Don’t fear technology. Use it to help get the most from your retail team and let them understand how it can make their jobs better.

It is understandable that during a time of radical change in the industry, retail staff are keen to know the impact new technologies could have on their jobs.

Consumer habits have changed dramatically in recent years as people embrace new ways of shopping and have different expectations. This means retailers have to continually improve and differentiate their customers’ experiences.

This is bound to impact the work retail staff do and the technology they use.

As parts of the retail sector are automated, staff will be free to be more creative in their roles and spend additional time helping customers.

AI can empower positive change

Today, retail staff need to spot gaps on shelves, update shelf-edge labels, and search the warehouse for customer requests.

If AI and technology can take over those tasks, people in retail roles will have more time to spend with customers on a one-to-one basis. This will help them to better understand their needs and give them the best possible experience.

However, simply rolling out new technology and expecting people to adapt is not realistic. It requires leadership to help teams identify new opportunities and achieve them. It takes a change of culture, led from the top.

As retailers embrace digital transformation and AI, some things will stay the same. Notably, placing customers at the centre of their business. This is likely to lead to the creation of exciting new roles.

“With technology such as AI handling the repetitive tasks, businesses can make people the face of their operations and provide real customer value”

What about a ‘chief storyteller’ welcoming consumers in to the store with on-brand messages and interesting product information. And why can’t everyone have a personal shopper?

With technology such as AI handling the repetitive in-store tasks, businesses can make people the face of their operations once again and provide real customer value.

Your people can become ambassadors for your brand. They will have information at their fingertips on everything your customers want to know, and the time for a conversation that enhances their shopping experience. These are the types of rewarding and useful jobs retailers are now looking to support.

AI can crunch big data and analyse information fast. This makes it easy for your employees to create personalised experiences for customers.

There will be plenty of job opportunities off the shop floor too. Data scientists, programmers and cybersecurity experts are highly sought-after roles.

Brave new careers

Retail is much more than a foothold on the career ladder for many school-age students and those looking to supplement their studies with paid work.

AI will make day-to-day tasks easier to manage, giving staff the chance to work in new ways with customers in a career that they love.

It is a sector full of opportunity, and one that brings people power to the foreground, supported by technology at the core.

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Explore the latest trends in retail

The post Championing the AI opportunity: How automation gives your employees better ways of working appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

The fundamental shifts needed to serve customers successfully in a market increasingly driven by the expectations of a new generation of consumers is resulting in traditional retailer-supplier relationships morphing into something much more strategic.

This has led to the rise of the retailer-technology partnership. These are driven by the need to serve customers better, and a recognition by retailers that it’s a fast route to accessing transformative solutions and data science to improve their business models. Where technology was historically used by retailers to ‘keep the lights on’, it is no longer a utility, but essential to the strategic transformation of retail offerings and operations in an increasingly challenging environment.

Asos, for example, calls itself a technology company that sell clothes online – a prime example of retail and tech’s evolving relationship.

Power of partnership in retail

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud technology, and other enterprise software have helped retailers transform their operations and look at new ways of doing business. Retailers see an opportunity to tap into tech companies’ R&D resources and tech expertise as a way of adding value to their own organisations. It’s why more of them are closely attaching themselves to one tech house to co-develop new ways of working.

But success doesn’t just rest on the tech – technology is the enabler for retailers to digitally transform but success lies in strategic planning and collaboration between the two businesses.

For that to happen, it’s crucial the industry expertise of the retailer is intrinsically combined with the tech know-how of the supplier to develop the most suitable and sustainable business roadmaps.

“It’s crucial the industry expertise of the retailer is intrinsically combined with the tech know-how of the supplier to develop the most suitable and sustainable business roadmaps.

Big names on the board

Microsoft has unveiled strategic partnerships with Marks & Spencer and Alpha XR Boots Alliance, two UK high street mainstays, where a combination of each of our skillsets will support true retail transformation and help define a remodelling of these businesses.

M&S and its chief executive, Steve Rowe, are striving to create a “digital-first” business model, and they want to mix our AI capabilities with their 135 years of retail expertise to create an operation fit for the modern day.

At Boots, we’re committed to combining our cloud tech infrastructure with the retailer’s 170 years’ specialist experience to shake up and digitise healthcare retail.

These partnerships are required in retail because the journeys companies – including M&S and Boots – are going through are so monumental they are effectively redefining their entire business propositions.

Picking a partner for shared success

Everyone is picking their side, selecting the right toolkit, and more importantly choosing the most suitable partnerships as they look to compete. It is vital to pick the right partner – one who’s own success is based on your success, ensuring shared ownership of the challenges you face. It is the strength of these partnerships that will decide retail’s winners and losers.

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When surviving in a harsh retail environment, collaborative partnerships can provide some shelter from the headwinds. It’s something we’re seeing more and more of, so what is it that makes them successful?

Discover intelligent retail

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About the author

Diana joined Microsoft UK in 2012 and took on the leadership of the Retail, Consumer Goods and Travel & Transport team after having held a number of senior roles, including four years managing global accounts. She believes that success is based on building and maintaining senior level executive relationships and applying industry and technical knowledge to customers’ business priorities and strategies. She thrives on understanding how businesses work, the challenges and opportunities that the industry faces and how technology can enable and empower those businesses.

The post Digital Transformation is as much about collaboration and strategy as technology appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.