The retail landscape is changing rapidly, and with it, new challenges continue to emerge. Retailers are facing significant hurdles that affect their ability to deliver the seamless, personalized experiences customers now expect. Among the biggest challenges are high employee turnover, customers often knowing more than sales associates, and limited payroll available for training. These factors create a perfect storm that makes it difficult for retailers to maintain knowledgeable, efficient teams.

Let’s dive deeper into these challenges and explore practical solutions that offer a strong return on investment (ROI) as retailers plan their 2025 budgets.

The Reality of High Turnover

Retail is notorious for high turnover rates. According to industry reports, turnover in retail can reach as high as 60%, with some sectors exceeding this. High turnover disrupts team continuity and adds costs to businesses. Each time an employee leaves, retailers must invest in hiring, onboarding, and training a new worker. Not only does this cost valuable time and money, but it also reduces productivity on the sales floor as new hires acclimate.

For brands, high turnover creates a vacuum of knowledge and expertise. Experienced employees who were able to provide personalized recommendations to customers are replaced with new hires who may lack deep product knowledge or confidence in engaging customers. This results in poor customer service, and when employees feel ill-prepared, it can create a cycle of disengagement that only accelerates turnover further.

Customers Are More Informed Than Ever

Today’s customers come into stores armed with knowledge. They’ve researched products online, read reviews, and even compared prices before stepping into a brick-and-mortar location. With so much information at their fingertips, customers often know more about products than the sales associates they interact with.

This dynamic creates a challenging environment for sales associates. When customers ask detailed questions or seek product comparisons, associates who aren’t well-trained can feel overwhelmed, leading to frustration for both the employee and the customer. This knowledge gap is not just embarrassing—it’s damaging to the brand’s reputation. Customers are seeking seamless, informative shopping experiences, and if they don’t find what they need in-store, they’re more likely to abandon their purchase or seek out a competitor.

The Training Dilemma: Limited Payroll, Limited Time

Adding to the challenge is the limited payroll available for training in most retail environments. In a business where every dollar counts, retailers often struggle to allocate enough time for thorough training. Instead of spending hours in a backroom, associates need to be on the floor interacting with customers. However, without the right training, those interactions are less meaningful and less productive.

Traditional methods, such as backroom training sessions or yearly “Train the Trainer” programs, don’t provide the agility that today’s fast-paced retail environment demands. These programs are expensive, inconsistent, and often outdated by the time they’re implemented. The result? Employees are either undertrained or trained too infrequently, leading to knowledge gaps that impact sales and customer satisfaction.

ROI: The Key to Overcoming These Challenges

Despite these challenges, there is a silver lining: there are practical, scalable solutions that not only address the issues of turnover, knowledge gaps, and limited training budgets but also deliver measurable ROI.

Retailers that invest in on-the-floor, app-based training solutions can transform their operations and see immediate benefits. Here’s how:

  1. Reduced Training Costs: Digital training solutions eliminate the need for expensive, time-consuming backroom sessions and printed materials. By delivering training in real-time, associates can access the information they need, exactly when they need it. This reduces reliance on costly “Train the Trainer” models, saving significant payroll dollars.
  2. Increased Productivity: Keeping associates on the sales floor while they receive ongoing training increases productivity. They’re able to stay engaged with customers while learning, rather than being pulled away for lengthy, one-time training sessions. This keeps the workforce active and focused on sales, leading to higher revenue per employee.
  3. Enhanced Employee Knowledge: Real-time, interactive learning tools allow associates to stay updated on the latest products, promotions, and customer service techniques. The result? Better-informed employees who can confidently engage with customers, reducing the gap between customer knowledge and associate expertise. This not only improves the customer experience but also builds associate confidence, reducing turnover rates.
  4. Better Customer Experiences: When associates are trained effectively, they can provide more meaningful, personalized customer interactions. Happy, informed employees lead to satisfied customers who are more likely to complete a purchase, recommend the store to others, and become repeat customers.
  5. Retention Through Engagement: One of the key factors in reducing turnover is keeping employees engaged. Regular, interactive training helps associates feel more connected to the brand and more confident in their roles, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention.

Practical ROI in Retail Training

Retailers implementing app-based, real-time training tools like INCITE not only benefit from increased sales but also experience substantial cost savings. For example, a company with 400 stores saved over $500,000 annually by switching to app-based training that eliminated costly printed materials. The same retailer saw an additional $20 million in revenue by ensuring their employees were always informed and equipped to engage with customers.

For smaller retailers, the ROI may look different but is no less impactful. Even a modest investment in mobile training solutions can deliver cost savings, higher productivity, and better-trained associates, all leading to improved customer experiences.

The INCITE Advantage: Customer-First Training

While there are several mobile training platforms available, INCITE stands apart for its customer-first design. Associates can seamlessly pause their training to assist a customer and resume exactly where they left off, even on another device. This seemingly small feature makes a huge difference in the real-world retail environment, where employees need to prioritize customers without worrying about losing progress in their training.

In other platforms, this kind of flexibility is often lacking. Associates are left with a difficult choice: continue training and ignore a customer or restart their training from scratch later. Neither option is practical. With INCITE, employees can train at their own pace, without disruption to customer service, making the platform uniquely suited to the fast-paced demands of modern retail.

The ROI of INCITE: A Smart Investment for 2025

As you plan your 2025 budget, consider how investing in a mobile-first, on-the-floor training solution like INCITE can deliver immediate and long-term returns. Whether it’s reducing turnover, improving customer service, or saving on training costs, the ROI is clear.

INCITE isn’t just another training platform—it’s designed with real retail challenges in mind, making it the ideal choice for stores that prioritize both their employees and customers. With measurable results in both operational efficiency and employee engagement, INCITE can help your team perform at its best, all while delivering the ROI your business needs to thrive.

Curious about the ROI of smarter training? Download our white paper and try our easy-to-use ROI calculator to see how your business can save and grow with INCITE.