Leaving store operations out of the conversation is a mistake. So much of the digital transformation is ultimately unfolding in the stores, from shelf replenishment to personalized customer offers to e-commerce pick-and-pack, etc. The best strategy and the most cutting-edge technology will not matter if the place where the final execution happens, i.e. the physical store, is not involved throughout the process. If store operations can’t seamlessly deliver a great experience driven by the digital transformation, then the digital transformation backfires.

Having spent my life in retail, it is sad to see that the stores are still being left out of the planning sessions. After all, the store is what the consumer sees and interacts with so how is retail transformed without the stores? Yes, I know, any transformation eventually makes it to the store but I learned many moons ago what a mistake it was for us to design a solution without store participation and then try to roll out said solution only to find the store couldn’t work with it or it didn’t meet the real need.

Now the question asked, can stores move fast enough? In today’s digital environment and with the tools and technology we have access to? Sure they can. And even better, we have all become such digital creatures that we can adapt very quickly … especially the younger folks that actually work in the stores. So let’s bring the stores to the planning table and get it right this time. We need to!

For my 2 cents.

When stores are doing well, retailers focus on opening more stores. When stores are not doing well, retailers still concentrate on opening more stores. It’s a huge mistake. Retailers should be catching their breath and looking at what technology is not only right for them but what technology is going to enhance their in-store shopping experience. Unfortunately, some companies are too busy playing catch-up on other issues and others just have their head in the sand. Part of the problem is the way today’s retail works with the people at the helm being there only for a few years earning very high compensation, with many of them focusing only on today’s growth because it impacts their bottom line and not long-term strategy that will benefit the business. As this practice continues, it’s going to be very hard for many retailers to connect with today’s shoppers’ needs and implement the right technology. Eventually those retailers that survive will have no choice. They will get there, but I don’t see it happening too quickly.

In my work providing line-free checkout capabilities there is lots of collaboration with store operations, so my perspective is based on the experience of working with ops in both the sales and implementation phases. My take is that store operations is typically tasked with keeping everything running smoothly, and that imperative comes above all else (including, and sometimes especially, innovation). For that reason it’s reflexive to resist any kind of innovation, even without knowing about it, because innovation always includes some level of disruption as the store adapts. Ops’ best contribution is therefore not in the “WHAT” phase but in the “HOW” phase.

It’s imperative for store operations to be included in the technology discussions that impact the stores, especially the customer experience. Lots of technology solutions are hatched in labs where techies imagine the solution working in the real world. No matter how good the lab environment, it still cannot simulate a live store environment.

Most retail customer service tech is simply too complicated and requires constant attention from store staff and often slows down or adds clumsy steps to the process they are trying to facilitate. But keeping it simple isn’t sexy and without store ops’ input, management often goes after the solutions with the most bells and whistles.

Bottom line — technology must solve real problems that are best identified by store staff. Additionally, retail is a game of seconds. Any solution that slows the velocity of the customer experience without measurable return on investment should never be implemented.

This problem isn’t only common for retailers, it is also common in so many other industries that rely on a non-desk workforce. Front-line employees need to have a seat at the table because they are the ones that interact with customers on a day-to-day basis. They know what customers respond well to, what their complaints are and they have great ideas for how to improve — but they’re rarely heard. In-store employees double as brand ambassadors and need to be informed with corporate’s strategy for digital transformation. The best way to gather intelligence from front=line employees and include them in the conversation is by adopting an internal communications platform that allows for bottom-up communication as well as top-down.

Generally, the toolsets for operations are positioned as lower priorities because they do not directly touch the Customer Experience and aren’t deemed “sexy.” But this a HUGE mistake. Digital Transformation is the end result, not the ACTIVITY.

ALL forms of retail technology should form the ecosystem that supports the Customer Experience, and if back office, back end or store associate technology doesn’t extend the brand into the physical store, then the store shopping and the overall shopper experience WILL suffer (and is).