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The Retail Learning & Development Summit 2023 was recently held in Mumbai, hosted by the Retailers Association of India (RAI) and attended by top retail L&D leaders and experts. The summit was focused on reimagining, reinventing, and re-evaluating the future of L&D in the retail industry.
The attendees were part of several conversations, networking opportunities, and panel discussions, where they discussed the future of training and how to shake things up in the industry. They delved into the latest and greatest technology, such as AI, predictive analytics, and VR, which are revolutionizing the way we train employees.
Setting the context of the summit, Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO of RAI, said, “This year, we're diving deep into how retailers are rethinking their approach to learning and development for their workforce. One big change we're seeing is the rise of "phygital" shopping, where consumers are blending online and in-store experiences. This has forced retailers to rethink how they do business, and the summit is the perfect opportunity for them to come together and share ideas on how to stay ahead of the curve.”
Kumar Rajagopalan also spoke on how the marketing term ‘segmentation’ had evolved and there was a greater focus on personalization. “PAFE - Personalized, Accurate, Fast, Everywhere, is the new way to look at how every aspect of retail operates. It is therefore important to add PAFE to the learning & development of the workforce.”
The highlight of the RAI Learning & Development Summit 2023 was a keynote address by Yeshasvini Ramaswamy, Serial Entrepreneur & CEO, Great Place to Work® India (Culture, AI and M&A). During her keynote, Yeshasvini said, “To overcome global uncertainty, organizations must build a workplace culture for their employees that helps them to be the best version of themselves. The year 2022 was a year of sustainability for workplaces in India. Between 2017 and 2022, India has moved to become a more impartial, collaborative, fair, and caring place to work when compared to workplace culture globally. The focus for the year 2023 will be on fairness in the workplace, equality, and credibility of management, among other aspects. Future workplaces will be more inclusive.”
Thought-provoking panel discussions had retail CHROs and CLOs deliberating on the many aspects of Learning & Development in the context of reimagining, reinventing, and re-evaluating methods of learning, skill training, and organizational culture. Topics discussed at the summit were ‘Reimagine: Learning strategies for an evolving future’; ‘Reinvent: Learning culture - A solution for inclusion’; ‘Re-evaluate: Leadership Development - It Starts From the Top’; among others.
During the panel discussion on reimagining learning strategies, while speaking about the challenges faced when personalizing learning for each individual in the frontline workforce, Nirav Jagad, Chief People Officer, SUGAR Cosmetics, said, “Cookie-cutter approach is easy, but it doesn’t move the needle. For high-impact learning, initiatives ask what the associate wants. Figure out how we can provide the solution in the way they want. It sounds idealistic, but there is no other way to do that.”
Attendees also delved into the use of AI, predictive analytics, and VR to personalize training for individuals in the frontline workforce. Nirav Jagad, Chief People Officer of SUGAR Cosmetics, said, "Cookie-cutter approach is easy, but it doesn't move the needle. For high-impact learning, initiatives ask what the associate wants. Figure out how we can provide the solution in the way they want. It sounds idealistic, but there is no other way to do that."
In addition to keynote speeches and panel discussions, roundtable sessions were themed on "Next Gen Retail Workforce: Building a strong culture for every retail employee" and "Adapting to a New L&D Reality in the post-pandemic era: skills-stack, performance, & learning pathways."
The summit featured a diverse range of leaders from the retail industry, including Anjali Goel, Head of HR at V-Mart Retail; Bidisha Banerjee, Group Senior VP Learning, Culture and Employer Branding at Welspun Group; Gauri Dalal, Associate Vice President - Learning & Development at Nykaa; Jeeva Balakrishnan, Chief Talent Officer at Reliance Retail Ltd.; Nandini Mehta, CHRO at Metro Brands Ltd.; Nirav Jagad, Chief People Officer at SUGAR Cosmetics; Neelam Ahluwalia, Vice President - L&D at Bigbasket; Robin Sharma, Head of L&D at Croma.
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