How brands are implementing new technologies while keeping human connection in mind

“I call them our frontline heroes because they are the ones who are engaged with the customer,” Chad Lundeen, vice president of real estate at mattress brand Saatva, said at the Future Store conference in Los Angeles.

But with this recognition comes the undeniable reality of implementing new technological systems for store employees and the challenges this can entail. At the retail event, brands including Office Depot, Mattress Firm and Petco discussed how they are balancing implementing new technologies with ensuring associates can focus their time and attention on serving customers. Many companies are implementing new technologies to streamline operations in a way that works for workers. However, some executives have warned about the need to ensure that technology does not take over human connection.

Robyn Martin, senior director of store operations at Mattress Firm, said implementing new technologies across its fleet of more than 2,300 stores starts with including employees in the discussion. “If it’s a platform, our field teams will be part of our RFP process,” she said. Once launched, training on the program is distributed in different stores – but it doesn’t end there. Martin said the corporate side of Mattress Firm is constantly checking in with employees to see what’s working for them or what challenges they might be facing. What works for stores in California’s suburbs may not work for stores in Chicago, she said. “With stores, you’re always optimizing,” she said.

Eric Bergstrom, global director of retail for Burton Snowboards, said the company’s technology upgrades are focused on streamlining operations. Last year, it launched a new training program that is used by both store employees and customer service representatives, ensuring everyone has the same information. This change, Bergstrom said, helped provide a consistent experience.

“It’s always about trying to make it easier for the associate, which makes it easier for the customer,” he said.

Many of the retail experts present at Future Stores addressed the importance of being transparent with employees as they implement updates. That includes telling workers this could be a challenge, said Pam Marcheski, vice president of retail development at denim and apparel brand Liverpool Los Angeles. It operates a training program for more than 180 independent boutique owners selling Liverpool products, which advises them on merchandising as well as general operations and best practice.

“If you do [the trainings] about them and less about [corporate], you bring them in and empower them,” Marcheski said. “The teams that do this well are not the ones that try to fake it. They tell the story: ‘This may be uncomfortable, but this is why we’re doing this.’

For some brands, technology updates affect both customers and employees. Philip Amandola, Reformation’s vice president of retail, praised the brand’s “Magic Wardrobe” technology, which places touchscreens in dressing rooms to allow customers to queue up for new items. And at hair color company Madison Reed, customers seeking a service can use an app to help them select a color that will be shown to their stylist, said Chief Revenue Officer Angela Jaskolski.

But the technology only goes so far for some brands. Executives from brands like Vans and Tecovas shared how their store employees aim to connect with customers through culture. Tecovas members, for example, know which country music artists are playing in the city.

Lindsay Schofield, retail director at outerwear brand Filson, said the 127-year-old brand is careful not to put screens or technological interfaces in front of customers. The store’s music is played from vinyl records. The only screen at their newest Silver Lake location is a traditional tabletop television set.

“We have to maintain this backwards feeling,” he said.

Filson, which currently has 16 stores across the country, is also attentive to how its customers use technology. At least every week, Schofield said, a customer calls a physical store to place an order because they don’t shop online. A loyal customer in Montana doesn’t have internet, Schofield said, and will call a store to describe what he’s looking for to place an order.

“Salespeople will sell this over the phone, and that shows how analog some of our customers are,” she said.

There are also situations where just one human-to-human interaction will suffice. When a customer walks into a Petco, they may be experiencing the nervousness of adopting a new pet or the pain associated with illness, said Benjamin Thiele-Long, Petco’s head of ESG and chief communications officer.

“Spend 30 minutes at a Petco and you’ll see these interactions happening,” he said. “All of this requires genuine empathetic human connection.”