Case Study: Big Lots achieves enhanced employee engagement and real-time customer service with Akumina

Big Lots Delivers Data-rich Experiences to Employees Resulting in Superb Customer Experiences

Big Lots, Inc., a U.S. retailer with nearly 23,000 employees and over 1,400 stores, faced broken, outdated communication and many disconnected business systems that left store associates without real‑time information, poor engagement, and under‑developed processes. To solve this, Big Lots partnered with Akumina to create an employee digital hub that would deliver personalized, device‑agnostic access to information and tools for frontline and corporate employees.

Akumina implemented a connected employee digital hub that provides assisted selling on the sales floor (pricing, inventory, product info), online scheduling and task management, a corporate resource center with training videos, and access to store sales reporting and analytics. Akumina’s solution reduced dependence on back‑office computers and long wait times, sped customer responses, and has significantly increased employee motivation and engagement by giving associates real‑time data and aligned communications across the organization.

Big Lots