Global fashion retailer connects employees across the enterprise

Gant is streamlining a variety of workflows with a digital workplace platform.

Founded in New Haven, Conn., and based in Stockholm, Sweden, Gant is a specialty sportswear brand with 600 stores in 70 countries. Gant is partnering with digital workplace solution provider Yoobic to create a virtually connected global community for its retail workers.

Already deployed across the company’s European and Chinese retail networks, and used by over 2,000 store associates and managers, Gant says the platform has improved employee engagement, operational excellence, and sales conversions since its initial deployment in 2020. The platform provides the automated translation of comments into a user's native language, enabling employees in different countries and regions to seamlessly communicate.

Gant first deployed the Yoobic platform in 2020 to improve visual merchandising compliance. With missions delivered to staff via mobile devices in the flow of work, Gant is able to seamlessly provide guidelines, capture feedback and comments, and deliver visibility into in-store visual merchandise compliance to ensure standards are consistently upheld.

Building on that implementation, the company launched the Gant Academy on the Yoobic platform in 2021, creating a digital hub for communications, training, and engagement. A dedicated "Inspiration" section provides courses on topics including music, art, and Netflix content; while the Academy Social Club enables frontline staff to share news and images, participate in competitions, and celebrate wins.

Key benefits Gant is receiving from the mobile-first Yoobic platform include:

• 90% of retail employees use Yoobic to learn and communicate on a weekly basis
• 30% more employees completed training programs after switching to YOOBIC
• 80% of employees utilize Yoobic on personal devices, while 20% use in-store tablets for access.

Another specialty apparel retailer, Francesca’s, is deploying the Yoobic One all-in-one digital workplace platform, to give its 3,000 frontline employees new two-way communication, learning, and productivity optimization tools. At the same time, Francesca’s utilizes the platform to provide local, district and regional managers with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and full visibility into all aspects of the company’s performance across its network of stores. 

"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," said Maria Klingh, global retail director at Gant. "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. Now we actually have, which is amazing to see, 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."

"We are absolutely delighted with the results Gant has achieved. It is an innovative brand with a deep understanding of the changing retail environment and the critical role frontline employees play in creating the engaging interpersonal experiences that customers want," said Fabrice Haiat, CEO and co-founder of Yoobic. "By using mobile technology and appropriately formatted content, Gant is empowering its frontline employees to connect with consumers beyond just a product transaction, driving long term loyalty and powering repeat purchases."