Everyone in the Netherlands knows the shops Kruidvat, Trekpleister and ICI Paris XL. These are the most famous brand names of the A.S. Watson Group. UP learning reviewed the existing ‘Goods and Inventory’ training course for Kruidvat and Trekpleister.
Good stock management for satisfied customers
In this online training course, employees learn how the flow of goods is organised and how they can best manage their stock. Good stock management leads to full shelves. This ensures satisfied customers and a high turnover. “If sales staff and (assistant) branch managers know how to check stock levels, order the right quantities and receive and process items correctly, customers will not miss out and will gladly return to our shops. This is important for customer satisfaction and for sales,” says Danielle van Eeden, Digital Learning & Development Advisor at A.S. Watson.
Danielle van Eeden
A.S. Watson
“The added value of the UP team? Passion, creativity and didactic expertise, combined with reliability and flexibility. As a result, we achieved great results together, all within the negotiated time and budget. I look forward to the next project!”
“We had our doubts about the added value of the classroom segment.”
“The blended training course ‘Goods and Inventory’ was in need of an update. We had our doubts about the added value of the classroom segment. That is why, together with UP, we looked at whether we could achieve the same results with an e-learning module. An important starting point was the link between training and learning on the job. And personally, I wanted to make online learning a lot more fun.”
The learning concept
A ‘mobile first’ learning concept was chosen because the subject matter is suitable, the target group is ‘mobile capable’ and in order to ensure that employees can learn at the place and time that suits them best. In addition, the training had to comply with the following principles:
- appealing for both the Kruidvat and Trekpleister chains;
- linked to the A.S. Watson training passport, which is used for learning on the job;
- easy to split into smaller modules, so that components can also be completely separately;
- maintained independently by the A.S. Watson L&D team.
The three phases
To achieve the above goals, the ‘Goods and Inventory’ training course was divided into three phases.
Engage
To engage the target group, we looked for an attractive and fresh design that would appeal to both Kruidvat and Trekpleister employees. The graphic design also plays an important role in navigating through the e-learning module: the particular step of the inventory process currently involved is always clear to the trainee.
Learn
We made short work of long texts. Employees learn at their own pace through short ‘learning chunks’ or micro learning. There is a lot of variety in the use of video, animation and realistic cases.
Perform
The training programme is practice-oriented and, due to the various cases used, connects seamlessly with the A.S. Watson training passport. This provides better insight into the actual behaviour of employees in the shops and its positive effect on the customer.
The development
UP learning developed appropriate learning interventions for the various learning goals.
Why is stock management important?
Good stock management ensures full shelves. That means that customers do not miss out and are happy to return to the shop. That’s what makes a branch successful and a great place to work. To make this clear, an ‘online colleague’ explains what needs to be done in video format. This teaches the trainee why inventory management is important.
What goes in and out of the shop?
An important foundation of good inventory management is understanding how the flow of goods works. How do items enter the shop and how do they leave? The flow of goods is explained in a fresh and clear one-minute animation. This animation was so successful that it is now also used for the onboarding of new employees.
How do employees manage stocks?
The stock management process is divided into five steps. In order to assess prior knowledge, each step starts with a short quiz and a video in which the online colleague discusses the most important points of attention. Exceptional or specific situations can occur in practice, of course. That is why the trainee is presented with three realistic cases in each step. Direct feedback then ensures high learning impact. When the employee is ready, they are put to work in practice. Does better stock management lead to visible results?
The process of stock management is divided into five steps. In order to assess prior knowledge, each step starts with a short quiz and a video in which the online colleague discusses the most important points of attention. Exceptional or specific situations can occur in practice, of course. That is why the trainee is presented with three realistic cases in each step. Direct feedback then ensures high learning impact. When the employee is ready, they are put to work in practice. Does better inventory management lead to visible results?
