Store Associates

Walmart Testing the Use of Robots for Online Grocery Pickup
August 6, 2018 at 2:21 pm

Walmart is testing the use of storage and retrieval robotics, called Alphabot, to increase the speed of online grocery order pickup, according to a company blog post. The technology, which was developed in collaboration with retail automation company Alert Innovation, is being installed in a section of a Salem, N.H. supercenter, which will also be a dedicated…

In-Store Service Helps Nest Bedding Win Customers
July 16, 2018 at 11:45 am

In episode 154 of Total Retail Talks, Joe Alexander, founder and CEO of Nest Bedding, discusses how the mattress and bedding company is humanizing the in-store shopping experience, and why the strategy is paying dividends. In addition, Alexander offers advice for other retailers that are looking to create a differentiated in-store shopping experience for their…

Predictive Analytics, Omnichannel Fulfillment Help ALDO Group Be More Profitable
July 16, 2018 at 11:08 am

With 3,000 points of sale in over 100 countries around the world, ALDO Group, a designer, manufacturer and retailer of footwear and accessories, sought a solution to help it better optimize its inventory across its online and offline sales channels. After a thorough vetting process, ALDO announced that it was partnering with Celect, a predictive…

Changing Store Models Mean C-Suite Must Harness Technology Change Initiatives
May 31, 2018 at 10:22 am

We've become increasingly accustomed to reading about retailers closing dozens of stores, while countless new technologies promise to revitalize those remaining. Retailers experimenting with lifesaving tools are overwhelmed by the options. Some executives are signing off on systems meant to change how their employees work and interact with customers (a good thing), but with no…

Learning From the Holiday Season, Part 1
May 9, 2018 at 11:12 am

Over the 2017 holiday season, total sales rose by 4.9 percent, the biggest increase year-over-year since 2011. Consumers shopped via a variety of channels, but the biggest winner was e-commerce: online sales were up 18.1 percent from the previous year. To understand the ways consumers shop and the experiences brands and retailers offer, Astound Commerce…

Human After All — Why Retail is Not Dying
May 4, 2018 at 4:59 pm

Technology’s presence in popular culture is inescapable — so much so that the debate over whether “retail is dying” and “technology is taking over” has caused fluctuating business models in real estate, automotive and large corporations. SET Creative, an award-winning experience agency, suggests a different perspective in that we’ve underestimated the need for brick-and-mortar, human experiences for retail’s future growth. In its new whitepaper, Human After All, technology is painted as a powerful resource for commerce, but one that doesn’t entertain the essential quality that humans bring to the retail table: an understanding of consumer behavior through quality customer interaction. A marriage of physical and digital is what will save classic retail from extinction.

Report: Shoppers Want to Be Left to Their Own ‘Devices’
May 1, 2018 at 9:44 am

For decades, the most successful retailers thrived by employing in-store associates to provide shoppers with excellent customer service, advice and individualized attention. In the digital age, however, consumers prefer much less human interaction. They're instead looking to various in-store technologies for help, advice, product and price information, and convenience. To better understand what drives shoppers…

Walmart Tests New Employee Dress Code at Stores
April 24, 2018 at 9:49 am

Walmart is testing a new dress code that gives employees more freedom in what they can wear on the job. Under the pilot program, which has been rolled out to fewer than 100 stores, workers can wear solid color blue jeans instead of khaki-colored or black denim pants. They also can wear a solid-color shirt of…

How to Turn Warranty Offerings From a Checked Box to a Revenue Driver
April 16, 2018 at 10:51 am

If the prospect of offering warranty solutions seems intimidating, you’re not alone. For many retailers, incorporating a warranty pitch into an already tricky sales process may be viewed as a simple check-the-box obligation. The reality is that warranties can offer an additional line of revenue and reduce customer churn, two tremendous assets for any business.…

Workplace Training Brings Competitive Advantage for Retailers
April 4, 2018 at 8:55 am

For the second year in a row, Axonify has released the results of its annual State of Workplace Training Study, conducted in December 2017 by global market research firm Ipsos. The study’s goal was to gain a comprehensive view of workplace training across different industries, including retail, and highlight the importance of providing the right kind of training to drive measurable business results.