The winds of change are ripping through the retail sector. In a turbulent economy, consumer demand remains unpredictable, while the expectation for personalised service continues to surge.<\/p>\n
Stubborn inflation rates, supply chain<\/a> pressures and increasing costs are eating heavily into retailers\u2019 margins, adding strain to the already slim high-growth and low-profit models many operate under \u2013 and making cash flow a major concern.<\/p>\n Ongoing disruption from AI and supply chain pressures are adding to the sense of chaos.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, millions of businesses have become completely bogged down in day-to-day operational tasks. The average retailer is spending more than 290 hours a year on tedious admin alone, according to research by Brightpearl by Sage<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s hope. Retail leaders are switching on to the ultimate panacea for operational complexity: end-to-end retail automation.<\/p>\n End-to-end automation means implementing tech solutions that cover every aspect of your operations. On the front end, this includes automating customer comms, sales processes and even your marketing. On the back end, it extends to supply chain management, inventory planning<\/a>, finance-related tasks and data analysis.<\/p>\n Reshaping retail<\/strong><\/p>\n Automation has the potential to reshape retail forever, creating simplified, streamlined companies with motivated employees empowered by technology.<\/p>\n As many businesses scramble for ways to survive the current storm, experts agree that the ones that succeed will be those that recognise the pivotal opportunity automation presents \u2013\u00a0and urgently embrace it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rise of automation through AI will have a more significant impact on retail than other industries,\u201d explains<\/a> Sutherland Director of Retail Christopher Schyma.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the result of the changing retail industry \u2013 today\u2019s customer requires digital-first experiences, where needs are met and expectations exceeded across a variety of touch points and at the complete convenience of the shopper.\u201d<\/p>\n For e-commerce brands, one of the major attractions of automation is the significant time savings it offers.<\/p>\n Research<\/a> by the McKinsey Global Institute has shown automation can enable a typical retail store to run with up to 65 percent fewer hours.<\/p>\n In fact, McKinsey\u2019s research has shown that about half of the activities in retail can be automated using current, at-scale technology.<\/p>\n Retail businesses using Automation<\/a> can typically save around 296 hours each year, according to Brightpearl research.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a benefit that \u00a330M athleisure brand AYBL<\/a> has experienced first hand.<\/p>\n The brand\u2019s founder and CEO Reiss Edgerton explains: \u201cAutomation technologies like Brightpearl and\u00a0 Inventory Planner take care of so much, including automatic replenishment, that I can be quite hands-off with merchandising and purchasing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt easily saves us 100 hours a month. That\u2019s key for me \u2013 I don\u2019t want to be getting bogged down by managing day-to-day stuff; I want to be free to focus on the bigger picture.\u201d<\/p>\n Reiss taps into a crucial consideration for retailers: the pressing need to reduce the burden on business leaders, and their teams, of managing operations manually.<\/p>\n Tangled up in tasks<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether it’s organizing spreadsheets, clearing out emails, updating databases, processing invoices, customer support or another dreaded admin task, the to-do list of time-consuming tasks is endless, and, for many, the burnout is real.<\/p>\n \u201cRetail businesses across the UK are being suffocated by manual admin work, which is draining productivity, overwhelming staff and stunting growth,\u201d says Mark Hook, Product Marketing Director at Brightpearl.<\/p>\n \u201cOur report<\/a>, revealed the shocking extent of this issue, with retailers spending an average of 5 hours and 42 minutes every week fighting admin. That\u2019s nearly 300 hours a year spent on mundane tasks like order processing, invoicing and inventory management<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo wonder a staggering 75% of retail employees feel overwhelmed by the amount of admin they have to handle, with many working weekends to keep up. It\u2019s simply not sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, this situation is only getting worse for many businesses \u2013\u00a0especially fast-growing merchants who typically find that their manual to-do list suddenly goes from \u2018manageable\u2019 to \u2018overwhelming\u2019 when they hit a level of growth that inevitably causes their operations to become more complex.<\/p>\n When your team is tired, mistakes get made, customers get disappointed and your reputation \u2013 and even your profits \u2013 take a hit.<\/p>\n Overwhelmed leaders and their exhausted teams are also less able to face the challenges of the current retail market \u2013 and more likely to succumb to its increasing pressures.<\/p>\n However, by embracing automation, retailers can beat burnout and breathe new life into their businesses, and their prospects.<\/p>\n Employees who are no longer held back by admin responsibilities are more productive and can redirect their energy toward more meaningful work. This shift not only enhances job satisfaction and well-being but is ultimately linked to boosting your bottom line.<\/p>\n Where automation leads, efficiency follows \u2013 which in turn supports profitability, as Liz Armbruester, EVP of Customer & Compliance Operations at Avalara<\/a> identifies.<\/p>\n She says: \u201cOver the past couple years we\u2019ve seen business leaders forgo the growth-at-all costs mindset for one that emphasizes profitability and efficiency.<\/p>\n \u201cThis new mindset has led to greater scrutiny on how money is being spent and it has accelerated the adoption of automation software. There\u2019s a good reason for this change because automation can help virtually every arm of a business become more efficient.”<\/p>\n The secret to scaling<\/strong><\/p>\n The scope of automation to transform every operational aspect of a retail business isn\u2019t hyperbole. In fact, in an ultra-competitive market, it can be the secret to scaling because it\u00a0 enables retailers to focus on meeting consumers where they are and delivering the service they crave, without drowning in operational complexity.<\/p>\n Mark Hook adds: \u201cThe best way to reduce both complexity and cost in this economic climate is simply to automate as much of your operation as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cAutomation eliminates the need for human intervention on high-volume, repetitive tasks, reducing labor costs, minimizing errors, and increasing the speed of your operation.\u201d<\/p>\n Understandably, the prospect of wide scale automation triggers concern and resistance from some employees.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s more likely, in future, that automation will lead to the creation of new roles. In the meantime, it\u2019s about the evolution of existing roles and freeing up staff from across the businesses to focus on more strategic (and more rewarding) tasks that support growth and profitability.<\/p>\n Understanding the real-world, practical benefits of automation \u2013 how it saves time, enhances productivity and ultimately boosts profits \u2013 can be a powerful way to overcome resistance to automation technology.<\/p>\n Gaining the automation advantage<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018Emotional bracelet\u2019 brand Bond Touch<\/a> automated its operations with Brightpearl after running into issues with manual workflows following a period of rapid growth.<\/p>\n Automation<\/a> has saved the multi-channel merchant 480 hours a month and liberated the team from dull, monotonous duties.<\/p>\n Jorge Henriques, COO at Bond Touch, says: \u201cOur aim was to stop our team doing almost all manual tasks, and we were able to achieve that very quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cBrightpearl is a very intuitive, hands off solution \u2013 we now only need one, or possibly two, people to manage hundreds of thousands of orders. We can easily create custom automation rules to meet our needs \u2013 for instance, if one warehouse<\/a> runs out of stock, a rule kicks in to automatically route orders to a second warehouse option.\u201d<\/p>\n As retail experts, as well as successful brands like AYBL and Bond Touch, have shown, automation offers a lifeline to retailers during particularly trying times.<\/p>\n