Exclusive: Nearly half of UK shop workers feel shut out of digital decision making

Nearly half of UK store workers feel excluded from decisions about digital initiatives that shape their daily roles. 

This is according to new findings from Retail Week’s Talking Shop 2026 report – a major study capturing the unfiltered realities of life on the shop floor through the voices of 500 colleagues across the UK. 

The data reveals a striking disconnect: 44% of store workers said digital changes are driven entirely from head office, with no input from the people expected to use new tools and processes day to day.

This feeling of being sidelined is even more pronounced among younger retail employees: 51% of 16-to-35-year‑olds said they feel overlooked when new tech is introduced. 

Communication gaps widen

There is significant room for improvement when it comes to strengthening the flow of communication between frontline staff and central operations.

Nearly a quarter of frontline workers (23%) said communication from head office is not effective. The issue is particularly acute in the home and furniture sector, where half of respondents highlighted ineffective communication.

“Better communications have a good effect on employees being able to do the best job possible”

Anonymous comments from survey participants underline the scale of the challenge. One colleague said: “If there was better communication between upper management and frontline workers who actually deal with customers, better solutions could be developed that actually deal with the problems and concerns employees encounter.” 

Another suggested more inclusive digital tools. “If all staff members had access to the same technology, there could be a ‘meeting space’ where employees can bring up issues and know they’ll be seen,” they said.

Frontline workers repeatedly emphasise communication as a critical enabler of performance. As one respondent put it: “Better communications have a good effect on employees being able to do the best job possible.”

Opportunities for retailers to reset and reconnect

The report highlights how retailers can close the communication gap by involving frontline teams earlier and more often in digital decision making, and showcases how retailers and brands including Currys, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Starbucks, The Entertainer, Morrisons, Lush and more are already embedding people-led thinking into their store transformation strategies.

Below is a snapshot from one of the case studies featured in the report to give you a taste of what’s inside. Explore all of them in full by downloading your copy.

Currys case study: Bring shop floor colleagues into the digital conversation

In August 2025, the electronics giant launched Action AI, a tool designed to give store colleagues access to business‑critical information previously held at head office. The aim was to ensure shopfloor teams have the same visibility, insight and decision‑making support as central teams. 

Action AI effectively democratises business intelligence across the organisation, giving those leading shop floor operations the opportunity to improve customer service and the performance of their store, based on information that was previously reserved for head office.  

For example, a sales manager can log on and instantly identify product categories that aren’t performing well, based on what Currys describes as “millions of calculations across the store network”. Users are then guided to the root cause through real-time transaction trends, while also getting the chance to learn from and be inspired by top-performing stores through seeing what works well right across the Currys estate.  

Currys chief operating officer Lindsay Haselhurst said at the time of its launch: “It cuts through the mountain of data presented to our store managers, supporting targeted commercial actions and freeing up time to focus on what they do best – helping our customers with their tech needs.”   

Currys’ approach shows how people‑first digital investment can support store teams, involve them more meaningfully in performance decisions and bridge the very communication gap many frontline workers say is holding them back.