5 Ways to Make Retail Careers More Attractive

In the past, retail careers in the United States were often viewed as perfect for those just beginning or coming to the end of their careers. Typically staffed by teenagers, college students, single moms and retirees they offered lower wages but shorter, more flexible hours and limited perks.

However, in recent years, the landscape has transformed. A combination of factors, including a much more competitive labor market, rising inflation, and poor public perception, has turned staffing stores into one of the biggest challenges confronting retailers today.

Talent Acquisition Challenges in Retail

According to a study by McKinsey, almost 63% of frontline retail managers are contemplating leaving their current positions, with some expressing an interest in shifting away from the retail industry altogether. Another study reported that the quit rate for retail and hospitality jobs exceeded the US average by more than 70% in 2022 alone.

Why is the retail sector having such trouble attracting and retaining talent in retail careers? Like many employers, retailers are experiencing a variety of hiring challenges, including:

• Intense Competition for Talent: Fierce competition from other industries poses a challenge in both attracting and retaining talent, as candidates often receive multiple job offers.
• Increased Turnover Rates: Retail has one of the highest turnover rates across industries, complicating efforts to secure and keep high-caliber talent.
• Lack of Career Growth: Perceptions of limited career growth opportunities in retail hinder the attraction and retention of talent, especially those seeking long-term career prospects.
• Skill Gaps: Retail careers need wide skill sets covering customer service, sales, inventory management, and technology expertise. This presents a challenge for employers to find adequately skilled candidates in a competitive job market.
• Low Compensation and Benefits: Retail’s association with lower pay and restricted benefits makes it difficult to attract and retain talent. Retailers need strategies that offer competitive compensation and benefits packages to compete with other industries.

5 Solutions to Make Retail Careers More Attractive

Many retailers are revamping their sales associate positions in response to these challenges. Some rebrand the role with more appealing titles like brand ambassador, client advisor, or stylist. Others emphasize skill development opportunities in retail careers and educational subsidies, accompanied by a noticeable uptick in wages.

However, these endeavors frequently prove unsuccessful. So, what strategies can you employ to make your retail careers more attractive?

1. Refine Your Approach

Take some time to examine your hiring process and look for ways to build or improve upon them. Some areas to focus on might include:

Candidate Experience:

When the average recruitment process takes 44 days, improving the candidate experience can make retail careers a more attractive choice. Lengthy hiring procedures can put off potential candidates and lead to longer time-to-fill. Taking steps to create a positive candidate experience built on user-friendly applications, good communication, and timely updates.

Employer Branding:

Your employer brand is key to making your roles more appealing. A strong, consistent brand that sets out who you are, and the benefits you offer and showcases the success stories of your current employees is a great way to connect with candidates and appeal to those who share your values and vision.

Data Analysis:

Understanding your candidate data gives you valuable insights into how candidates find you, whose applications lead to successful hires, and which employees stick around. This information can improve your hiring process, target new talent pools, and to better anticipate your future needs.

Explore 6 tips for getting the most from your recruitment data.

2. Offer Competitive Retail Salaries and Benefits

Salaries remain the primary driver for motivation among retail employees, but they aren’t the only way to appeal to candidates. Being transparent about the overall benefits your organization can offer from job perks like flexible hours, and employee discounts, to training and development opportunities will make your roles more appealing.

You should also be transparent about the responsibilities of each role, providing specific details about job titles and descriptions. The term ‘store associate’ may be too broad, and retailers are moving in the right direction by introducing more specificity. However, it’s crucial for retailers to explicitly outline the distribution of tasks within the job, clarifying the balance between different responsibilities and emphasizing that diverse experiences are crucial to successful retail careers.

3. Use Streamlined Workplace Solutions

Invest in a modern, streamlined, all-in-one tool that supports learning, communication, and increased productivity. By digitizing and automating routine administrative tasks like health and safety checklists and inventory reports, your employees will gain time for more meaningful activities, such as customer assistance.

This approach not only improves the overall employee experience, but contributes to decreased turnover rates, and makes you a more attractive employer for potential job seekers. You can also implement technology into your training. Gamification elements, such as quizzes and leaderboards can make the learning process more enjoyable and result in improved performance and accelerated progression for employees.

4. Gather Continuous Feedback

Only 28% of millennial frontline workers find it easy to tell if their work meets with company standards. This disconnect can lead to potential stress, anxiety, or indifference toward their job responsibilities, stopping them from being fully engaged in their role.

Establishing multiple ways for employees to give feedback gives you a chance to monitor their work. Using tools that enable ongoing two-way communication empowers employees to understand expectations, receive consistent feedback, ask questions, and express concerns. Improved communication signals to employees that they are supported, and their contributions are valued, therefore nurturing a sense of appreciation.

5. Focus on Career Growth

Employees have a genuine desire to learn and advance in their careers, making jobs that offer such opportunities more appealing. However, conventional learning tools often prove inconvenient for store employees, who navigate a demanding daily routine on their feet, juggling various tasks. In the fast-paced store environment, accessibility becomes a challenge when learning is confined to the back office for online courses, paper workbooks, or classroom sessions. To address this, you should look at alternative ways to deliver training such as mobile apps.

If you are looking for innovative ways to improve your talent attraction and retention Pierpoint’s flexible RPO solutions could be the answer. From building a strong employer brand and reaching new talent pools to developing a talent pipeline and streamlining your talent acquisition processes.

Contact one of our experts today to talk about your recruitment requirements.