Technology Performance Failures Give Retailers Sticker Shock

As with financial services, information technology in retail is far closer to the end user than in the other industries. In contrast to financial services, however, retail relies in large part on a seasonal workforce and year-round employs a large number of high school and college-aged associates. Boil that down and you've got scenarios where part-time seasonal employees with minimal academic or professional experience are on the other side of the counter creating brand impressions as they wrestle with the POS system, inventory management system and more. Our marketing people repeat the mantra that "every employee is a brand ambassador," a concept that our survey participants from retail certainly seem to grasp.