Retailers must now embrace digital leadership

Digital Leadership 2020 reveals how leaders across businesses, from chief executives to department heads, can leverage technology to support their workforce.

Amid shuttered stores and a disbanded workforce, now is the time for retail bosses to welcome agile working processes and a fresh approach to utilising technology to keep operations running seamlessly.

A seismic shift in workplaces

As has been exemplified during the UK lockdown, technology is helping to mobilise the workplace by providing remote working opportunities and easy ways to collaborate on tasks while automating some of the more manual jobs and responsibilities.

Digital leadership doesn’t mean tearing up traditional management rulebooks

Produced in association with Ceridian, the report found retail leaders had become increasingly reliant on technology and tech-enabled solutions.

For instance, data from research firm Gartner estimated that by the end of 2019, global IT spending in retail was expected to hit a staggering $227bn. Technological demand is only likely to have increased during the pandemic.

However, while retailers were found to be investing more in technology, the report suggests leaders have work to do to use technology to support their teams.

In January 2020, the BRC noted there was a “seismic shift” in the workforce, with retailers needing to understand what skills they already have in their teams and what additional roles and skills they now require.

The report indicates that retailers that have overcome this challenge and resolved missing links in their workforce had achieved this by embracing digital thinking, making their in-house technology and tools inclusive to all staff, implementing enterprise software and offering staff training and development.