Empowering the new retail store associate is not about hiring and forgetting. There must be processes in place, such as KPIs, that ensure employees are on track. If you're not doing anything to follow up and monitor that things are being executed as expected, you risk the brand experience not being delivered. It also makes for a better environment for the associates when they understand the retailer's motivation and are fully onboarded to processes. This can also lead to more insightful and beneficial career path discussions, further enhancing job satisfaction and better performance.

Rewards are another key element in creating job satisfaction. While they can be things like compensation, gift cards for future purchases, or discounts, it shouldn't just be about money. The store associate can be motivated by more. It could be as simple as monitoring outstanding performance and acknowledging the associate with a distinct title. Or, it could even mean an audience with the head buyer to get insight into next season's products. Retailers could consider applying the customer loyalty rewards concept to their employees by giving them points for excellent sales and outstanding customer service. These sorts of rewards recognize skills and behaviors within the retailer and encourage even better performance.