Beyond the Binder: Driving Results During Holiday Through Better Store Communication

Retail is bouncing back after a strange 2020 holiday season. The National Retail Federation predicts that Holiday sales for 2021 are expected to increase by 8.5 – 10.5% over 2020. “While ecommerce will remain important, households are also expected to shift back to in-store shopping and a more traditional holiday shopping experience,” says NRF.

This is either really good news or really terrifying news, depending who you ask in a retailer’s hierarchy. On the one hand, a bright outlook for the upcoming holiday season means profitable sales are in the bag. On the other hand, a surge of in-store shoppers could mean headaches for unprepared frontline teams.

This is where store communication comes in. A solid strategy can mean the difference between stocked shelves and unhappy customers; between sanitized surfaces and stores in disarray. Using communication to set the right expectations ahead of time will empower your store teams to provide the best holiday shopping experience possible. 

Historically, we’ve seen retailers attack holiday store communication with (misplaced) vigor – pouring every ounce of insight, energy, and information into a giant binder and shipping it off to stores. But with Holiday 2021 spending poised to shatter previous records, we’re urging retailers to trade their traditional holiday communications strategy for a more modern, agile approach.

That’s why we created this resource: Beyond the Binder – Zipline’s ultimate guide to moving your store communication into the 21st century during the time of year when it matters most. The information below will set your communications strategy on the right path, guaranteeing better store execution, higher employee engagement, and more profitable sales.

Check out the rest of the guide:

Set your communications strategy on the right path, guaranteeing better store execution, higher employee engagement, and more profitable sales.

NRF’s holiday forecast predicts a record-breaking November and December, during which holiday sales will grow between 8.5 percent and 10.5 percent over 2020. In dollars? That’s as much as $859 billion.

Why outdated, traditional modes of communication have a negative impact on your business – and how to combat them using technology.

Strategies for successfully managing change and rolling out new modes of communication during the busiest time of year.

Our ultimate list of tried-and-true communication tactics proven to drive higher rates of readership, execution, and employee engagement.

For the first time ever, we’re sharing our proprietary approach to communication timing with the public so all stores can benefit from a more streamlined, predictable messaging cadence.

Finally, better store execution all comes down to the individual messages you sent to your teams during the busiest time of year. Fortunately, we’ve got an easy-to-skim infographic example of “what good looks like” for quick reference.