Microlearning and Retail: Optimizing Employee Training to Improve the Customer Experience

73% of customers say that the customer experience is a determining factor in the purchasing process, according to a study by PwC. 

The rapid evolution of technology has transformed the retail industry, underlining the importance of the customer experience. Consumers are now more demanding, looking for personalization and comfort, but they are very much aware of the high values associated with the brand equity. This evolution has redefined the codes of selling ceremonies, which were considered impersonal and mercantile in the past. Companies are now eager to elevate the commercial interactions by offering a memorable and customer-centric shopping experience.

But with the constant changes in retail and these new customer-centric strategies, what are the best ways for companies to train their employees to meet these challenges?

Retail is the final link in the distribution chain, so it represents the stage at which a company’s products are made available to buyers.

The retail industry is structured around several factors, making it a dynamic market: competition, the product life cycle, and above all technology and consumers. Retail has undergone many changes, always to satisfy the consumers. Today’s retail industry, and digital retail in particular, puts the emphasis on personalization focused on merchandising techniques and selling strategies, to provide un ultimate customer satisfaction. In another word, it’s been widely known as ‘the selling ceremony’.

Perfecting the selling ceremony requires extensive retail training. Implementing training in retail is not always simple. There are a couple of criteria to consider and around which to build your training, in particular:

• The dynamic nature of the sector and recent innovations:  Retail is the world’s largest private-sector employer, and depending on the industry in which you operate, it can be more or less dynamic. In any case, retail employees must be informed of the latest innovations and technology trends to keep up with the ever changing landscape of retail sector.
•  Workforce diversity: A workforce is not homogeneous, so it’s important to structure training according to different learning styles, hierarchical positions, etc., to ensure that training is adapted to as many people as possible.

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Considering these criteria, one specific format that could be the solution is “microlearning”. This format is the best way for employees to absorb the required skills and techniques in bite-sized tailored modules where the other training formats may have difficulties to address effectively. It goes beyond the norms of classroom type training, allowing employees to learn at their own pace from anywhere at anytime. This autonomy in learning performs as a great asset in a dynamic sector such as retail, characterized by constant changes and trends. Moreover, thanks to its compressed and streamlined format, it brings together the essentials, avoiding the learner being exposed to an excess of superfluous information.

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In a field as dynamic as retail, and even more so in digital retail, microlearning seems more than appropriate. Short, mobile-friendly, and available at all times, it provides effective and flexible training, ideal for adapting to rapid changes in the sector.

• Efficiency: Microlearning breaks down training into short, targeted segments that are easy to assimilate, so it’s easy to learn at any time of day between meetings, for example.
• Engagement: The use of interactive elements, as well as the many formats made possible by microlearning, helps to capture employees attention and increase their involvement in the training process, making learning more enjoyable and more effective.
• Retention: Studies show that microlearning improves information retention by delivering content in small sequences that are easier for the brain to process and memorize.
• Adaptability: Microlearning is a format designed to last over the long term, and modules can be easily updated and enriched to keep up with new additions.

There are many innovations in the field of microlearning. Designed to facilitate learning, microlearning is becoming increasingly personalized in terms of visuals, learning path and APIs for personalised data to monitor for improvements. In recent years, the integration of AI into microlearning platforms has been extensively utilized. Its advantage is being able to provide a seamless learning experience. These platforms rely on AI algorithms to analyze learner’s data, preferences, and performance. This analysis allows the platform to provide content that is not only relevant to the learner’s knowledge, but also to generate learning content based on the learner’s level.

In conclusion, the evolution of microlearning, particularly with AI integration, is creating a highly personalized and adaptive learning experience that is especially favored in sectors like retail due to its concise and flexible format.