In the quest for stronger customer experiences, store associates are the critical variable. They're the ones translating back-end efficiencies into better shopping trips — or absorbing the cost when those efficiencies don't exist.
AI is changing that equation. But only if associates are brought along.
Bridging the Gap
Investing in modern technology should be viewed as a commitment to associates that retail executives know their time and energy are vital to the store’s success. AI is a tool bridging the gap between better back-end systems and improved customer experiences.
A recent survey conducted in collaboration with ServiceNow, an enterprise workflow and AI platform, and Retail Dive’s Studio by Informa TechTarget, confirms that connection. More than half (52%) of retailers polled said their associates leave the floor for two to three hours per shift to attend to manual processes.
That time spent reconciling reporting errors, checking inventory, updating spreadsheets, processing invoices and tending to unexpected issues can be better spent at the front of the store, hastening checkouts, addressing stock shortages, answering customers’ questions and resolving support requests.
A large European drugstore chain using ServiceNow’s AI solutions has found it allows them to dramatically cut down on delays that associates commonly face. It’s allowed frontline staff to log issues instantly, get them triaged faster, and resolve them before they snowball into a bigger problem.
“The associate experience and the customer experience are not separate tracks. They're the same track,” said Ellie Quartel, head of global retail and hospitality at ServiceNow. “When associates have clearer task guidance, more time on the floor, and less friction in their day, customers feel it in many ways.”
Stuck in Manual
In the ServiceNow study, 72% of retail executives believe that manual processes have moderately or significantly hindered their companies’ ability to achieve their operational goals. Nearly all (89%) said they were at least somewhat reliant on manual processes, and more than half (52%) said their operations were moderately or heavily reliant on manual interventions. Furthermore, integration challenges, in which platforms can’t communicate with one another, remain a leading barrier to AI adoption.
The consequences can be seen throughout the shopping experience, from when a customer comes into a store and waits several minutes for an associate to assist them, to standing in excessively long checkout lines. This can threaten customer loyalty and, for national chains, cause brand degradation, jeopardizing future revenue potential. Additionally, retailers are being forced to increase labor costs to compensate, also eating away at profits.
Convincing retail executives to invest in AI isn't the primary obstacle — 70% of surveyed retailers already have pilots underway or use cases deployed. The harder challenge is execution. Management must bring associates along — some lack trust in AI tools, feel unsure how to use them, or worry about what automation means for their jobs. But the system's friction is just as real: 54% of retailers cite integration challenges as a top barrier, and 40% struggle with data quality across disconnected systems.
“AI doesn't run itself,” said Quartel. “The best workflow automation in the world underperforms if the people using it don't understand it, don't trust it, or don't have time to engage with it properly.”
Quartel adds: “Stores are living, breathing entities and associates are the last mile. They're the ones who have to inform the system of what is happening in real life to help the AI perform at its best.”
AI Is Already Working for Early Adopters
In a fraction of the time it would take a human, AI tracks basic metrics like revenue, sales, and labor costs. That almost instant analysis helps keep stores’ inventory filled, minimizes reporting errors, and identifies staffing inefficiencies.
Early adopters are seeing the benefits:
- 50% of retailers who deploy AI say it’s improved scheduling accuracy.
- 42% of retailers who deploy AI say they provide associates with clearer task lists and guidance throughout the day.
- 32% of retailers who deploy AI say it’s reduced or eliminated tedious, manual tasks.
ServiceNow is working with a specialty retailer to roll out an automated orchestration process across its storefronts. What would normally take weeks to manually coordinate staffing, inventory, and vendor logistics is automated. Teams show up ready to work, freeing employees to give customers the attention they’re looking for.
“AI doesn't transform retail operations. People do — with the right tools behind them,” said Quartel.
Getting Associates to Buy-In
Quartel says buy-in starts with treating associates as partners, not just employees. "Store associates are truly the experts on the workflows; they will appreciate being consulted and feeling as if they are helping to build something transformational," she says. In practice, that means identifying champions across store teams early and grounding the case for change in concrete examples — showing associates specifically how AI frees up their time rather than asking them to take it on faith.
“Frame everything in terms of what it means for the customer and for their own day,” Quartel said. “Associates don't think about ‘AI-enabled workflow optimization.’ They think about whether they have what they need to do their job well, whether their shift runs smoothly, and whether customers leave satisfied.”
AI has the power to change how associates spend their shifts — less time on manual processes, more time with customers. But realizing that requires more than a single point solution. ServiceNow connects the workflows that run retail operations — from task management and scheduling to facilities and store communications — on a single platform, so associates have what they need to do their jobs without navigating fragmented tools. Learn how ServiceNow helps retailers get more out of their existing technology and get associates back on the floor: servicenow.com/retail
