Toward a Workplace and Workforce Transformation and the Necessity to Enrich Retail 5.0

The retailing ecosystem is the biggest of all ecosystems in employment among the 14 industrial ecosystems of the European industrial strategy. This chapter aims to describe the upcoming transformations of the retailing workplace. Through Omni-channel retailing, the transition to Retail 4.0 revolutionizes the traditional retailing workplace and promotes a twin skills transformation of the retailing workforce. However, (a) the need for high-skilled employees, (b) the scarcity of talent, and (c) the high job vacancy in retailing are significant obstacles to promoting smooth adaptation to this transition. Last, we argue that transitioning to an enriched version of Retail 5.0 is important in promoting a human-centered transformation of the retail sector. Including the Fifth Industrial Revolution stakeholders, including retailers, employees, customers and society, is critical to promoting a harmonious collaboration between humans and machines.