Professional Development in Retail: Why Is It Important?

The retail industry offers many careers that are rewarding, challenging and exciting. Job positions such as retail manager, salesperson, and call center operators have the opportunity on a daily basis to connect with customers face to face or via telephone, now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their job is to help customers discover and purchase the best products, services, or solutions for their needs whilst embodying exceptional customer service. However, just as any other customer-focused industry, the retail sector is not excluded from having its challenges.

As a retail employee, you must be prepared to work in an extremely fast-paced, high-pressure, competitive environment- one that is known for its rapid staff turnover rates. With this in mind, it is extremely crucial to make sure you are enrolled in any ongoing training and development courses.

With continuous learning you will keep your retail skills sharp and current, giving yourself the opportunity to “ladder up” and create a pathway for a successful career in the industry.

Let’s look a little more closely at the importance of professional development in the retail industry.

The Success Skills For The Retail World

In order to succeed in the retail industry, there are certain skills one must possess. For obvious reasons, customer service skills are first and foremost. You really need to dive deep and take a look at the skills that epitomize a fantastic customer service experience.

Your interaction with customers is much more than simply helping them select a product for their needs. It is about seamless communication, professionally handling complaints, and building and securing their trust.

Online training programs offered by your company are great tools that will help you improve your skills in predominant areas such as productivity, motivation, time management and handling deadlines successfully. Luckily, these are “soft skills” and they can be developed and constantly improved.

These skills add an exponential value to your customer’s experience and will boost your success in your retail career. 

Employers-Make Employee Development A Commitment 

If you are a retail employer reading this article, always remember- your employees are your best asset. In this era, employees in the retail space are looking for more than a pay cheque.

Many individuals want to work for companies that transparently show a commitment to employee professional development. If your company does not offer this, your employees are likely to feel unappreciated, unmotivated and like there is no opportunity for growth in that job.

The lack of employee development and training programs can create a negative work culture. The implementation of an online training program will help employees progress and reach new heights of their potential. An LMS will always be a win-win solution and a worthy investment.

Employees that are well-trained are way more efficient and effective and will produce higher quality work. For employers, this means less money, time and resources wasted. An online training program will give employees the skills and confidence they require to make progress and move up the ranks to become an all-around asset to your business.

In addition, with ongoing employee training programs, your team is less likely to be involved in workplace accidents. This means they will require less supervision, which could potentially give more time to your or your management team to focus on other areas of the business. It will also ensure your business is up to date on safety compliances and regulations. 

Training Is Key In High Turnover Industries

As we mentioned earlier, the retail industry is known for its high employee turnover rates. Employee development training has shown the power to increase staff retention, while minimising the cost of employee turnover and any loss of company knowledge.

A considerable amount of money is typically spent on the hiring and recruiting process. That can also be said about employee onboarding and initial training. With this knowledge in mind, it is so important to hold onto new employees the best you can.

If you can retain your staff members it is most beneficial for your business, in reducing future hiring and training costs. As an employer, you need to set the tone for your staff. You need to ensure you are providing them with a positive, supportive, strong workplace culture and environment.

Establishing a workplace culture that fosters leadership and collaboration is your best option for retaining employees in high turnover industries.

In a professional environment that supports employee training and development, your staff will be increasingly productive, innovative, creative, and a lot less likely to want to leave.

Utilizing Online Training Courses In The Retail Sector

No matter what your role is in the retail industry, one of the best ways to learn and develop new skills is by enrolling in online training courses.

With the help of online training you will be able to increase your knowledge of the retail industry and continually work on developing your “soft skills” for professional growth and development.

Taking time out of your day to complete your companies’ online training programs will show your current or prospective employer that you have the ability to take initiative and the drive to work hard towards your career goals.

These impressive qualities will help you stand out and keep you on the path to success!

SkyPrep can help your employees engage in learning that is effective, relevant and inspiring. Get in touch with us to find out how we can transform professional learning at your organization. We would love to hear from you, request a call and one of our specialists will contact you shortly.