Retail Staff Training—Introduction, Importance, and 7 Key Aspects
Employee training is not limited to the construction or manufacturing sector. The retail sector has many aspects that demand trained employees so that the business enjoys consistent progress.
Therefore, for retail business owners, investing in a thorough retail staff training program can set them apart from their competitors. Not only will it make staff more productive, but it will also promise higher revenues.
So the question is, what exactly is retail staff training, what it entails, and why is it important? Read on to find answers to these questions so your retail business can reap its benefits, too.
What is Retail Staff Training?
Retail staff training refers to specialized program(s) designed to train retail sector employees. Training for retail employees is essential regardless of the niche of your retail business.
Typically, retail staff training includes multiple components to deal with different aspects of a retail business. For example, it can include training for customer service, product knowledge training, software training, and sales training for retail staff.
Ultimately, retail training aims to make employees productive, efficient, and customer-friendly while increasing revenue.
Importance of Retail Staff Training
The importance of retail store staff training cannot be overstated.
For example, retailers who invest in employee training report 4-6 times more profit than the competitors who don't. Here are some reasons why retail staff training is so necessary.
1. Increases Employee Productivity
Naturally, trained employees perform tasks more efficiently. Moreover, knowledge of customer service, products, sales, and compliance makes them more confident. All these things ultimately increase their productivity.
2. Increases Employee's Morale
Employee happiness and satisfaction thrive on consistent career development. Relevant training programs are helpful for employees’ careers and boost their morale.
3. Reduces Employee Turnover
Statistics show that ongoing retail staff training reduces employee turnover by 50%. That's because employees love to work at a place where they have opportunities to upskill and grow.
4. Increases Revenue
Through consistent training, retail employees get better at customer service, product knowledge, and sales. It plays an overarching role in increasing revenue. Research also proves that better training leads to better customer experience and more sales.
Training for Retail Employees—7 Key Aspects
As a retail business owner, you should focus on seven critical aspects to develop a comprehensive retail staff training program. Let's take a look at those aspects:
a) Onboarding
The first step in retail store staff training is acclimatizing the new hires. It is a type of orientation that usually involves the introduction of the following elements:
● Company culture
● Brand and quality standards
● Team structure
● Basic business processes
● Store tour
● Company policies and procedures
b) Product Training
Since retail business employees directly deal in products, they should be expertly informed about those products. This is where product training becomes handy. Typically, we can summarize the goals of product training into the following key points:
● Enabling staff to understand and communicate the benefits and features of different products to the customers.
● Enabling staff to explain complex product-related concepts to potential customers in plain language.
● Enabling the staff to identify the best product for a particular customer and recommend it to them.
c) Customer Service Training
Product training alone is insufficient without customer service training. Every single dollar spent on customer service gives $3 in return. Typically, it involves training staff in the following areas:
● Offering a consistently positive customer experience
● Welcoming, greeting, and answering customer's questions patiently
● Dealing with complaints and following up on them
● Dealing with customers empathetically and recommending them products based on their needs and challenges
d) Retail Sales Training
Product and customer service training tie in closely with sales training. Ultimately, the goal of the training is to improve sales.
Therefore, sales training for retail staff typically includes the following things:
● Demonstrating products, benefits, and features efficiently
● Identifying and leveraging sales opportunities
● Explaining products and answering questions in detail
● Comparing your products with competitors and presenting them as the better alternative
● Cross-selling complementary products
● Dealing with objections related to pricing
● Understanding of effective sales techniques
● Leading a potential customer at the beginning of the sales funnel toward the purchase
e) Inventory Management Training
Inventory management training is a critical part of a retail business and should be a part of the employees' overall training program. The goal of this training is to enable relevant employees to:
● Efficiently receive, store, and track inventory
● Learn inventory basics such as SKUs, reorder points, lead times, inventory turnover, and carrying costs
● Learn inventory control techniques like ABC analyses, FIFO, and JIT
● Use modern inventory tracking systems and software
● Perform stock replenishment, avoid stockouts, and control overstocking
● Prevent inventory theft, damage, and spoilage
● Understand product placement principles
f) Software & Technology Training
Retail businesses extensively use software to automate multiple processes. A comprehensive retail staff training should also teach employees how to use these software.
These tools may include inventory management software, billing and POS systems, marketing channels, security systems, etc. The key is to give the staff hands-on training that teaches everything from running and handling the systems to troubleshooting and updating them.
g) Safety and Compliance Training
Lastly, exhaustive training for retail employees should also bring the staff up to speed with all the relevant safety and compliance guidelines. It could include educating employees on things like:
● Sexual harassment prevention
● Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
● Fire safety
● OSHA guidelines
● COVID or other relevant guidelines
● Information safety guidelines
Such training ensures a smooth, safe, and productive working experience for all employees.
Summing it Up
Whether it is sales training for retail staff or other critical aspects, this article is a roadmap for a holistic employee training approach. However, information alone is insufficient without the input of an expert who has experience in the retail sector inside and out.
That is where retail business coaching comes in. An expert business coach will not only help you determine the group of employees who need training the most but also develop a program that fits your business needs perfectly.
To explore how business coaching can uplift your retail business, book a free discovery call here.
Do you need help training your retail staff? Retail Staff Training is super important as a business owner and and we'll share some tips on how to avoid making common mistakes when training your team.
