In the past years, retail businesses have been unstable because of the pandemic, cost pressures, rising inflation, supply chain problems, and increasing demand for consumers. That’s why most businesses are forced to reevaluate their strategies just to remain in business. With the right technology, retail businesses can strive for whatever the future may bring.

A modern intranet or employee experience platform gives retail businesses the agility to meet their needs and the challenges that may come. Nowadays, technology is paving the way for a more immersive online experience that drives the business model and product innovation.

1. Creates a culture where employees feel empowered and connected

In any retail business, the frontline employees are the face of your business. But, most of the time, they are not included in corporate communications. Their contributions and achievements are also unnoticed. There is also no way for them to engage in the bigger picture which makes them feel left out. 

Luckily, modern intranets can help create a company culture that makes your employees feel included and connected by creating a central hub or community where your employees can communicate with one another and receive important announcements. 

2. Reduces Staff Turnover

More employees are resigning for a better quality of life. Based on reports, employees nowadays, especially the millennials, focus on culture, diversity, equity, inclusion, and flexibility rather than a better paycheck. In 2021, the turnover rate for the retail industry is 64.6%, which is more than 10% from 2017. 

Investing in an intranet or digital workplace can help reduce staff turnover by promoting a positive sense of well-being and community. 

3. Increase Productivity

Having an intranet will allow employees to have access to important information and everything they need at their fingertips. Thus, making your employees more efficient and effective as they can easily find policies, current pricing, promotions, and information about stock levels.

4. Employees Can Find Information Quickly

A modern intranet has an excellent search feature. Poor search functions make your intranet complicated to use and depict its purpose. An excellent search feature saves time, boosts productivity, reduces workload, and reduces admin demand.

Here at Steegle, we understand the importance of this feature. That's why our Steegle.One Intranet is equipped with intuitive and easy-to-use search capabilities.

5. Improves Customer Service

Once your employees feel empowered and included, there’s no surprise that it will positively affect customer service and satisfaction. Your digital workplace gives your employees the knowledge they need to provide a better service to their customers. 

6. Strengthens Your Brand

As mentioned above, your frontline employees are the face of your brand or business, whether online or in-store. With modern technology and social media, it will be easy to expose brands that do not take care of their employees. Investing in an intranet will make your team more engaged, included, and happier—which speaks volumes about your business or brand. 

7. Help Your Business Keep Up with Digital Revolution

Retail businesses have to deal with the digital revolution such as contactless payments, selling digital goods, automation, and AI. Having an intranet will help you foster productivity and innovation. 

8. Training and Development

Since your intranet contains all business data and strategies, it will be easier to design a training program for your employees. Since the training program will be centralised, the trainers will find it easier to keep track of your staff’s progress and make sure everyone is on the same page.

9. Performance Evaluation

With data made available on your intranet, you and your employees can easily evaluate the performance of your business. The data collected provides insights on business development when making important decisions in improving the overall performance of the business.