How Tech Founders and Retail Leaders Can Disrupt the Industry

While digging a fistful of keys out of my bag, I balanced my iced coffee on a nearby ledge. One by one, from a distant, dark parking lot, stylish young women appeared by my side. It was early, 6:00 a.m., and there was not even a hint of a sunrise, but they had their hair done and makeup on, and they were ready to run.

The opening shift I was leading included a three-hour restock process.?

As the associates grabbed rolling racks, carts, and pencils, I printed off fifty pages or more from a sell-through report from the previous day. After splitting the reports by department, I handed each section off.

They got busy flipping pages and crossing off clearance items. "I don't understand why they can't remove clearance items from this report." Janelle stated. "It takes us ten minutes to weed all this out."

"They told me it was?very complicated," I said. But I don't know. Technological advances mean we can send a rover to Mars, but we can't remove clearance from our sell-through reports."

By 6:20, they were ready to push their carts and rolling racks across the parking lot to our off-site storage and pull the restock to fill the sales floor.

"Complexity for users is a deal-breaker."

For the past three years, I've written about tech. From the retail sector to Web3 (cryptocurrency and blockchain), great technology must seamlessly integrate into our lives. It must be helpful and invisible. Complexity is a deal-breaker. Anything clunky or confusing falls short and will not lead to adoption.

Too often, tech innovators don't understand the dynamic pain points of the people they're trying to help. I get it. It can be tricky. How would the person designing the solution understand the nuances of leading a team through a three-hour restock session?

Better question: do they even know this process exists?

Luckily, the company I worked for was designing the solution for a better restocking system. So, I had a point person. I could give feedback every day and help make the solution better. It will probably come as no surprise to you that I handed out a lot of advice.

If you're working on the tech side, go to a mall.

Take a day to observe patterns in stores. If you can catch a retail leader for a few minutes, ask them what they need. What's pulling them up to the register? What's glitching? What reports do they wish they had?

They'll have a lot to say.

Retail leaders run their stores like business owners. They are invested, savvy, and want to be able to do their jobs faster.?

You can develop the just-right solution if you watch and listen. Assume you know nothing and work your way forward.

Retail leaders, be loud.

You know what you need.

I know, you know.

While everyone over here is getting sidetracked with AI, let us know what would help you the most.

Is it POS updates?

Better visibility into reporting?

An easier way to see floor coverage as your writing schedules?

Running a retail store is incredibly dynamic, and the people who do it have deep skill sets. They're also some of the most fun people I know. So, if you have sixty seconds, leave a comment and let me know what you'd love to see in your store.?

You can also DM me if you want to keep your answer private. I got you.

I work with some of the most innovative retail tech companies, which employ the most delightful people. I know that the people who work in tech want their solutions to be outstanding. These companies have done an outstanding job looking out for teams in stores and offering helpful and quick new tech ideas.

When these companies meet with retail leaders, it's magic.

Retail leaders in stores know it all. Instead of sitting in an office pouring over reports, they can see what's working and what isn't every day.?

They see it in real time.

They can tell you how often their POS crashes or when their CRM goes down. They can also fix anything with some masking tape and a bent paperclip.

Together, tech founders and retail leaders in stores will be able to disrupt the industry. They can push advancements further together.?

Legacy retailers are trying to hold on to the past, but it's too late.

Retail companies are folding. Executives are sleeping on the future. Heck, they're sleeping on the present.

If your store leaders are talking to tech people, you've already won.

Hey, I'm Kit.

As a retail expert with 20+ years of experience, I thrived on building relationships with customers and motivating sales teams.?Now, as your ghostwriter, I leverage this people-centric approach to craft compelling content that resonates with your audience and ignites brand loyalty.?So you get a voice that connects and builds trust.

DM me to set up a discovery call.