Summary

Store traffic is declining every year, and physical stores are failing to convert the shoppers who do visit. While conversion-boosting technology is abundant online, brick-and-mortar retailers have had few equivalent tools to protect revenue as foot traffic falls.

This YOOBIC ebook shows how retailers can offset declining traffic by raising in-store conversion across three areas: store look and feel, promotions, and sales associate performance. It draws on external studies from Salesforce and Publicis.Sapient, iVend, Oracle, and Incisiv BRP-Windstream, plus academic research.

Summary

Poor in-store experiences and the perception of a retail apocalypse have pushed iconic retailers into administration. Stores fail to deliver on aesthetic appeal, ease of finding things, and making customers feel valued. The real problem is not intent but an execution gap between what HQ envisions and what actually happens in stores.

This guide identifies three fixable gaps behind bad in-store experiences: broken communication between stores and HQ, store visit procedures that don’t help stores, and sales associate training not built for associates. It cites figures from RIS News, CNBC, PwC, and Skipton Building Society, and includes a checklist to diagnose these problems in your own stores.

Summary

Frontline teams make up the bulk of the retail and hospitality workforce but have historically received minimal technology investment. Post-pandemic, after workers were called heroes and the Big Quit reshaped hiring, retail leaders face pressure to move beyond lip service and make frontline careers genuinely attractive again.

This ebook uses a cartoon series by Tom Fishburne (Marketoonist) to illustrate 10 common frontline management sins, spanning labor shortage, burnout, communication, onboarding, tool overload, omnichannel, health and safety training, knowledge management, career development, and retention. It makes the case for a purpose-built Frontline Employee Experience Platform, framed by a letter from YOOBIC CEO Fabrice Haiat.

Summary

Pandemic-era recognition for frontline retail and hospitality workers has faded, leaving them with heavier workloads and fewer colleagues. During the Great Resignation, retail and hospitality saw record quit rates. Workers who want to stay now have more options than ever, so employers must work harder to attract and retain them.

Based on a survey of over 1,400 frontline workers across Canada, France, the UK, and the US, conducted by Hanover Research in March 2022, with a foreword by Ron Thurston. The report explains why relying on pay increases alone fails and where digital workplace tools make a measurable difference, including 82% of retailers seeing improved sales.

Summary

Economic uncertainty, inflation, supply chain volatility, and inventory surplus are reshaping retail while in-store traffic stays low. Frontline teams are understaffed and burnt out, managers are buried in manual work, and retailers struggle to attract and retain hourly associates as employee and consumer expectations keep evolving.

This report shows how AI-driven workforce management and frontline experience technologies optimize labor efficiency while improving the employee and manager experience. Co-produced by YOOBIC and Legion Technologies with data from RetailNext and commentary from Cathy Hotka & Associates, it draws on a survey of 500+ managers, YOOBIC’s 2022 Frontline Employee Experience Survey, and sources including McKinsey, PWC, and Gartner.

Summary

Retail faces a tight labor market with high turnover, staff shortages, and competition for hourly workers, alongside growing demand for flexible schedules. Understaffing, excess overtime, and inaccurate labor forecasting harm customer experience, raise costs, and pressure profitability, pushing retailers to adopt AI and ML-powered workforce management technology.

This report from Coresight Research identifies and scores the top 10 private US workforce management providers on level of innovation and market potential. Analysts screened 150-plus pre-IPO companies using a nine-criteria proprietary methodology, drawing on company reports, Crunchbase, and Coresight Research surveys of mid-sized to large global employers conducted in September 2021.

Summary

The pandemic created a perfect storm for supermarkets: rising demand and higher expectations around safety, convenience, and availability, colliding with inefficient behind-the-scenes processes and overwhelmed frontline teams. Stores were pushed to maximum operating capacity while pre-existing inefficiencies were exposed and intensified.

This YOOBIC ebook lays out four measures to improve supermarket operational efficiency: digitizing task management, streamlining field team processes, automating expiration date tracking, and unifying store tasks with internal communications. More than 200 retailers, including Redner’s Market, Lidl, Carrefour, Monoprix, and Vitalia, use YOOBIC’s digital workplace.

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic created a perfect storm for retail pharmacies: high consumer demand, inefficient processes, and overwhelmed staff, all while stores must stay open through any future lockdowns. Teams must keep customers safe, ease strain on the healthcare system, cut operating costs, and grow sales with scarce time and resources.

This guide sets out four measures to boost store operational efficiency: digitizing task management, managing operations remotely, streamlining frontline communications, and using AI to automate analysis and in-store improvements. It draws on engagement and productivity figures from Gallup and McKinsey, and reflects YOOBIC’s work with 200+ retailers and brands including Boots, McKesson and LloydsPharmacy.

Summary

COVID-19 reshaped restaurant economics: 8+ million frontline employees were laid off or furloughed, 4 in 10 restaurants will stay closed post-reopening, and nearly 25% of consumers won’t dine out until a vaccine exists. Operating a site is costlier than ever while capacity and confidence remain constrained.

This ebook shows how restaurants can do more with less across four areas: remote audits, digitized task management, mobile-first training and communications, and tool consolidation. It combines YOOBIC customer data with external figures from Restaurant Business, McKinsey & Company, and QSR Magazine to quantify the savings each shift delivers.

Summary

The pandemic permanently reshaped retail, entrenching omni-channel shopping and adding operational complexity. At the same time, pandemic-era layoffs and furloughs left stores with a less experienced, lower-skilled, and more expensive workforce, even as customer expectations for in-store and omni-channel service continued to rise.

This analyst brief, written by Jon Duke, Research Vice President at IDC Retail Insights, examines how digital workplace solutions for frontline associates improve task compliance, streamline communication, and accelerate learning. Consumer statistics are drawn from IDC’s Retail Consumer Insights Survey of September 2020.