
On Black Friday last year, despite chaos breaking out between desperate bargain hunters, retailers generated a ten per cent increase in footfall compared to previous years.
With this year’s sales expected to reach new heights, retailers need to ensure all hands are on deck to keep in-store operations running smoothly. With brands often looking for an extra pair of hands to help with peak demand, the need to recruit and train staff to maximise in-store opportunities, as well as managing frustrated customers, should be top of the HR agenda. In a competitive retail landscape, which is heightened during peak, a retailer will only get one chance with the consumer. With nearly three quarters (74.2 per cent) of shoppers benefiting from the touch, feel and physical comparison of products when making purchase decisions, the in-store experience remains vital for shoppers. Keeping a working team motivated and engaged should be high on any organisation’s list of priorities, regardless of whether they are full-time or temporary. It is crucial that employers understand the value of imparting the right training and knowledge on their brand ambassadors to ensure staff deliver a consistently high level of customer service, particularly during peak season.Black Friday versus Cyber Monday: How British shoppers are set to behave
Allow time for training
5 tips for maximising your return on training investment
Keep training flexible
One of the biggest errors a business can make is creating a one-size fits all approach to training. Businesses need to consider employees’ needs and find a training solution that suits multiple learning styles.Protect your staff
Ahead of Black Friday, the health and safety of employees raises another concern. Employers should be briefing on-floor teams ahead of this busy period to ensure they are well-prepped for any potential dramas that could unfold; from the odd difficult customer to a full on shopping riot. Working in a tense and chaotic environment can take its toll on staff, so it is important that store managers ensure employees are not being overworked. By frequently checking in with staff and encouraging them to properly utilise breaks, managers will ensure staff feel supported during hectic periods.Create a positive team environment
To keep spirits running high, creating friendly competition between staff teams using league boards and prizes can be a fun way to build a positive and motivated team environment; surprisingly more so than monetary incentives. Moreover, using social media or group-chat tools, like Facebook or Google hangouts, is another way to encourage positive team interaction, allowing staff to support each other with best practice ideas and praise during hectic periods. Ultimately, if brands aim to deliver high quality customer service all year round they must ensure that all employees feel part of the team, whether they are full-time or part-time. Putting effort into training and making staff feel part of the larger team can be a motivating factor in itself, leading to maximised sales opportunities and happy customers. As the face of a brand, your staff must know more than just the product basics. Sarah Mandeville is recruitment manager at Gekko.Share this story