Retailers Adjust Employee Strategies to Meet Tech-Savvy Consumer Demands, New Study Finds

RSR Research, an analyst firm providing market intelligence on retail technology trends, announces the results of its latest research report, "Enterprise Workforce Management: Redefining the Boundaries of Customer-Centric Retailing." The research finds that better-performing retailers identify employee empowerment as a key strategy for meeting the demands of increasingly savvy shoppers.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) March 18, 2010

RSR Research's latest report, "Enterprise Workforce Management: Redefining the Boundaries of Customer-Centric Retailing," finds that better-performing retailers seek to empower front-line employees, in response to increasingly savvy shoppers. These findings are based on a survey of 134 retailers in the winter of 2009-10. The report can be downloaded at http://www.retailsystemsresearch.com/_document/summary/1076. The report is sponsored by RedPrairie.

"Consumers now have more technology in their hands when they walk into stores than employees. This can put the retailer at a disadvantage from the start of the shopping experience," said Nikki Baird, Managing Partner at RSR Research and co-author of the report. "Winning retailers recognize the issue, and are beginning to shift their workforce management strategies and investments towards a more empowered workforce. Front-line employees are not being displaced by customer-owned technology like mobile phones, but their role has to change."

"Survey respondents also expressed a desire to view their workforce more holistically," adds Brian Kilcourse, also a Managing Partner at RSR Research and co-author of the report. "Hourly workers are everywhere in the retail organization, and not only are retailers looking for a broader range of capabilities under the umbrella of 'workforce management,' they also seek some consistency in how those employees are managed across functions."

"Enterprise Workforce Management: Redefining the Boundaries of Customer-Centric Retailing" contains analysis of the business drivers, opportunities, and organizational constraints surrounding retail workforce management, as well as recommendations for managing hourly employees against the demands of the post-recession consumer. The report is part of RSR Research's ongoing efforts to provide market intelligence on retail technology trends, and can be downloaded here:

http://www.retailsystemsresearch.com/_document/summary/1076

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