Driven by competitiveness and profitability challenges, the retail sector must contend with e-commerce competition, adapt to evolving consumer habits, and meet increasingly demanding customer expectations. The stakes are high, store survival itself is on the line. In this context, digitalization stands out as a key solution, allowing stores to reinvent themselves and re-enchant the customer experience through modernization.
Yes, but! Digitizing the point of sale also brings new services and new ways of operating. The work environment evolves, creating continuous pressure with the rise of real-time operations. In this unprecedented transformation, what are the impacts on store organization and team dynamics?
Real-time information: a requirement that falls on the organization
The digitalization of the point of sale both enables and requires the ability to deliver smooth, accurate information at any time, as well as to respond to new ordering habits. The “on-demand” mindset sets the tone, and the shopping journey must meet the expectations of customers who are used to real-time interactions and the “Here and Now.”
Using mobile devices as “shopping assistants,” interactive kiosks in-store, ROPO (Research Online, Purchase Offline), store-to-web services, brand interactions via email or SMS, and recommendations through social media, all these channels connect the store with its customers. Implementing an omnichannel strategy is therefore essential to manage this constant flow of information – prices, availability, promotions – and to process purchases in all their forms.
Being ready at all times doesn’t just require employees to adapt to this new information strategy; it also demands a reorganization of operations to meet these fast-moving and flexible demands… which likely means investing a bit of time!
The rise of digital technology: serving the customer… and impacting employees
The use of digital tools by store employees brings about a fundamental shift in the way they work, requiring new skills, new attitudes and in some cases, entirely new roles.
Take specialty retail, for example, where personalized sales advice is a key growth driver: here, the salesperson becomes central to the customer relationship not only as a product expert, but also as a purchasing facilitator. Equipped with a digital tablet connected to the customer CRM and stock levels, they can provide tailored advice, recommend the most suitable items, place orders in case of stockouts, and manage various delivery options. What’s more, with mobile payment functionality, the salesperson can even handle checkout offering continuous support throughout the entire customer journey. This is a far cry from hurried product recommendations between two backroom trips.
Other digital tools such as modern checkout systems, real-time shelf monitoring, or anomaly detection technologies, can also disrupt how employees perceive their roles. Just imagine how disorienting it can be for staff primarily assigned to cash registers, when a solution like Lyf Pay is rolled out at Auchan with the clear goal of eliminating the checkout process altogether.
So the question is: should the organization of store operations be adapted to the new expectations placed on employees? Or, on the contrary, should we create new roles, new job functions, or systematically introduce versatility to support these evolving responsibilities?
The growing number of tasks linked to phygital services
If phygital services help enhance the customer experience by supporting and guiding them from pre-shopping to after-sales service and drive growth, then the in-store Supply Chain must demonstrate exceptional agility.
Implementing services like Drive, home delivery, or Click & Collect requires the ability to prepare and sometimes deliver products within the hour, while also handling returns and exchanges from both in-store purchases and online orders. It becomes essential to plan resources accordingly and train staff for these new tasks.
Likewise, to provide a smoother and more pleasant customer experience – shorter checkout times, clean and well-organized shelves, accurate signage, and timely sales advice – phygital services introduce the need for versatility and multi-tasking. Employees must now be capable of taking on additional responsibilities and develop operational and interpersonal skills that were not previously required of them.
Digitizing the point of sale demands resources not only to absorb the transformation, but also to adapt to the new relationship with time it imposes. And time, in this case, is the ultimate resource to master.
It’s a tough challenge, no doubt but not an impossible one. And in any case, it’s non-negotiable: it’s a matter of store survival, let’s not forget!
Conclusion
The evolution in how we perceive and relate to time has changed the rules of the game inside the store. Digitalization not only helps optimize operations it redefines time itself, making real-time the new gold standard. And that’s where the real challenge lies.
Today, TimeSkipper is the only solution capable of translating these new organizational models into action within the store, and of managing daily operations while factoring in the changes brought on by digital transformation.
As an all-in-one SaaS platform, TimeSkipper helps you model your activity and anticipate both customer and product flows. This enables fair task distribution based on priorities, while addressing operational constraints and unexpected events keeping you as close as possible to the realities on the ground. The result? A more serene approach to digitalization, with increased sales and profitability.
