11 months ago
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This story is part of Glossy and Modern Retail’s series breaking down the big conversations and innovations at NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show. Click here for more stories in this series.
At the National Retail Federation’s Big Show this year at NYC’s Javits Center, much of the conversation among executives and the technologies on the show floor revolved around artificial intelligence. Panelists and exhibitors alike talked up ways in which AI can replace or simplify the work that would normally take much more manpower to complete. Processes like analyzing inventory allocation to stores and analyzing sales trends were all candidates for AI automation.
But that doesn’t mean retailers have forgotten about the human element. Multiple executives in attendance at NRF said that talent is more important than ever. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, jobs that require in-person attendance, as many retail jobs do, are experiencing shortages in the available labor pool. As of August of 2023, more than 30 million workers had quit their jobs since the start of the year, the Chamber of Commerce reported. It’s becoming more important than ever for retail brands to offer qualitative incentives for employees to stay loyal so that they can keep doing the jobs that an AI model cannot.
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