AI, VR and on-demand: How tech is transforming L&D

Across the retail sector, employees are increasingly time pressured and expected to achieve the same targets with fewer resources. Against this backdrop, a clunky intranet that feels worlds apart from the intuitive apps they use on their personal smartphone is destined to be at best underused and, at worst, a consistent source of frustration.

That’s why an increasing number of forward-thinking retailers are investing in their digital workplace, and learning and development platforms, bringing the same tech employees expect from their personal Google searches, gaming and social media apps – from AI to virtual reality and beyond.

Retail Week’s new digital report, People, tech and the workplace revolution, produced in association with video platform provider Vimeo, delves into the cutting-edge tech used by businesses including Walmart, Estee Lauder, Coles and more to strengthen company culture and boost employee engagement efficiently. 

Read on for a snapshot of some of the immersive technologies deployed by these retailers, all of which are included as case studies in our report – which you can access for free here.  

AI

German retail and tourism coalition Rewe Group has developed an AI-enabled virtual hologram known as a ‘knowledge avatar’ to supplement its onboarding process for new recruits. 

A hyper-realistic avatar of Rewe Group’s managing director Roberts Zores is able to answer questions from new employees during their training on subjects with a focus on the business’ digital projects. The tech is also expected to be trialled across the group’s Teams channels, which will allow employees to message or call Zores’ ‘digital twin’ for information as needed. 

As well as being a fun and innovative way for new employees to learn about Rewe Group and get to know one of the business’ senior leaders, learnings from this hologram can be used by the business to collate areas of development and further training for its onboarding process.

On-demand video

To tackle the challenge of providing a consistent and accessible process for training staff across different regions, a growing number of retailers are turning to on-demand video content – with some impressive results.

Australian grocery chain Coles offers its 130,000 strong workforce access to 1,800 video training sessions, which drum up an impressive 7 million views per year. The supermarket’s digital learning manager Siva Kulasingam says the content enables Coles to “maintain consistency around the messaging we’re delivering, versus the variability of an individual providing the training”. 

Danish electronics retailer Bang & Olufsen made its in-store colleague training more efficient through on-demand videos, which included AI-powered translations, dubbing and closed captions for employees of different nationalities.

Today, 90% of the brand’s store teams complete training protocols a month ahead of deadline, while 95% of colleagues complete their compliance training requirements, up from three quarters of staff previously.

Virtual reality

American grocery titan Walmart has trained more than 1 million of its employees using a virtual reality ecosystem, powered by ArborXR. 

This programme has been used across 31 of Walmart’s training academies to date, with courses ranging from two to six weeks and comprising as many as 45 different, immersive simulations tailored to specific roles. 

The technology was also used to prepare colleagues for high-stress or more rare occurrences, from a Black Friday sale to an altercation between employees in-store.

Find out more

This report explores the technology transforming colleague training and development – from ensuring warehouse workers stay compliant with the latest safety protocols to helping new HQ hires hit the ground running.

It also examines the challenges and opportunities in creating a truly compelling suite of employee communication assets, and highlights the positive impact these tools can have on staff engagement and productivity. You can download it for free here.