Imagine this scenario. You're Sarah, a dedicated
store manager, maybe feeling a bit frustrated.
You've got these great new Gen Z hires. They're
broke, they're eager, but that... that 50 -page
training manual you painstakingly put together.
Yeah, I can picture it. Dust collector. Exactly,
collecting dust. And those mandatory quarterly
training videos, you know, the ones watched on
mute, maybe sped up, maybe just ignored. Does
that sound familiar to any of you retail executives
listening today? I suspect it might ring a few
bells. What, Sarah, and maybe many of you? are
bumping up against is this, well, this huge shift
in how a whole generation gets their information.
Gen Z, they live, they learn, they shop, they
connect through this constant cycle. It's almost
intuitive. Scroll, swipe, share. It's completely
second nature. It is, and it's fundamentally
changed the game, hasn't it? It just demands
a whole new playbook. So our deep dive today
is really about understanding that. How can the
strategies of social media influencers? I mean,
these are the voices Jan Z actually trusts, the
ones who shape what they buy. How can their methods
reshape how you, in retail, approach training
and communication for your frontline teams? And
listen, this isn't just about chasing the latest
trend. It's really about unlocking better engagement,
seriously improving knowledge retention, and
yeah, ultimately, boosting performance and culture
right there on your shop floor. We're digging
into insights from a really interesting article
called, What Influencers Can Teach Us About Training
Gen Z Frontline Teams. And that point about connection,
it's so critical. This isn't just training in
isolation, it's about truly connecting with these
employees. Understanding this whole shift is,
well, it's essential for reaching Gen Z, not
just as customers, which, let's be honest, retailers
spend a fortune on with influencer marketing.
But just as crucially, as your employees. their
expectations for how they get information, how
they learn, how they connect. It's just fundamentally
different when they clock in. You really can't
afford to ignore it. Okay, so let's really unpack
this then. What actually defines how Gen Z consumes
information? I mean, for many of us, maybe older
generations, we remember turning to, well, TV
news, the newspaper. Corporate memos. Yes, those
stacks of corporate memos. But Gen Z, they are
digital natives through and through. When they
want to find a product, learn a skill, form an
opinion, where do they go first? TikTok, Instagram,
YouTube. Exactly. Those platforms are basically
their classroom, their news feed, their entertainment
hub. It's all rolled into one seamless experience.
And the article, it really nails down four key
habits that honestly every retail leader needs
to get their head around because they define
how Gen Z learns. First, it's visual first. Less
text, more pictures, more video. Way more. Forget
dense paragraphs. Video, images, that's what
grabs them. That's how information lands effectively.
Second, content has to be short and snackable.
Snackable. I like that. Yeah, the article puts
it bluntly. A 15 -second reel is more impactful
than a 15 -minute lecture. They want brevity,
immediate value, no fluff. Makes sense. What's
third? Third, they're hugely peer -influenced.
Yeah. Massively. They trust people. They follow
online voices they see as authentic, like peers
way more than traditional ads or corporate speak.
That's a big one. And the last. And finally,
number four, they are always on. constantly connected,
consuming content throughout the day, mostly
on their phones, expecting information to be
right there, accessible anytime, anywhere. OK.
So you take all that together. What's the takeaway
for you as a retail leader? It means your training,
it has to match the style, the pace, the platforms
Gen Z already uses instinctively, not just during
work hours, but how they live their digital lives.
That always on piece. That really changes things,
doesn't it? It explains why maybe a single long
training day feels so alien to them. But hang
on, if we're leaning into this peer influence,
what about accuracy, compliance? You can't just
have employees sharing whatever they want, surely.
How do you balance that authenticity with making
sure the right info gets out? That's a really
critical question. And no, it's definitely not
about letting chaos take over. It's more about
curation. Think of yourself as a kind of community
manager for your internal content stream. You
empower maybe your top performers, your star
associates to share their tips, their wins. But
you provide a framework. Maybe a manager quickly
vets the content, or you have a system to highlight
peer -verified best practices. It's about channeling
that peer energy constructively, not just unleashing
it randomly. Right, guiding it. Got it. That's
a really helpful way to think about it. So if
Gen Z is glued to influencers, and these influencers
have this incredible power to shape buying decisions,
their strategies must hold the key, the secret
sauce for training them effectively, too. So
what makes them so good? The article highlights
three kind of core principles. First up is authenticity.
Their stories just feel genuine, right? Influencers
don't just rattle off specs. They share experiences,
they give context, meaning it makes the information
stick. They show, they don't just tell. It feels
real. Yes. Second is relatability. The tone the
style it's approachable. It feels like you're
hearing from a friend up here Not some big faceless
company talking down to you. It feels more like
a conversation less corporate polish definitely
and Finally, there's consistency they show up
regularly with fresh stuff. It creates this expectation,
this habit of engagement. It's not a one -off
seminar. It's this ongoing dialogue that builds
trust over time. And what's really fascinating
there, our host, picking up on what you just
said, is how those exact same principles, authenticity,
relatability, consistency, they don't just move
products off shelves. They are fundamentally
the bedrock for effective internal communication
and training too. But here's maybe a nuance,
especially with authenticity for Gen Z. It often
isn't about being perfectly polished or using
flawless corporate jargon. Sometimes it's the
opposite. It's about rawness, maybe even showing
imperfections, sharing genuine, here's what I
learned moments, even mistakes. That's interesting.
Yeah. Trying too hard to be cool or overly slick
can actually backfire. It rings false, feels
inauthentic. So the real insight. Authentic training
isn't just showing a real employee. It's letting
their genuine, maybe unvarnished experience come
through. That thick manual or that, you know,
once a year mandatory seminar. It fails because
it lacks all three elements. Gen Z needs training
that feels personal, relevant, and crucially,
Continuous. Okay, I hear authenticity and relatability
and it totally makes sense for one person an
influencer But for a big retail company, is it
really possible to be authentic in that same
way or are we always aiming for a kind of? Corporate
version of authentic that might still feel a
bit manufactured. That's a fair challenge, definitely.
And look, the goal isn't for, say, the VP of
operations to perfectly mimic a 19 -year -old
on TikTok. That would be awkward. Right. It's
about extracting the principles. Corporate authenticity
means things like transparency. It means acknowledging
challenges openly. It means showcasing real employee
voices, unfiltered as much as possible, avoiding
that overly produced disconnected feel. It's
about finding your organization's authentic voice,
which can still be approachable and relatable,
but fits your brand. Being genuine about your
mission, your values, the actual impact their
work has. That helps clarify it. It's about being
genuinely yourselves. So the big question becomes,
how do we actually take these influencer superpowers
and put them to work training our frontline teams?
This is where the rubber meets the road for retail
operations, right? Exactly. Let's get practical.
The article lays out some really specific actionable
strategies. First one, micro -learning. Yes,
bite -sized chunks. Exactly. Breaking down those
long, maybe overwhelming sessions into short,
digestible little modules. Things associates
can actually access easily, maybe between shifts
on their phone, whenever they have a few minutes.
That's into their flow. Then there's story -driven
content. Just like influencers tell stories,
your training should weave product details into
narratives. Make them memorable, maybe even a
little emotional. Think about, say, a customer
success story, where this specific product solved
the real problem, instead of just a bulleted
list of features. So instead of enhanced arch
support. All right. Tell a quick video story
about maybe a customer who had foot pain, found
relief, got comfort because of those specific
shoes. Make it human. Much more powerful. Totally.
Another big one, leveraging peer voices. We touched
on this, inviting your own associates to share
their wins, their best practices, maybe tips
on handling a tricky customer situation. That
builds huge credibility and relatability within
the team, much more than a top -down memo ever
could. People trust their peers. They do. And
finally, and this is non -negotiable really,
visual first delivery, moving beyond just text.
using video, using good graphics, interactive
stuff, whatever, keeps attention high and makes
the information engaging, and frankly, easier
to digest. And when you do all that, you really
transform training. It stops being just a checklist
item, something to get through, and it becomes,
well, an experience. Something that actually
sticks with your people, makes the knowledge
usable, actionable, not just something they heard
once and forgot. And hosts, just building on
your micro learning point. A common pitfall is
companies just chopping up an old, boring, hour
-long lecture into 12 five -minute videos, right?
Uh -huh, doing that. But they don't change the
style of the content. And influencer mindset
means each tiny piece isn't just short, it's
also super engaging, visually appealing, instantly
relevant. It becomes a piece of content they
might actually want to see, not just a fragmented
chore they have to do. That's a fantastic distinction.
Change the ingredients, not just the package
size. Okay, so the principles make sense, but
how do we actually do this at scale? Especially
in a big retail organization with lots of stores,
lots of people. The article mentions purpose
-built platforms like INCITE Posts as being
a real advantage here. Yeah, the right tools
can make a huge difference. They're apparently
designed to look and feel like a social feed,
right? So it's instantly familiar territory for
Gen Z. Exactly. Less friction. Let's talk features.
They're mobile native, obviously. So associates
access content on their phones, wherever, break
room, commute, maybe even at home if needed.
Crucial. They support media rich updates. So
video, images, polls, quizzes, interactive bits,
mirroring that dynamic experience they get on
social media anyway. Keeps it interesting. The
updates are designed to be quick and relevant.
Keep it fresh. Avoid that information overload
feeling. And maybe most importantly, they're
engagement focused. Associates aren't just passively
watching. They can comment, react, ask questions,
feel like they're part of a conversation, building
that community feel around learning. And if you
connect that to the bigger picture, with tools
like these, retailers effectively become their
own internal influencer, right, for their own
workforce. Wow, interesting way to put it. You're
delivering these regular consistent bursts of
content that are informative and genuinely engaging.
It's like having your own private internal social
channel that speaks your team's language fostering
this continuous learning vibe. That makes sense.
Although it's worth saying the tech is only part
of it. You mentioned operationalizing. A big
hurdle isn't always the software itself. It's
often getting, say, buy -in from a legacy IT
department or just figuring out how to consistently
create this style of content. It really demands
a bit of a cultural shift, not just a software
subscription. That's a really important reality
check. The best tools are useless without the
right strategy and, yeah, getting people on board
internally. So bottom line, why should busy retail
execs prioritize this shift right now? Good question.
Well, retailers already pour tons of money into
influencer marketing, right? To connect with
customers, drive sales. The exact same logic
applies inside the company. If influencer -style
content works to sell products to your customers,
it absolutely can teach your associates how to
sell those products and how to give great service.
You're leveraging a proven method to power up
your internal team. It's applying a successful
external strategy internally. Exactly. And the
tangible benefits for your stores, for your bottom
line, they seem pretty clear. You can improve
knowledge retention using stories and visuals
beats dry specs every time. You'll increase engagement
across your teams with short mobile content that
fits their lives. You can strengthen your company
culture, keeping everyone connected with consistent
dynamic messaging. And ultimately, you'll boost
performance because you're aligning training
with how Gen Z actually learns best. That means
better equipped, more confident staff. And this
really brings up a crucial point for every leader
listening. Your Gen Z associates, they aren't
just employees when they walk in the door. They're
highly sophisticated consumers of information.
204 .7. They come into work expecting a similar
level of personalization, creativity, and frankly,
digital ease in their workplace communications
as they get on their social feeds every single
day, ignoring that fundamental expectation. That's
a huge missed opportunity. It impacts everything.
Job satisfaction, engagement, productivity. Investing
in this is investing in your people, and that
pays back directly to the business. But let me
push back slightly. Isn't there a risk, if we
try too hard to mimic social media, could we
end up, I don't know, trivializing really important
training, like compliance stuff, or maybe diluting
our core corporate message? How do you keep the
seriousness where it's needed, but still make
it engaging? That's a totally valid concern.
It really is about finding the right balance.
Mimicking the format of social media doesn't
mean you have to mimic the sometimes frivolous
content. It doesn't mean sacrificing seriousness.
It means delivering serious, vital information
like compliance in a format that's accessible,
digestible, and actually gets absorbed. Compliance
training, for instance, can absolutely be engaging.
Think short, scenario -based video clips, maybe
featuring peers discussing how they handled the
situation correctly, rather than just a wall
of legal text. Right, make it practical. Exactly.
The goal is to make the important information
resonate. to make it stick, not to make it seem
trivial. It's ultimately about respecting their
attention span and their learning style, which,
ironically, makes the serious stuff more likely
to land effectively. That makes sense. Respecting
how they learn helps them learn the important
things better. OK, so wrapping up our deep dive
today, Gen Z, they're really rewriting the rules
for how information gets consumed, aren't they?
You just don't respond well to the old ways,
static documents, thick binders, those long sit
down seminars. Definitely not. What does resonate?
Stories, compelling visuals, authentic voices
they feel connected to, delivered consistently
on the platforms they already live on. So we
really encourage you, our listeners, to think
about how adopting this kind of influencer mindset
could genuinely transform your training, moving
it from just another task on the list to a really
powerful tool for engagement, connection, And
yeah, loyalty. It's a chance to finally bridge
that gap between how your employees learn in
their own time and how they're trained at work.
And maybe here's a final provocative thought
to leave you with. Just as influencers have completely
reshaped how brands connect with customers, they
really hold the power to reshape how your organization
connects with its own employees. In today's retail
world, which is only getting more competitive,
that deep, authentic connection with your Gen
Z workforce, that might just be your ultimate
differentiator. So, consider this. How can your
organization take these insights, meet Gen Z
where they actually are, speak their language,
and build those stronger relationships? Because
those relationships translate directly into better
performance, higher retention, and ultimately
a thriving, modern workplace culture. It's not
just about tweaking your training modules. It's
really about future -proofing your entire talent
strategy.