New technology and in-store service encounters: an analysis of coping practices and work experiences among frontline employees

The digital transformation is rapidly changing in-store service settings. This paper explores how frontline employees experience and cope with technology-related challenges. Based on a qualitative approach and the use of observations and interviews, this research advances our understanding of how such coping is performed in retail stores and how it contributes to defining employees’ work experiences. The paper shows that employees engage in multiple coping practices; involving different forms of problem-solving, but also more proactive coping activities through which employees reconstruct their work. Moreover, the findings improve our understanding of how coping activities contribute to shaping retail work; thus illustrating how employees’ in-store work practices are altered as they cope with new technology. The paper demonstrates that the organizational support that employees receive (e.g. available IT support, opportunities to learn from co-workers) is crucial to how technology-related coping is performed and experienced.