News and Updates for Retail Sales, Ops, and Tech Leaders

As the retail landscape evolves, staying ahead means adopting new insights and strategies to empower your teams and drive performance. This week, we’re bringing you the latest updates and trends shaping the industry, with a focus on frontline enablement, retail, and brand success stories.

News spotlight: Sports retail transformation

The sports retail industry is undergoing a shift, with a renewed focus on uniting brands and retail teams for store excellence. Read the latest announcement on how retailers can achieve peak performance with tools already used by store associates, fostering stronger alignment with brand partners through enhanced training, streamlined communication, effective incentives, and robust retention management.

Insights & Analysis

• The New Rules of Frontline Sales Enablement McKinsey highlights a shift in sales enablement strategies, emphasizing tailored learning paths, data-driven insights, and agility as the foundation for frontline success. McKinsey on Sales Enablement

• Sports Frontline Enablement: Lessons for All Retailers Explore how sports retailers are setting a precedent for workforce enablement and how similar strategies can be applied across industries.
• The Gamification Trap in Sales Enablement Gamification can boost engagement—but not all implementations succeed. This analysis uncovers the risks of short-term fixes and the importance of sustainable growth strategies.
• Beyond Retail Sales Training The era of static training programs is over. Learn how dynamic, real-time enablement can prepare your workforce for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.

Key Trends to Watch

• Retailers are embracing cross-brand collaborative training to enhance product knowledge in shared retail environments.
• Store associates are evolving into brand ambassadors, delivering personalized shopping experiences.
• Gig-like scheduling flexibility is redefining workforce management to boost retention and adaptability.
• Brands and retailers are uniting to deliver cohesive store associate enablement for improved productivity.

Your Turn

Are there challenges or opportunities you’d like to discuss? Comment below—we’d love to hear from you as we are actively seeking industry experts to feature in our upcoming retail interview series.