Effects of a Learning Curve in Retail
The learning curve, also referred to as the productivity experience curve, represents the improvement in an employee's production or work output as he learns the steps involved in each task. As the learning curve takes effect in your retail employees, you can expect to see a nicer-looking, more organized display of merchandise, fewer mistakes made due to lack of experience and an increase in sales. All of these things add up to a more productive business with employees who feel confident in the job they're doing.
Focus On Customers
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When a new employee is being trained it can be a challenge to focus on learning new tasks and customers at the same time. As she moves further along the learning curve, the new employee needs less attention for tasks repeated daily, allowing her to put more focus on the customers your business serves. The increase in customer service helps build customer loyalty and allows the new employee to become more comfortable approaching customers and making suggestions that increase sales.
Increase in Sales
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When an employee moves further along the learning curve and feels more comfortable spending more time with customers, a natural effect is an increase in sales. Since sales are a vital part of your retail business, it's essential that you provide training and support to shorten the learning curve employees require before being able to make an impact on the sales floor. Aside from company-wide training, assigning a more experienced employee to mentor new staff members can help move them along the learning curve more quickly.
Merchandise Display
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Marketing and sales analysis often result in the provision of floor plans that help you situate your merchandise for better sales. Learning where merchandise goes, as well as how to fold or display it takes time and effort on the part of new employees. The more experience an employee has in setting up or maintaining merchandise displays, the easier it gets. Eventually, merchandise display maintenance is something you want employees to do on a regular basis until it becomes second nature. This helps keep your store looking its best, while ensuring the most important products are readily available to customers.
Fewer Mistakes
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Mistakes made by new employees are inconvenient and occasionally costly. An employee who learns how to use the cash register system quickly is less likely to make mistakes that result in a loss of cash at the sale. Misquoted prices or services can also end up costing your business cash. When new employees move faster through the learning curve mistakes are less likely to be made or repeated.
References
Writer Bio
Mary Ylisela is a former teacher with a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and mathematics. She has been a writer since 1996, specializing in business, fitness and education. Prior to teaching, Ylisela worked as a certified fitness instructor and a small-business owner.