GANT has partnered with YOOBIC, a digital platform for employee engagement and learning, to build a connected training community for its frontline workers.

The fashion brand, which operates globally, said it has seen a 30 per cent increase in training completion amongst its retail workforce compared to a previous solution.

The digital workplace solution is aimed at increasing employee engagement, improving operational excellence, and driving increased sales conversions.

Founded on the American East Coast in 1949 by Bernard Gantmacher, GANT is now a sportswear brand operating in 70 countries and 600 stores globally, including 25 in the United Kingdom.

The retailer said that its frontline employees have a central role to play in the ongoing reinvention of its physical stores and the wider storytelling around its brand proposition and heritage.

GANT deployed the YOOBIC mobile-first platform in 2020 – initially focusing on streamlining and improving visual merchandising (VM) compliance.

It launched a series of missions, delivered to staff on their mobile devices in the flow of work, communicating guidelines and providing a place to capture feedback and comments.

In 2021 GANT launched its training operation, the GANT Academy, on YOOBIC, creating a digital hub for communications, training and engagement which is currently used by more than 2,000 store associates and retail leaders.

Maria Klingh, global retail director at GANT, said: “Our in-store colleagues play such a pivotal role as they are the ones that meet and serve our customers every day. Their interaction with the customer creates an opportunity to engage and build a relationship.

“Therefore, it is crucial that we support them and we have been investing in processes and tools to facilitate a smoother employee experience giving them time to focus on the customer while in-store.”

A total of 90 per cent of GANT’s retail employees use YOOBIC to learn, communicate, and find information on a weekly basis, according to the retailer, with 80 per cent accessing the YOOBIC app on their private mobile and 20 per cent using the retailer’s in-store tablets.

“One of the smart things YOOBIC provides is the automated translation of comments into a user’s native language so we overcome the language barrier, which is very present when you operate in a global environment. Now we have store associates in Shanghai chatting or giving tips or engaging with our store staff in Paris and this we really believe creates a sense of belonging and being part of a greater, global community,” explained Klingh.

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