lly overlooked for greater responsibilities at a corporate level due to their casual status.  Consequently, retailers have difficulty in hiring workers, with major retailers across the country reporting significant staff shortages for the peak holiday trading season. While border closures are partly to blame, another major factor is that retail workers are looking for better opportunities than they are getting in the sector and are choosing to leave.  Many may shrug their shoulders; people have taken to online shopping in droves and it’s fair to say that traditional shopping (and the need for experienced retail workers) will never be the same again. If anything, this new dynamic will challenge the transient nature of retail and demand for retail experts will skyrocket in response.  Accenture’s 2021 Holiday Shopping report reveals that most Australians (56 per cent) plan to eventually return to physical stores. Friendly and informed staff are the main reason given by 89 per cent to go back in. While shoppers are looking forward to face-to-face interactions with staff, they expect a very different in-store experience – one that is much more integrated with the online experience to which they have become accustomed. Shoppers want to have fun when shopping, such as playing with augmented reality to trial products in-store and they expect a range of convenient offerings such as click-and-collect, delivery lockers, subscription models, and easy returns. Retailers will need to reinvent the store space to respond to these demands, implementing new digital tools that leverage data to create truly personal and disruptive experiences for customers. These tools and data points won’t just be for the corporate back office. Shop floor teams will require the skills and capabilities to guide customers through these new formats and identify what works and what doesn’t. Take the experience you get at the Apple Genius Bar or at Bunnings talking through your latest DIY project – then apply this to all retail experiences. The human touch For retailers, ensuring staff satisfaction and retainment will be critical. They will need to train and equip their workforce with the knowledge and skills to deliver these new services seamlessly and efficiently – and once trained, retailers cannot afford to lose those skills on the same rotating basis we’re accustomed to. The required transformation will be significant and retailers must market retail jobs as more than a job. It’s a fulfilling and interesting career. Retailers can’t do this alone and should work with external partners, including industry bodies and universities, to support staff development at scale.  Retailers will also need a cultural shake-up to reduce the distance between support centres and teams on the shop floor. Retail staff must be involved in developing and implementing solutions with technology, marketing and management teams all in alignment. In addition to the soft skills that are critical when engaging customers on the shop floor, stores will need employees who also understand the technology and can leverage and work with data. These integrated retail roles will be more sophisticated, exciting and allow opportunities for ongoing career development for the frontline teams. By prioritising career development and training of store associates and involving teams in how to use digital technologies and create innovative customer experiences, retailers can flip the switch on how people view the retail sector as an attractive and interesting career opportunity.