Forces Affecting Retailers Call for Modernized Workforce Optimization and Task Automation

This IDC Perspective highlights the urgent need for technology strategies that attract and retain employees and that automate routine tasks to free up associates to provide better customer service. Retailers face challenges from uncertain macroeconomic conditions and high customer expectations, necessitating modernized workforce tools and task automation to improve efficiency and customer experience. Retailers are investing in mobile-first workforce engagement applications and tools, computer vision, ESLs, RFID, and robotics to meet these needs. AI will bring sweeping changes in business processes in the near term, and to use these tools well, retailers will need to invest in infrastructure to make data accessible for frontline workers and their customers. "We know from our research that employee experience directly impacts customer experience. Retailers are at a turning point - they must modernize workforce engagement and task automation or risk losing workers - and customers - to the competition," said Leslie Hand, group vice president, IDC Retail Insights.