Leading Retail Industry Associations Release Robust Remote Work Study

CHICAGO, April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2021, the Category Management Association and Shopper Insights Management Association (collectively known as CMA|SIMA) surveyed membership to gauge the adoption of remote work in the retail industry, the benefits and challenges, and outlook for remote work for the remainder of 2021 and beyond.

The associations collected a robust sample of nearly 600 individual responses from a variety of companies including suppliers/manufacturers, retailers and brokers/distributors. The sample largely mirrored the overall association member base with 75% being suppliers across categories from food and consumables, to softlines to general merchandise.

The study found a dramatic adoption of remote work, as virtually the entire sample began working from home or an alternative remote location in March 2020, despite many participants working for businesses deemed essential, including retail and CPG.

Productivity did not seem to suffer, as 66% reported being more productive working from home compared to working in an office environment. This can, at least partially, be attributed to respondents working more hours and finding it difficult to unplug.

As one survey respondent summed it up, "The flexibility of working from home should theoretically allow for better work/life balance. But it's easier to lose connections with coworkers and some meetings/projects should be conducted in the true office setting regardless. Both places have pros and cons."

As for the outlook, much remains uncertain but ¾ of the sample expect a return to offices generally by this coming winter. Only 25% of participants expected to remain fully remote or hybrid long term.

In June, CMA|SIMA Director of Content Jackie Lewis will unpack these results further and share additional commentary from various CMA and SIMA board members on tips for optimizing remote work at the 2021 CMA|SIMA Annual Conference.

The full aggregated results of the remote work study, including impact to client/colleague accessibility, common virtual meeting solutions, and more are publicly available at https://www.catman.global/original-content

About CMA|SIMA
The Category Management Association and Shopper Insights Management Association, headquartered in Chicago, IL, specialize in certification and best practices for retail industry professionals. The CMA was founded in 2004 due to the great need for a common language, talent acquisition guidelines and training standards within the category management profession. SIMA was launched in 2018 to support similar needs in shopper insights.

http://www.catman.global

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SOURCE Category Management Association