How retail leaders can respond to unpredictable demand, close the gap between AI ambition and store reality, and build a more resilient workforce planning approach - all without overwhelming teams.
Retail demand no longer follows one clear, predictable peak. Today’s stores are navigating constant pressure points driven by weather, local events, promotions, category shifts, and sudden changes in trading.
Talking Shop 2026, a joint report from Rotageek and Retail Week based on insights from 500 UK frontline retail workers, shows how rapidly changing demand patterns are reshaping store operations.
Yet many retailers are still relying on reactive ways of working. The research found that 71% of frontline workers say scheduling is reactive, creating cost pressure, inconsistent customer experience, and missed opportunities when demand spikes.
This webinar builds on that research, bringing together industry and operational perspectives to explore what these shifts mean in practice for retail workforce leaders.
Calling all retail leaders. Join Rotageek, Retail Week and TPP Retail for a practical discussion on how to move from reactive scheduling to more proactive workforce planning in today’s multi-peak retail environment.
Skip to...
00:00 — Welcome & introductions
03:05 — What the session will explore: retail’s new “multi-peak” reality
04:35 — Jason, Rotageek: “Stores are doing far more than they used to”
06:43 — Ellis Hawthorne: “71% of shop floor workers say planning feels reactive”
08:48 — How frontline retail pressure has changed since pre-COVID
11:00 — Poll 1 – What’s driving unexpected demand in stores?
12:30 — Jason, Rotageek: “Weather adds an odd level of complexity to scheduling”
14:30 — Ellis Hawthorne: “Social media is enormously impactful”
16:00 — Why retail peak trading no longer happens in just a few key moments
18:30 — Jason, Rotageek: “You can send vacant shifts out to nearby teams”
21:00 — Cultural moments, viral trends & retail demand spikes
24:00 — Reactive vs proactive workforce planning
27:00 — Ellis Hawthorne: “The pressure on workers is immense”
32:00 — AI & intelligent scheduling in retail
33:30 — Jason, Rotageek: “People want things immediately”
36:00 — Why frontline involvement matters in technology adoption
40:00 — Ellis Hawthorne: “Nobody enjoys having decisions made from the top down”
47:30 — Jason, Rotageek: “Workforce management shouldn’t just be seen as cost control”
51:00 — Jason, Rotageek: “Assisted scheduling feels like a co-pilot”
53:00 — Final advice for retailers & key takeaways
In this session, you’ll hear about:
Hear from retail and workforce leaders shaping the next phase of store operations. This session brings together voices from across retail research, operations and frontline experience.
Together, they explore what the latest frontline insight tells us, where gaps still exist, and what retailers can do now to build on their workforce planning approach in a more volatile trading environment.
Dave Abbott
Technical Director
TPP Retail
Dave is an innovative technology leader focused on retail, known for leading teams from strategy to execution. He champions a cloud-first approach to drive scalability and resilience, with a strong emphasis on security and reliability. Passionate about empowering people through technology, he delivers impactful solutions aligned with business and social responsibility.
Ellis Hawthorne
Journalist & Features Editor
Retail Week
Ellis is features editor at Retail Week, responsible for the features desk that produces our long reads, rankings and profile interviews with some of retail’s most influential leaders. Ellis also handles our annual flagship editorial content, including Retail Leader's 100 favourite stores, the retail staff pay index and the UK's fastest-growing retailers.
Catch up on a practical conversation on demand volatility, AI adoption, and workforce planning in modern retail.
