1、Retail Associates ReputationRanking ReportHOW FRONTLINE EMPLOYEES IMPACT THE 10 LARGEST RETAILERS REPUTATIONS1Physical retail will make up almost 80%of global retail sales in 2025,and stores are pulling out all the stops to keep customer foot traffic flowing.For shoppers,in-store retail isnt just ab

2、out the transactionits about having an experience,social interaction,and being able to touch and try new products.However,more U.S.stores closed than opened from January to August 2024,implying that physical stores are struggling to meet customerexpectations.While pop-up stores,unique experiences an

3、d sales events can bring customers in,frontline employees have an outsized impact on the customer experience.Chatmeter used its AI platform,Pulse Ai,to analyze more than one million customer reviews of 10 of the largest physical retailers in the U.S.and found stark differences in how these retailers

4、 operationalize their frontline employees.While some stores receive overwhelmingly positive reviews related to staff,at others,associates diminish the experience by treating customers rudely or ignoring them.Certain stores,like Lowes,The Home Depot,and Walmart,tend to have employees who go above and

5、 beyond to help customers.At lower ranked stores like CVS,Kroger and Walgreens,customers regularly complain about understaffing,poor customer service and a lack of managerial oversight.2The biggest theme in the report,however,is inconsistency.Even top-ranked retailers suffer from pockets of poor cus

6、tomer service,implying that customer service training,proper staffing levels,and management improvements are needed across the industry.Customers tend to blame store management for understaffing levels and poor customer service incidents,implying that negative interactions with employees,even if the