Staff in DIY stores and garden centres emerge in a new survey as having the best product knowledge and being most effective in explaining product benefits to customers.
Research by retail training company Beyond the Box investigated the challenges faced by traditional bricks-and-mortar retail as it tries to adapt to the new multichannel environment. And it found a widespread retailer/customer communication breakdown which it says has turned many of the less progressive bricks-and-mortar stores into little more than demo areas, or showrooms.

The survey found 75% of online shoppers reporting that retail staff 'fail to communicate well', while only 50% of click-and-collect customers believe 'retail staff explained products and services'.

However, in contrast to technology staff, whose knowledge is trusted the least, 78% of customers said they think retail staff in DIY and garden centres are the best at understanding products and explaining their benefits.

Beyond the Box says that unless customers can engage with an empathetic, informed retail professional, the chances are they will take their business online.

Managing director Christine Knott commented: "The modern sales journey often involves a range of touch points, with buying decisions based on a mixture of online, in-store and mobile engagements. For in-store retailers, to add genuine value to that journey is a question of training. Staff need to be better informed, better guided and sufficiently empowered, so they can meet customers' ever-evolving expectations."