Retail Brand Advocacy’s Next Frontier: What Marketers Can Learn from McKinsey

Expertise is the New Standard

McKinsey’s latest research on personalized marketing reveals a fundamental shift: 71% of consumers expect brands to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% feel frustrated when those expectations aren’t met.

Brands have spent years refining customer personalization—optimizing promotions, perfecting targeted ads, and creating seamless omnichannel experiences. But there’s a missing piece: sales associates.

In physical retail, associates are the last and most critical touchpoint of the customer journey. If they don’t understand the brand, if they don’t feel connected to it, and if they don’t have the right knowledge at the right time, even the best marketing efforts will fall flat.

Just as brands personalize the consumer experience, they must enrich the associate experience. Because when frontline teams feel empowered, they don’t just sell—they advocate, influence, and build long-term customer relationships.

1. Make Brand Training as Timely and Targeted as Your Marketing

Marketing campaigns are built around real-time insights. Promotions are launched with precision, product drops are timed to maximize demand, and customer engagement is tracked in the moment. But when it comes to associates, many brands still rely on static, outdated training models that fail to reflect what’s happening in-store.

Information overload is a real problem. Associates don’t need everything at once—they need the right knowledge at the right time.

Instead of overwhelming them with long training sessions, brands should deliver bite-sized, just-in-time learning that aligns with key moments: before a product launch, in the lead-up to a major promotion, or in response to shifting customer preferences.

The same way digital marketing nudges customers toward a purchase, brands must nudge associates with timely, relevant knowledge that makes them more confident on the sales floor.

2. Treat Sales Associates Like Customers—Because They Are

Marketers spend millions on customer insights, mapping behavior, and optimizing engagement. But how much effort is spent understanding what motivates and engages sales associates?

Associates are consumers first. They expect the same level of relevance in their experience as the customers they serve. Outdated, one-size-fits-all training doesn’t engage or inspire them. Instead, training should be dynamic, relevant, and tied to their specific needs, interests, and store environments.

A store in downtown Los Angeles serves a different customer than one in a small Midwest town. In a high-end boutique, associates might cater to fashion-forward shoppers looking for the latest designer sunglasses, emphasizing luxury, brand heritage, and aesthetic appeal. Meanwhile, in a sporting goods store, customers are likely looking for performance-driven eyewear that offers UV protection, durability, and lens technology suited for outdoor activities.

Yet, many brands push the same training, the same promotions, and the same messaging. The brands that win are those that recognize the associates as distinct audiences and deliver knowledge accordingly.

3. Measure Brand Advocacy Like You Measure Customer Engagement

Customer loyalty is meticulously tracked. Engagement metrics, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and conversion rates all help brands refine their approach. But what about associate advocacy?

The confidence and enthusiasm of an associate directly influence customer trust. Yet few brands track associate sentiment with the same rigor they apply to customers.

Those brands who have shown steady growth rely on the metrics that reflect how well associates represent a brand in-store. This could include:

• How often they engage with brand content
• Their confidence in explaining brand differentiation
• How likely they are to recommend working with or selling a brand

Brands and retailers that monitor associate engagement—and act on the insights—can identify early warning signs of brand detachment and address them before they impact customer experience.

4. Train Associates in Storytelling, Not Just Specs

Customers don’t connect with features—they connect with stories.

Great associates don’t just list product specs; they bring the brand to life. They share the story of why a product was created, how it fits into a customer’s lifestyle, and why it matters. But this skill doesn’t develop naturally—it must be taught.

Many training programs focus solely on technical knowledge. The best brands go further, teaching associates how to weave compelling narratives into their customer interactions.

This doesn’t mean memorizing scripts—it means giving associates real stories to tell: how a product was designed for sustainability, how an athlete helped refine a shoe’s performance, or how a skincare product transformed a customer’s confidence. When associates connect emotionally to the brand, so do customers.

5. Shift from Training to Continuous Engagement

For too long, training has been treated as a task to complete rather than an ongoing process of learning and engagement.

A one-time training session at onboarding isn’t enough. Associates need ongoing reinforcement, updated insights, and opportunities to refine their skills. 

This doesn’t mean overwhelming retail associates with more content. It means delivering relevant, bite-sized updates that align with real-world interactions. Just as customer personalization evolves based on behavior, associate engagement should adapt to changing conditions—whether it’s a seasonal shift in customer demand, a new product launch, or emerging sales trends.

The Future of Retail Belongs to Brands That Empower Frontline

The retail industry is shifting. Customers expect seamless, personalized experiences. Brands that fail to extend this personalization to their frontline teams will lose out.

Retail brand advocacy isn’t just a concept—it’s a measurable driver of sales performance. Brands that invest in their sales associates don’t just create better training experiences; they create better business outcomes.

Success isn’t just about brand education—it’s about ensuring every customer interaction reinforces trust, deepens loyalty, and drives conversions.

In the next five years, the brands that dominate retail won’t just have great products or compelling marketing campaigns. They’ll have frontline teams that embody their brand, deliver personalized experiences, and foster lasting customer relationships.

See Myagi in Action

With the largest network of store associates already using Myagi, leading brands are instantly delivering brand training where it matters most—directly into the hands of the people who sell their products every day.

Want to see how it works? Sign up for a Myagi demo tour and experience how effortless it is to deliver the right brand knowledge to the right associates—at the right time.