What Retail Learned the Hard Way Last Holiday Season
Every year, it’s the same story: a flood of orders, a spike in customer questions, and a CX team that’s buried in tickets before Black Friday even hits. But in 2024, the pressure reached a new level.
Retailers faced unprecedented staffing gaps, late responses, high abandonment rates, and a surge in customer churn right when they needed loyalty the most. And as returns came rolling in through January, many were still playing catch-up.
So, what changed? Not the demand. The problem was the model.
Retail’s Traditional CX Playbook Broke Down
For decades, seasonal hiring has been the go-to move: bring in temps, throw together a training program, hope for the best. But that playbook no longer works in today’s retail environment, where:
- Support volume shifts by the hour, not just by the month
- Customers expect 24/7, multichannel support, not a callback next Tuesday
- New platforms (TikTok Shop, live shopping, etc.) create new pain points
- Inventory issues and shipping delays create more “Where’s my order?” tickets than ever before
And with labor markets tightening, finding and onboarding talent fast enough became a logistical nightmare for many retail brands last Q4.
You Can’t Scale Chaos
When your support team isn’t built to flex, your service falls apart. Customers wait. Agents burn out. And no amount of holiday promotions can save the brand perception damage that follows.
But there’s a better way — and many retailers are already embracing it for 2025.
A More Flexible CX Model (That Doesn’t Break)
Instead of trying to forecast the perfect headcount months in advance, brands are shifting to flexible workforce models that let them adjust as needed, without sacrificing training, quality, or culture.
This means:
- Adding certified support agents when order volumes spike
- Relying on teams with specialized retail experience (think: returns, payment failures, gift cards)
- Supporting multiple channels — chat, voice, email, SMS, without overextending internal teams
- Avoiding the stress of over-hiring or under-serving customers during crunch time
Why It Works
A fractional workforce approach means you’re not stuck paying for nonproductive time when volume dips, and you’re not scrambling for talent when it surges. You’re only using what you need, when you need it, and only for productive hours.
More importantly, you’re not sacrificing brand voice or customer care in the name of coverage.
Holiday 2025 Will Be Even Bigger. Will You Be Ready?
With consumer confidence trending up and major platforms pushing earlier and longer sales cycles, 2025’s Q4 is set to be even more intense than last year. Brands that aren’t adapting now risk repeating last year’s mistakes.
So, here’s the big question: Is your CX operation built to bend — or is it going to break again?
Conclusion
2024 exposed the cracks in retail’s seasonal staffing strategy. 2025 is the opportunity to rebuild something smarter. If your CX model can’t flex with demand, it’s not just inefficient — it’s a liability.
About Omni Interactions
Omni Interactions gives retailers a smarter way to scale with fractional workforce solutions that flex with real-time demand, without the stress of seasonal onboarding chaos. We deliver certified, retail-savvy agents when and where you need them, so your customers always feel taken care of.
