Do Retail’s Frontline Workers Have Enough Tech?

A global survey found that 40% of retail workers feel their employers don’t adequately invest in their tech needs, with 20% actively feeling it’s a non-priority.

The survey of 2,000 store associates across nine retail sub-sectors released by Scandit, a barcode scanning platform for mobile enterprise apps, found that over two-thirds of store associates rate their devices as important or very important for their jobs. The top capabilities in smartphones and scanning devices were seen as the ability to multitask (70%) and access to product information (67%).

As far as the impact of artificial intelligence, half of frontline workers are unconcerned about AI and automation in terms of losing their jobs, with 31% of these respondents believing it will positively impact their role. Staffers in the middle of their careers were more worried about tech’s impact on their roles.

“With attitudes to AI split amongst workers, it’s essential for retailers to ensure they are communicating the ways innovations like AI or automation can augment the human, alleviating mental strain or repetitive tasks,” said Vsevolod Boikov, group IT head of Apollo Group, the Estonia-based entertainment and bookstore chain, in Scandit’s press release.

Zebra Technologies’ 16^th Annual Global Shopper Study that came out last year found 86% of retail associates surveyed agree customers have a better experience when associates use the latest technology to assist them. However, 77% — up from 67% in 2022 — feel shoppers are better connected to information than they are.

The top five pain points cited by associates in the survey were:

• Little time to help customers because they are doing lower-value tasks
• Inadequate tools to provide personalized customer service
• Customer finds price and product information on their smartphone faster than associates
• Customer needs a price check
• Customer needs information

Matthew Guiste, Zebra’s global retail strategy lead, said in a press release, “It’s critical retailers invest in technologies that elevate the customer experience, engage associates and optimize inventory.”

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index Special Report, “Technology Can Help Unlock a New Future for Frontline Workers,” which came out in 2022, found 63% of frontline workers excited about the job opportunities that technology creates despite discussions around the threat of automation and AI to their jobs. Aspects where technology can help “a lot” include onboarding new teammates, team scheduling, providing real-time task updates, automating repetitive tasks, and managing appointments.

Among the challenges tech presents, 55% of frontline workers said they had to learn new tech on the fly with no formal training or practice, with 46% feeling pressure to adapt to new tech or fear losing their jobs.

Emma Williams, corporate VP of Microsoft, said in a press release, “If done well, we believe technology can modernize workflows and enhance job performance while also improving workplace culture and communication.”