Before NRF 2022, Retailers Have to Meet Holiday Demand

December 2, 2021

by Kristin Brennan

retail shop sale

We’re deep into planning for NRF 2022 in January at Javits Center in NYC (booth #4937), but we know our retail customers are focused on meeting holiday demand first. So our Chief Delivery Officer, Michael Spataro, recently wrote an article for StreetFight, “How Retailers Can Scale their Workforces for the Holidays and Beyond.”

In his article, Michael wrote:

Every year, companies large and small, spanning the entire retail supply chain, compete for workers to help them deliver against peak demand that comes with the holiday season. However, this year, retailers are struggling to hire enough people to meet even non-peak business needs.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw hundreds of thousands of retail sector workers laid off, during which time many decided to look for careers outside of the sector. The result was a 44% decline in employee applications per opening in August 2021 compared to the start of the year. This challenge is now being exacerbated by the prediction of this year’s sales reaching $1.3 trillion – an increase of 8% compared to last year.

We work every day with retail organizations to address their workforce management needs and the effects of the labor shortage on their businesses. Michael outlined the key challenges they face:

Accurate Demand Forecasting

The first step is being able to forecast demand accurately. Unfortunately, Covid has rendered traditional demand forecasting methods, such as year-over-year models, useless.

Building a Superior Employee Experience

Being short-staffed can result in costly overtime, burnout, or poor customer service. This situation is exacerbated during the holiday rush when the pressure to deliver a superior experience to consumers is extremely high. Companies cannot afford turnover or unhappy employees.

Win for the Peak and Beyond

2021 has already been a tough year for retailers, and the outlook for 2022 is more of the same volatility and uncertainty given continued macroeconomic uncertainties, distribution challenges, and the tightest labor market in years. The holiday rush will only compound these challenges.

We’d love to show you how Legion WFM can help you address these challenges and achieve transformational results, including 13x ROI. Just request a demo, and we’ll get in touch. Or book a meeting to talk with us at NRF booth #4937.