Training has a particularly large impact on customer experience, which is why 61 percent of retailers say they plan to dedicate more spending on the area. ... What does that training look like? Hint: It’s not an all-day, in-classroom session. It’s more like [engaging] new employees from their first day on the job so they know the value of the brand — and can start representing it right away.

Carol Leaman, chief executive of Axonify, a disruptor in the corporate learning space, writing recently on Forbes.com about “Brick-And-Mortar Retail Is Changing — Associates Need To Change, Too.”