juggernaut, but it can distinguish you from your competition down the street. It is therefore critical for every retailer—from the Main Street shop to the big box superstore—to understand that technology is friend, and values are business drivers. 

Retailers became attuned to the advantages of developing omnichannel components long before COVID-19 struck. To the extent possible, all retailers must continue to vigorously ramp up those efforts. At the same time, those that intend to welcome back customers in the flesh must consider what is most likely to pique their interest, not once but repeatedly. 
The answer may seem obvious: a great customer experience. Shoppers want a pleasant environment, attractively placed merchandise, a warm welcome, and professional assistance. None of those things are possible without exceptional performance on the part of frontline employees. All of those things are possible—and more—if you hire the right people, give them innovative tech tools to do their jobs, and offer multiple good reasons to make their careers with your company.
Complicating the hiring and retention challenge is an alarming trend that has become known as “The Great Resignation.” Employees who are not engaged—or, worse, are disengaged—are leaving their jobs in droves. As you contemplate the resurgence of retail, will your business be one that top performers flee from or flock to? It is up to you. 

Greasing Employee Engagement Gears
Finding ways to bolster employee engagement is critical. Disengaged employees are costly. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2021 Report indicates that lost productivity due to disengagement amounts to 18% of an employee’s annual salary. When that underperformer leaves, the result is an even bigger dent in the bottom line, because it costs twice the employee’s annual salary to fill the position. What could you do with those wasted dollars not only to improve productivity, but also to reinforce engagement and loyalty among your retail staff?

One possibility is to update your in-store technology. For example, mobile microlearning tools can deepen retail employee engagement by giving them on-the-job access to ways to improve their performance—training tips they can immediately put into action. These are quick and straightforward methods for bolstering your employees’ confidence and satisfaction. They can earn recognition from their managers while taking concrete steps toward advancement. 
Tech tools that help employees locate the merchandise customers want are also valuable. That kind of success is often as gratifying for employees as it is for customers, in addition to increasing sales. Further, employees equipped with smartphones and retail-centric apps can stay abreast of brand standards of compliance, check off completion of routine tasks, and engage in powerful two-way communications. 

If you are hungry for innovation, you might find that some of the best ideas come from employees who are encouraged to express their ideas—and are given the means to do so as they occur to them on the job. Seeing those ideas actually implemented can make employees feel even more personally invested in your business. Further, those ideas can be incorporated in best practices and scaled across the network in real time.

Digital tools can be used to drive employee behaviors in a positive way. For example, consider making use of training tools a friendly competition. At the end of each month, award a prize to the staff member who uses the mobile training system the most. The recognition is more important than the prize, and the employees’ increased investment in training is the real reward. Employees who have more knowledge are better able to perform well, which leads to recognition, fulfillment, advancement and retention.

In addition to making daily workflow improvements and establishing a more collaborative relationship with employees, can you set your business apart in other respects? Does every employee have a clear path to career growth? Employees who believe they are in dead-end jobs are clearly disengaged.  Is there a way you can support childcare needs, perhaps through offering flex time? Employees who must pay caregivers almost as much as they earn may leave a job they like purely out of necessity. 

Examining Your Corporate Mindset 
There are many practical ways to set your business apart from your direct competitors. Some of them do require budgetary allotments but offer excellent ROI potential. Some only require creative thinking. These practical innovations will energize your business’s “body.” Of equal importance is your understanding of how its “mind” affects employee satisfaction and engagement.

Consider how you want to represent your corporate culture to the public—including both customers and employees. Many people in both groups care about social responsibility. A business that does not articulate its values misses the opportunity to attract customers and employees who support those very causes. For example, if there are three similar shops in the same vicinity, the one that is carbon-neutral has an edge with anyone who cares about the environment.
Establish an action plan to support efforts that align with your values by encouraging and facilitating your employees’ involvement. Companies that pay employees to do volunteer work for half a day per month, for instance, immediately set themselves apart when it comes to recruiting talent. 

Many job seekers will gravitate toward the retailer that is doing something to protect the environment, to champion inclusivity, to alleviate poverty, to support local communities, or to make positive change in some other way. In some cases, candidates will accept lower-paying positions in exchange for the opportunity to contribute to efforts they find meaningful.
Publicizing what is on your retail operation’s “mind” is not a luxury reserved for companies that can afford to loosen their budgetary reins. Corporate social responsibility is a competitive differentiator for both employees and consumers. The benefits, measured in attracting higher-caliber talent, instilling loyalty, boosting performance, and ultimately increasing customer satisfaction and sales, can far outweigh the costs. 

By Fabrice Haiat, CEO and co-founder of digital workplace platform YOOBIC