Automation to increase time spent serving customers

When you think about working in retail, you probably think about customer service. However, while focusing on the retail fundamentals, our associates are sometimes required to perform tasks during which they are not serving the customer.

For instance, did you know that traditionally, to change price signage in a store, an employee must walk the aisles, scrape existing tags manually (we even have a special tool for it), then stick the new price, label one product at a time, being extra careful not to mix them up? In a store with 40,000 products or SKUs in the retail lingo, this action can become quite time-consuming. But it is becoming a thing of the past—thanks to electronic displays and automation!

Our IT experts, together with our store operation team and our RONA Tech colleagues, have worked on integrating an easy solution in some of our departments such as Appliances: Electronic shelf labels (ESL). Surprisingly looking like paper tags, these labels installed are controlled by an app developed in-house and enable our store teams to change prices electronically and almost instantaneously—leaving our store staff to focus on customer service fundamentals and to provide a customer-centric in-store experience.

“In departments equipped with ESL in our RONA, Lowe's and Réno-Dépôt corporate stores, we can save close to 300 hours in a month. That means 300 hours in one department when our associates can now centre on what they do best: serving our customers across our network!”

- Tony Cioffi, President at RONA

If working with several teams on promising projects that help change the face of retail within a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company interests you, we could be perfect for each other! Look for our available positions on our Careers page.