Elevate your In-Store Communications

Enhance organisational interaction: seamless two-way communication from HQ to stores

A strong internal culture is critical to productivity and efficiency. Just look at the results from a 2024 Gallup poll which noted companies with strong people cultures have productivity rates up to 21% higher than average.

Retail brands benefit from effective internal communication that strengthen bonds between central teams and store management. In addition to delivering clear and consistent direction from the nerve-centre, Cegid’s Retail Store Excellence platform provides a two-way feedback loop, enabling insights, problems – and their solutions – to be passed between head office and the store manager community quickly. They could be exchanging views on pricing, visual merchandising changes, or feedback on sales (“Customers are trying the red dress on first but find it unflattering; we think that’s why sales of green are higher this week”). Collaborative problem-solving in areas like product launches, visual merchandising, and sales feedback empowers everyone involved and drives the bottom line.

Encouraging store managers to get involved in developing strategies for communication between HQ and stores is also a useful way to foster company culture. Not sure when’s the best day, or even time of day, for sending retail store communication? Ask. Equally, making HQ communication an integral part of store culture is key, whether it’s weekly sit-downs to look at figures, or ensuring each newsletter has info store employees can use to improve sales figures and customer relationships.

Centralised information hub: access training, procedures, and updates in one place

Given the volume of information that currently passes between retail stores and head offices as part of a ‘normal’ working week, many retail directors or regional directors are developing centralised knowledge bases to streamline all their content and data into one place. The hubs enable store teams to quickly access a centralised newsfeed with the latest info from HQ, evergreen reports, video channels with leadership ‘all-hands’ meetings, training tutorials and more. The ability for store teams to access all the information and data they need in real-time via a single portal, on any device can transform retail store communication and reduce costs. It’s also a real game changer in terms of efficiency: staff can be up and running as quickly as possible and that they perform as well as possible. Crew Clothing’s head of retail operations Charlotte Eaves notes that using Cegid Retail Store Excellence has allowed them to simplify their tech stack and eliminate the need for a central intranet.

Boost employee engagement with interactive learning: quizzes, gamification, and more

Gamification and AI social gaming principles applied to training and task management have proven effective in engaging employees. Studies have shown , while one 2019 study reported that it increased productivity in companies that were using it by 50 per cent. The interactive learning formats available within Cegid Retail Store Excellence allow leaders to develop dynamic courses and fun quizzes for their in-store communication, utilising brand content and images.

How Natan transformed customer experience and inventory control

Founded in 1930, Belgian luxury brand Natan is famous for designing women’s couture, ready-to-wear and accessories. With 10 stores and retail partners around the world, they decided to make their retail store communication experience more efficient, so turned to Cegid.

To manage its growing retail network and simplify staff processes, Natan used Cegid Retail Y2 in SaaS and Cegid Orli for its sourcing and manufacturing supply chain: “These solutions are perfectly adapted to our industry and provide us with a great deal of data. There are no limits,” says Lara Vanderstraeten, sales and retail manager.

Using Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking, the brand is now able to see a consolidated view of stock levels in real-time around the world and on its website. Paired with Cegid’s mobile solutions, sales associates can now support customers more efficiently, looking at stock availability mid-conversation, therefore speeding up the purchasing journey.

Natan has also been able to streamline in-store tasks, for example eliminating manual merchandise with scanning technology: “It minimises the risk of errors and boosts efficiency,” says Vanderstraeten. Using Cegid Retail solutions, the company has also been able to monitor retail store communication and sales more easily. “Everything began when we obtained retail KPIs. In one click, we follow the monthly conversion rates, the number of items sold through up-selling,” she says, adding, “thanks to a connector installed with Orli, we are going further and obtaining a 360-degree view of our production programme. We can also determine the ideal purchasing budget,” all of which supports their dual goals of improved customer satisfaction and employee engagement.

How Cegid Retail Academy’s e-learning platform is transforming Anne Fontaine’s training programmes

With a portfolio of retail stores across the world, Anne Fontaine’s leadership wanted to ensure comprehensive, high quality, brand-focused training would be available to its entire customer-facing team. Given the boutiques of this Paris-based fashion brand are very busy, they wanted to find a platform that could offer universal training across time zones, languages and schedules.

As a long-time user of Cegid Retail Colombus, the company recently migrated its business to the Cegid Retail Y2 suite, which includes Cegid Retail Academy e-learning. Cécile Carré-Paillard, European retail director at Anne Fontaine identified a range of benefits the e-learning platform has delivered under testing, including the ability of store teams to learn and train to their own schedules, getting new recruits up-and-running more quickly, and freeing up the time of their training teams to focus on specialised subjects.

“I really like the short sessions as they are better suited to our limited availability for training. The flexibility to stop and start, depending on what else needs doing around the store, is also better for fully understanding everything,” said Carré-Paillard. “Online learning means that I can easily repeat something I might not have fully understood, or come back to it a few days later if something still seems confusing,”

Conclusion

Effective in-store communication is vital for elevating customer experience and optimising store operations. By leveraging advanced platforms like Cegid Retail Store Excellence, retailers can unify communication, enhance organisational interaction, and drive employee engagement. Equip your team with the tools to transform in-store communication into a seamless, efficient powerhouse.

Q&A

What are the most effective in-store communication tools?

Your staff! The relationships store staff build with customers is critical in a competitive market. It’s why 27 per cent of respondents to one 2023 PwC survey ranked access to knowledgeable and helpful store associates as a top factor for enhancing their in-store shopping experiences.

Developing inspiring in store communication and providing the right training is proven to increase sales conversion. From Cegid Pulse’s AI personalisation tools to Cegid Retail Store Excellence’s centralised newsfeed, the software ensures teams are set up for success by having easy access to structured communication feeds and real-time information from head office.

Why is internal communication important for retail employees?

Retail businesses face many challenges in connecting head offices and their teams in store, which makes investing in communication between HQ and stores is especially critical. Benefits of strong communication range from better store management skills, speedy and efficient updating of processes, to building trusted relationships between head office and store teams. With the addition of Cegid Pulse AI analytics, the ability to change course quickly makes store management easier and more effective in growing the bottom line. Cegid Retail Store Excellence saved PVH Group four hours a week (equivalent to £300,000 in labour costs) of store administrative time, simultaneously freeing staff up to improve the retail customer experience.

What role do store managers play in effective internal communication in retail?

Great store managers are the bridge between head office and their in-store sales associates, managing the flow of information coming from their centralised newsfeed, tracking KPIs, ensuring their teams are trained and up to date on best practice and yes, acting as role models for excellent customer service! In other words, the best store managers operate as small business owners, ensuring every element of their store operation is running smoothly. Communication between HQ and stores is enhanced when information is streamlined for easy use and store managers are encouraged to share insight and data back to head office.