Learning and development process for Footwear stores: fitting, product knowledge and a path from runner to associate
Footwear sales depend on knowing feet, materials and sizes. Learning in a store happens in ten minute sessions on the floor, not in a classroom, and it should lead to a visible step up.
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Share your requirementsWhy learning and development process matters in footwear stores
Most footwear staff learn from whoever stands nearest. One associate knows the difference between a cushioned and a flat sole and explains it well. Another just points at the box. Customers can tell the two apart, and so can the incentive report.
Learning works best in small pieces tied to the work. A short session on a new range before it lands, a fitting lesson for runners, a lesson on kids' feet before school season. The store keeps a short list of what each person has learnt so promotions are based on skill. Our learning and development process service helps shape these sessions.
How to set it up
1. List what an associate must know
Cover sizing and measuring, the main materials, three or four product families, care instructions and the returns process. One page, in plain words.
2. Run a ten minute session before opening
Pick one topic each week, such as a new range or how to measure a child's foot. Rotate who leads, including the best associate and the manager.
3. Teach fitting to runners
Select runners who want to sell and teach them measuring, reading the foot and offering a second option. Let them shadow an associate for a set period.
4. Use brand sessions properly
When a brand sends trainers, send two people and ask them to teach the rest within a week. Record who attended and what was shared.
5. Record skills and use them
Keep a sheet with the sessions each person has done and skills signed off. Look at it when you decide on a step up, not only tenure.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Ask three associates to explain the difference between two ranges.
- Count the runners who have had a fitting lesson.
- Check when the last floor session was held and who ran it.
- Look at whether the last promotion was based on skill or time served.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach learning and development process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Weekly works for most stores. Keep them to ten minutes with one topic, so they fit before opening or at a quiet hour and never feel like a burden.
No. Brand sessions cover products, while your own sessions cover customers, billing and your standards. Ask attendees to share what they learnt with the rest.
Show the route to associate, give them a short fitting course and a pay step on completion. When the path is visible and fair, runners ask for lessons themselves.