Aligning Customer and Employee Experience in Grocery
Shopper data has proved its worth – now it’s time to leverage labor data
Using Big Data, machine learning and analytics, you’ve built relationships with customers through personalized offers and communications, optimize pricing by determining which products are most price-elastic, track the performance of combo-offers and promotions, control inventory, and derive actionable intelligence to increase spend per visit, cross-sell and grow sales. These same innovative concepts and automated features used to inform business decisions related to customers can also inform decisions regarding your workforce.
With the right data, retailers have the power to significantly improve labor forecasting and demand planning, mitigate unplanned absences, and predict staffing and compliance issues before they happen. For grocery managers, this means fewer routine administrative tasks that distract from strategic, people-centric activities like assisting customers or training and developing store associates.
Your shelves are stocked, but are you properly staffed to meet demand?
Consumers place a premium on human interaction these days, and the retail environment is no exception. Although fewer cashiers will be needed as traditional checkout lines disappear, demand for knowledgeable, personable floor associates to answer shopper questions and provide instant assistance is on the rise.
Hannaford provides a strong example of how to optimize scheduling to meet customer demands across departments. Using a workforce management solution from Kronos, the Northeast regional grocery chain has been able to map department- and counter-specific customer traffic patterns, and also identify when and where certain fixed activities occur. As a result, managers can schedule staff accordingly, and store merchandising teams are empowered to plan activities at specific times when they know traffic will be heaviest. “It all comes down to smart scheduling and having the right technology in place to know when and where our associates are needed to maximize in-store experiences for our shoppers,” noted Karchov.
never stop innovating
With so much talk about the customer experience, retailers of all sizes and specialties have an incredible opportunity to cultivate customer loyalty across all channels by establishing or investing in resources to enrich the workplace for their employees. A well-trained, technology-enabled and engaged workforce can be an incredible differentiator to help drive customer satisfaction and repeat business in grocery. Those grocers that invest in their workforces will streamline operations and be well positioned to maximize employee engagement, redefine the shopping experience and strengthen customer loyalty.