When we talk about the value of technology in retail, much of the focus is on what it can do for customers. Reducing wait times, making transactions and service more responsive and efficient, helping to make the overall experience of shopping in store pleasurable and convenient – these are why businesses shell out big bucks on the latest POS systems, kiosks, digital displays and more.
But what often gets overlooked is just how important technology is to those other VIPs who make your business thrive – your employees. Without their skills, hard work and loyalty, your business doesn’t function. And like your customers, they want a workplace that is efficient, convenient and enjoyable, too.
What is more, retail workers are clear about the role technology can play in providing the kind of workplace they want. Recent research by data capture software company Scandit makes interesting reading for retailers.
According to the firm’s survey findings, 41% of retail workers view technology as a top-three factor influencing how loyal they are to their current employer. Not surprisingly, the biggest influencers of loyalty came out as work-life balance (56%) and salary (54%). But the figure for technology puts it in the same bracket as in-work benefits (46%) and variety in the work they do (45%), and is a more important factor than how brand values align to their own (38%).
Device satisfaction = job satisfaction
The same study zeroed in more closely on retail employees’ attitudes to technology in the workplace. Two-thirds of retail associates said that the quality of the devices they had to work with was an important factor in how satisfied they were in their job, with younger workers even more likely to link tech to job satisfaction.
70% of workers who took part in the survey said the thing they valued most about devices at work was the ability to multi-task, closely followed by access to information (67%).
Crucially, Scandit’s survey also revealed a disconnect between what retail employees want from workplace technology and the attitudes of their employers. A worrying 40% of respondents said that they don’t feel their employer invests in their tech needs. Again, maybe that’s a symptom of all the focus being on what tech can do for the customer, to the exclusion of everything else.
Similarly, one in five retail workers feel that what they want from tech just isn’t a priority for their employer. We don’t need to fill in the blanks on what happens when employees feel their opinions and needs aren’t taken into consideration by the company they work for.
At a time when labor shortages and worker retention continue to be major issues facing the retail industry, these are important and useful insights. You could say you have it straight from the (work)horse’s mouth – as a retailer, if you want to lock in loyalty from your people, invest in tech that helps them do their job better. And while you’re at it, prioritise flexible solutions that support multitasking, and tech that puts information and data at their fingertips. Both core benefits of modern POS solutions, by the way.