American Eagle Outfitters

On-Boarding Training Program

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Training Needs Analysis…………………………………………………………………………..4

Training Design…………………………………………………………………………………...8

Training Objectives………………………………………………………………………………11

Training Methods………………………………………………………………………………...12

Training Development…………………………………………………………………………...13

Training Evaluation……………………………………………………………………………...15

Appendix I……………………………………………………………………………………….16

References……………………………………………………………………………………….17

2
 INTRODUCTION

Background
This training program is a new employee on-boarding training program for American Eagle Outfitters
(AEO). This training program is geared around training sales associates and managers on product
knowledge, operations, customer service, and all areas of the business of working in a store level
environment. These training modules will be incorporated as part of the on-boarding process for all
associates and streamline the training process. After completing this training, employees will be well
versed in the company’s brand, product, and customer service. This training will create consistency in the
training that is being administered across all stores and elevate the level of employee and customer
satisfaction. Employees will understand their impact on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which
AEO stores measures their success. This may also motivate employees to view working at AEO as a
career and an opportunity to grow in the retail industry. This is a great opportunity to develop AEO
employees and groom employees for future executive positions. AEO is focused around providing a
personal shopping experience to its customers. In order to remain competitive AEO focuses on customer
service to build brand loyalty and repeat business. A training program such as this could significantly
improve the customer’s store experience and loyalty by illustrating to employees and managers the impact
that their behaviors have on the customer and the bottom line. This is an opportunity to improve the
organization’s profits and assist employees in making a smooth transition into the organization.

Significance
With the increasingly competitive environment of the retail industry, American Eagle Outfitters (AEO)
must prepare its associates to properly engage with its customers with a focus on customer service to gain
a competitive advantage. In an environment such as the retail apparel industry where there is not much
differentiation other than cost and brand, customer service can be an added advantage. Training is also
important for ensuring consistency and continuity of high level customer service. A returning customer is
expecting to receive the same experience they received previously and if those needs are not met the
business risks losing future business. Illustrating to your employees the impact that each employee can
have on the store’s experience is important in motivating employees and giving them the autonomy to
provide great customer service. Customer service can be delivered in the way an employee answers the
phone, or how they handle and wrap the merchandise purchased. This training will occur in the store
environment and facilitated by the store manager. Most employees will be trained in the store they were
hired to work at. Additional managers may be temporarily assigned to the store to assist in running the
sales floor, while the store manager is training the new employees.

Utility of Training
In order to ensure that AEO provides consistent customer service and high quality employees, this
training program will trains store level managers and sales associates to provide high level customer
service that will support the company’s brand and strategic objectives. This training will build the
company’s brand as a leader in its industry for the highest customer satisfaction and loyalty. This training
will illustrate the desired behavioral traits, physical appearance/hygiene that aligns with the company’s
brand, product knowledge, and a series of role playing scenarios. Training modules will include training
on the brand, the product/style, customer service, store operations, register operations, on the job training,
and benefits. The training will also illustrate how employees will be given the autonomy to seek out
opportunities to make a customer’s store experience memorable and deliver a personal shopping
experience. Through this training, employees will learn how to develop relationships with customers and
build loyalty to the company’s brand. This program will communicate to prospective employees the
company’s values and commitment to exceeding customer expectations and delivering a high level of
customer service. The training will continue through the on-boarding and again throughout their career
with the company in order to reinforce the customer service oriented culture of the organization.

3
Impact
This training will support the organization’s mission and will brand the company as a high quality, high
customer service oriented company, which will attract loyal customers and differentiate the organization
from competitors. In addition, the program will link the training to the company’s Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs) which will be used to measure each store’s sales performance. KPIs include measuring
conversion, average dollar sales, and comparing this year’s total sales to last year. Conversion measures
the percent of traffic in the store that was converted to a sale. Average dollar sale is the average dollar
amount that is being purchased per customer. Employees will be trained in learning these KPIs and
understanding how their behaviors impact these metrics. The training will also increase employee
motivation and confidence by illustrating how to be successful on the job. This program will create
consistency by communicating the same message to all associates on what the AEO brand stands for and
how to best engage customers.

Effect on the Organization

The applied effect to the organization is that it will build a brand and service that differentiates itself from
its competitors and attracts loyal customers. The program will clearly outline the level of expectation
from its employees and train them to be cognizant of the impact their delivery of service has on the
organization. This training will provide standards and behaviors that employees can emulate to ensure
they are successful on the job. Each training will break down the on-boarding into modules, each which
represent a key aspect of the job. These trainings will also be linked to the organization’s goals of
achieving its key performance indicators in a collaborative and customer service oriented way that aligns
with the brand.

TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

History & Strategy

The company’s background plays a role in defining its mission and competitive strategy. American Eagle
Outfitters (AEO) is an American apparel retailer founded in 1977 headquartered in Pittsburg, PA. The
company sells outerwear, denim, and apparel targeting the 15 – 25 year old customer and differentiates
itself from its competitors by delivering a fashionable product at a lower price ("American Eagle
Outfitters | Careers, Jobs, Internships, Recruiting | AEO Brands," n.d.). AEO also has a young women’s
dorm wear and intimate wear under their sub-brand Aerie. AEO currently has 955 American Eagle Stores
and 101 Aerie stand-alone stores ("AEO Profile | American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Stock - Yahoo!
Finance," n.d.). The AEO corporate office emphasizes collaboration, passion and listening to its
employees and customers to provide the best employee and customer experience. This commitment to its
customers is communicated at all levels of the organization including store level employees.

AEO Mission Statement and “Corporate Values” ("American Eagle Outfitters | Careers, Jobs,
Internships, Recruiting | AEO Inc. Values," n.d.)
People
The vitality of our company resides in our people. We collaborate, we engage, we achieve.
Integrity
We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards. In the face of difficulties and challenges, we
don't compromise.
Passion
Our passion infuses our actions and purpose. It transforms stores into places of energy and customer
delight.
Innovation

4
We operate in a dynamic and competitive industry. We continually refine the unique processes that drive
our business, and we use insightful research and analysis to balance our instinct and to guide our
decisions. Our associates embody entrepreneurial spirit, develop creative solutions, and initiate change.
Teamwork
We work together - listening to one another, reaching consensus and supporting group decisions. We
celebrate achievements. Because we respect and trust one another and commit ourselves to our company
goals, our teamwork succeeds.

Resources
AEO’s commitment to its employees and customers is also reflected in the way it invests the company’s
resources in recruiting top talent at select Universities for their Management Training Program. In order
to ensure its employees are aligned with their mission, AEO promotes their Management Training
Program to students who are creative, team oriented and driven who exhibit leadership qualities. This
program prepares college graduates through an on-the-job training program aimed to develop their
employees early in their careers and help guide them through the AEO career path, whether their goal is
to become a Store Manager or join the corporate team. New employees are assigned to a store to shadow
a Store Manager to learn the store’s operations, merchandising and delivering great customer service. The
training is heavily focused around the customer experience and encouraging individuality without
compromising the organization’s core brand. In alignment with its mission, AEO emphasizes team work
and encourages stores within a district to compete to meet goal. The top performing store is awarded with
free apparel and gift cards. Top performing stores or employees may also be recognized in the AEO
Magazine that is distributed internally.

Barriers in the Internal Environment:

• Lack of time – pulling store associates and especially managers off of the sales floor to attend a
training is challenging in the retail setting as floor coverage is important and the company is
careful not to over-hire associates to reduce costs. As a result, most stores are working with tight
staff coverage.
• Lack of Motivation – most sales associates are high school or college students who only work on
average 6-8 hours a week. Their level of commitment is relatively low as this is not a long term
career choice.
• Schedule – As every Associate and Manager has a different schedule, each individual may need
to receive the training separately or in a small group to ensure everyone gets trained.
• Short Term – As many of these associates graduate college or find other higher paying jobs, most
employees have short term employment with the company. Many retailers increase staff
seasonally so it is not uncommon for an employee to be employed with the organization for only
3-4 months. This does not leave much time to become fully trained before the peak traffic
seasons.

Expected Performance
The organization emphasizes its focus on its people both at the customer and employee level,
collaboration, passion and innovation. Communication regarding the company’s brand is translated to the
store level employees in an easy to understand, clearly defined way that can be executed. This
communication involves dress code, attitude, and appropriately displaying the organization’s values.

Actual Performance
Though employees receive the communication from their managers about the importance of dress code
and attitudes toward customers, employees do not always exhibit these behaviors. Employee with early
shifts may arrive to work late or in attire that is not aligned with the brand. Employees may not
understand the importance or impact that their behaviors have on the sales of the store.

5
Performance Discrepancies
Employees must be trained on the impact that each individual has on the store’s profits. By showing
employees how changing their behavior impacts sales by leading by example or incorporating success
stories of other store associates into the training will increase employee motivation.

OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS

Current training offered to employees at the store level differ for Managers and Sales Associates.
Managers upon hire are assigned to a store, which may not be the store they will employed at and are
given 1 month on-the-job training shadowing a Store Manager in a high performing store in the area.
Upon hire, Managers are given a binder of information about the company as a job aid for what AEO
calls the “Management Training Program”. Information in the binder is separated by the company’s
mission, store operations, policies, resources and contact information. The binder serves as a general on-
boarding information packet. During the on-the-job training, you will first learn how to be a sales
associate before learning the managerial side of the job. Learning the product and understanding the value
and benefits of the merchandise is important to communicate to the customer. Next, new managers will
learn how the brand is transferred to the customer through customer service. This includes creating a
personal shopping experience by greeting or acknowledging every customer that walks through the store.
The importance of customer service is explained as the differentiating factor between stores that meet
their sales goals and those that do not. Managers then learn the operations of the business such as using
the registers, scheduling, opening and closing the store, and policies including reducing merchandise
shrinkage. In addition to properly attaching security sensors on products, customer service is
communicated as the most important way to reduce theft. District Managers will also visit the stores for a
day to observe and support sales associates and provide additional coaching if necessary. Sales associate
training is similar to a manager’s on boarding training except they do not receive a binder of information
but rather are trained by their Store Managers. Trainings are more informal and left to the Managers
discretion to train employees.

Expected Performance
Managers are expected to train employees at their discretion within the store environment, while
simultaneously attending to customers in the store. Managers are expected to lead by example and
demonstrate to their employees how to deliver great customer service including wrapping the purchase,
following the assigned steps or using tissue and ribbon to wrap the purchase or walking the bag around
the register rather than handing the purchase to the customer over the counter.

Actual Performance
When a new employee joins an organization, the Manager often has to choose to delay training the
employee in order to attend to customers and manage the sales floor or sacrifice customer service in order
to train an employee. The level of coverage on a sales floor is generally very light in order to keep in line
with the organization’s allowable scheduling hours. Though this reduces costs, Managers who have just
hired new employees for the busy holiday season is faced with the problem of having to quickly train
employees whenever there is a few minutes throughout the day and sometimes with customers in the
store. As a result, the quality of training is not up to par with the organization’s expectations.

Performance Discrepancies
Managers are not given the time/resources needed to properly train associates. Most managers are
motivated to train employees, but are frustrated by conflicting priorities. New associates are overwhelmed
as they are not yet familiar with the products or the process on how to operate the registers or greet
customers, especially with limited management support. As a result, experienced employees are over
scheduled for shifts during peak seasons, leading to burnout of the top employees.

6
PERSON ANALYSIS

As customer service and the experience that store level associates and managers give to customers is
taught to be a large part of the success of the business, it is important to constantly observe and monitor
the behaviors of the associates to ensure the training they received is being translated to the sales floor.

The type of skills and behaviors that are important to the success of the job include the following.

• Attentive – is observant of customer needs and behaviors and ability to read others.
• High energy – approachable, positive, confident and passionate.
• Knowledgeable – knowledge of products and their benefits.
• Communication – clearly communicates with all types of customers and various cultures.
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment
• Ability to handle difficult customers and uncomfortable situations
• Listening – ability to listen to a customer’s needs and find a solution or alternate solution
• Adaptable – easily adapts to changing environments or situations.
• Consistent – consistently displays a high level of customer service to all customers.

Expected Performance
Employee is motivated and passionate to learn new skills and displays high quality customer service and
professionalism toward customers. Employees are energetic and passionate and value the product they
are selling and express this by wearing the brand and sharing personal testimony about their favorite
products. Sales Associates and Managers go the extra mile to provide a personal shopping experience to
every customer.

Actual Performance
Employees, especially sales associates are not always motivated to provide great customer service as the
pay is minimal and they are not fully invested in their career with the company. Employees are generally
younger in age and are looking for a part time position and view this as just a job. Retail is not
necessarily a career path for these employees. Employees may also not have the means to purchase the
clothing to show their support of the brand or may not be aware of the impact they have on the
organization.

Performance Discrepancies
Lack of commitment to the organization or the job. Employees do not feel an association with the brand.
Their short term commitment to the organization does not demand an employee to become invested in the
organization’s mission. Changing the attitude of the employee by showing them the importance of a sales
associate’s role and share personal testimonies of individuals who started with the company as a sales
associate and moved up the ranks as a District Manager or an executive in the corporate office may attract
employees interested in a career in retail rather than viewing this opportunity as a temporary, part time
position.

TRAINING NEEDS

Summary of Performance Discrepancies

• Employees must be trained on the impact that each individual has on the store’s Key Performance
Indicators.
• Managers must be given the time/resources needed to properly train new on-boarding employees
to ensure quality training. Well trained employees will translate to high customer satisfaction.

7
 • Lack of commitment to the organization or the job. Employees need to be made aware of the
opportunities available in the company to motivate employees to see this as a career opportunities
rather than just a part time job.

What can be addressed through training?

• Build confidence in approaching customers in stores.
• Lack of knowledge of products, styles, and fit.
• How to “outfit” and suggested items to add to the purchase.
• How to wrap purchase and present the purchase to the customer.
• How to maintain a clean and presentable sales floor.
• How to engage a customer.
• How to manage a difficult customer.
• Awareness of one’s behavior even when you do not think you are being observed. Remaining in
“character” at all times and maintaining a high level of professionalism (no gum chewing or food
to be consumed on the sales floor or personal conversations with other associates).

What cannot be addressed through training?

• Employee attitudes or apathy toward training.
• Employee’s personal life or school that may inflict on their experience or attitude in the store.
• Employee’s lack of interest in the products or helping customers.
• The customer’s attitude or behaviors that they bring into the store.
• The level of store traffic.
• Limited financial resources to purchase brand’s clothing.

TRAINING DESIGN

Training Methods
One of the biggest challenges for new sales associates, most of whom are in high school or college is
overcoming the fear of approaching customers and building the confidence to apply the learned selling
techniques. Many employees who accept the job as a sales associate or manager have not had prior sales
experience. As a result, it is important that the training builds confidence in the employees, that this
training will provide them with the training needed to become successful on the job. This can be
described by the motivational theory called Expectancy Theory (Blanchard, 2012, p.163). As part of the
introduction to training, an experienced sales associate or manager who previously engaged in this
training program will introduce themselves to the new employee and share a personal testimony on how
the training helped them succeed on the job. If a sales associate or manager is not available, this could be
expressed through an introductory video. Building the employee’s confidence is important in this training
because the lack of self-confidence is a barrier to this training. If employees do not feel that the training is
capable of helping them overcome the fear of performing well on the job, employees will not put forth the
effort.

Time Allocation
3 hours each for 3 days - Sales Associates
8 hours a day for 15 days - Managers

Sales Associates are required to work a minimum of 3 hours/day. As a result, the training will occur in 3
hour increments 3 days a week. Each day will be focused on 1-2 module trainings, overseen by a
manager. Depending on the store’s schedule or coverage, there is flexibility to train the employee for a
longer duration with less days. This will depend on the employee and manager’s availability. However, it
is encouraged that the training is limited to 3-5 hours per day to ensure the employee is engaged for the
duration of the training. Though managers will receive more in depth training, the basic training that sales

8
associate receive at their on-boarding will be applied to managers as well. Managers will spend additional
hours in a store, shadowing the Store Manager for a longer period of time to learn additional skills related
to the management role.

How will the training be administered?

Training Modules Method Objectives

1 Brand Awareness - - Introduction by Manager Motivate employees to grow an affinity
- - Appearance/hygiene - - Video toward the brand.
- - Teamwork - - Quiz
- - Diversity - - Printed summary & store newsletter
2 Product Knowledge - - Store walk-through to review styles and fit Increase product knowledge of
- - Styles and fit with Manager employees so they are able to engage
- - “outfitting” - - Video customers confidently. This will also
- - Benefits and features- - Quiz impact the Average Dollar Sale as
- - Questions and feedback associates will learn to add on
additional items to a customer’s
purchase.
3 Customer Service - - Introduction by Manager Increase confidence of employees in
- - Greeting customers - - Video approaching customers, leading to
- - Engaging customers - - Quiz greater customer and employee
- - Personal shopping - - Printed summary with examples of appropriate satisfaction.
experience behavior
- - Sales floor etiquette
4 Operations - - Introduction by Manager Reduce loss prevention and increase
- - Inventory - - Video employee awareness by showing
management/stock - - Quiz employees how to effectively manage
room - - Printed summary of policies and procedures the inventory on the sales floor. Also
- - Loss prevention teach employees how to safely manage
an in store theft.
5 Register - - Introduction by Manager Employees will learn how to add on
- - Cash register - - Interactive walk-through by Manager on how additional items at the register,
operations to ring up a customer’s purchase increasing the company’s overall sales.
- - Wrapping of purchase- - Employee demonstration and test of retention Increases likelihood of reaching the
- - Customer engagement- - Feedback store’s KPIs.
at register - - Video on benefits of loyalty card and store
- - Loyalty Program credit card
- - Store Credit Card - - Quiz
- - Printed summary of the benefits of the loyalty
program and card, and tips on how to engage a
customer at the register
- - Questions and feedback
6 On the Job Training - - Shadow a manager to observe training on the Develop employee’s comfort level with
- - Role playing job selling techniques. This will help the
- - Employee role playing store meet its sales goal and achieve a
- - Employee demonstration of behavior on the high level of customer service.
sales floor with customers
- - Manager feedback and coaching
7 Benefits - - Video on benefits/future growth opportunities This will reduce anxiety and motivate
- - Discounts in the organization and the career path of a sales employees by showing them all the
- - Career Development associate (Management level, or corporate office benefits that working at AEO has to
- - Benefits (if positions). offer. Increased employee satisfaction
applicable) - - Printed summary of the benefits for sales will lead to increased customer
associates including discounts on merchandise satisfaction.
and important contact information.

9
The training will be administered in the respective retail store that the employee is employed. The training
will consist of modules that train on the various topics related to the job. The manager will introduce the
day’s assigned training topic and discuss the value of the particular module to the overall success of the
store. Each module will set a goal for the trainee to learn and retain that module’s subject and content.
The training environment will take place in the store. A computer or tablet will be set up in the stock
room in a well-lit area away from the distractions such as a break room or a location outside of the store if
appropriate. The learning will be reinforced with a quiz at the end of the module to test the employee’s
retention and motivate them to actively participate in the training video. The manager will follow up with
the employee to answer questions that were missed or further explain the material and give feedback. The
training may also be administered to multiple employees at the same time. The manager can coach a new
employee, while the other employee completes the video and assessment. Role playing activities can be
administered in small groups.

Number of Trainees
The training will consist of a minimum of one manager per employee. A manager may train multiple
employees at the same time as necessary. However, it is encouraged that the groups are limited to two to
three employees to ensure associates receive the appropriate level of training. During a regular shift,
Managers are expected to serve the role of a “Manager on Duty” and their sole responsibility is
overseeing the sales floor and monitoring the behaviors of their employees and customers. As a result,
while in this role, managers are highly discouraged from taking part in actual sales activity, including
checking out customers at the register, assisting customers, or participating in a sales associate role. In
order to ensure managers can continue to manage the sales floor, another manager will be assigned to
work at the same time for the sole purpose of training new employees so that the Manager on Duty can
focus on managing the sales floor. This will require the overlap of management coverage for the purpose
of training new employees. This is a cost that the organization will need to incur to ensure the proper
training of new employees and to avoid the negative consequences to the customer. This will eliminate
the constraint of managers having to pull time away from their managerial responsibilities on the sales
floor. The training manager will be able to focus on the new employee training, while the other manager
and employees assist customers on the sales floor.

Voluntary or Mandatory Training

The training is mandatory as part of the on-boarding process for all sales associates. The training modules
are a pre-requisite to becoming a sales associate.

Training Site
The training will be held at the store that the sales associate will be stationed. However, depending on the
manager’s schedule and coverage availability, it is possible for the training to occur at a store other than
the associate’s assigned store. This also allows employees to get to know the managers and employees at
other stores in the area and build relationships with the district. This will serve to be important during
district store competitions. The modules will be taken in the break room near the stock room of the store
or can be taken on a tablet in a location near the store if the store is located in a mall or location where the
employee can comfortably sit and focus on this one hour training.

10
 TRAINING OBJECTIVES

Training Objectives
Trainee Reaction Objectives Confident, positive, affinity toward brand and genuine desire to
provide a great shopping experience to customers.
Learning Objectives Proficiency in store operations and customer engagement and
demonstrates a high level of customer service. Brand loyalty.
Transfer of Training Objectives Sales Associates demonstrate a high level of customer service,
product knowledge, and independent judgement in attending to
customer needs.
Organizational Objectives An increase in sales, customer satisfaction, and loyalty.

Trainee Reaction Objectives

 Build confidence in the employee’s ability to sell the product/brand.
 Grow the employee’s affinity to the brand.
 Demonstrate the expectations for delivering great customer service.
 Build excitement to be a part of a growing and vibrant company.
 Encourage employees to not view this as only a part-time job but an opportunity to use this to
launch their future careers in sales or retail within the organization. Gain interest of employees to
want to remain with the company and strive to move into a higher level position.

Learning Objectives
 Employee will demonstrate a high level of confidence in the benefits and styles of merchandise
and communicate this successfully to customers.
 Employees demonstrate a high level of customer service, which includes customer engagement.
This involves being able to listen to a customer’s needs and make suggestions to meet these
needs.
 Proficiency with store operations and register training.
 Understanding of the benefits of loyalty program and credit card and successfully communicates
this to customers.
 Employees understand the impact they have on the store’s sales and their role within the
organization.
 Employees have loyalty toward the brand and commitment to the organization.

Transfer of Training Objectives

 Employees will successfully apply the skills learned through training modules and in-store on the
job training and management coaching.
 Employee will display confidence in engaging customers and will be able to independently assist
customers with a high level of service.
 Employees will provide customers with a personal shopping experience.
 Employees will be proficient in store operations and procedures.
 Knowledge of merchandise fit and styling.

Organizational Objectives
 Customer satisfaction and positive customer feedback.
 This training will lead to an increase in sales.
 This training will increase employee’s loyalty to the organization. This may groom future
executives of the company starting at the sales associate level.

11
 TRAINING METHOD

Training Methods Used

The objective is to motivate employees to want to learn and apply the training on-the-job. A combination
of methods will be used to execute the training modules. Numerous methods will be used to keep trainees
engaged and appeal to many learning styles such as visual versus verbal learners etc.

Lecture/Discussion
Each module will begin with the manager giving a brief
overview of the importance of the module and the learning
expectation. Managers in all stores will be provided with a
worksheet outlining the benefits and the value of the training,
linking the training to the objective. Managers will have gone
through this same training during their on-boarding upon hire.
As a result, they will be prepared and trained to transfer this
knowledge to the sales associate. The lecture style format also
allows the manager to build credibility with the sales associate
and creates an interactive lecture that is engaging for the
trainee and allows the opportunity for questions and two-way
communication. A video will also be shown in each step of the
module to illustrate the key objectives and reiterate the
introductory training given by the manager. The video will
provide factual information on the procedures, standards, and
expectations.

Demonstrations
Demonstrations will be provided in modules 5 and
6 which include register training. Demonstrations
allow for additional learning to occur through
rehearsing the behavior and the trainer will show
how the learned knowledge can be applied on-the-
job. Demonstrations will be used for register
training as this task is more complex and requires
a hands-on approach. Demonstration will allow
the trainee to practice the behavior and receive
feedback from the manager. Technical training is
also more easily learned in a hand- on
environment due to the complexity of the
technology.

Computer Based Training

Computer based training will be used in all of the module
trainings except for the on-the-job training. The purpose of the
computer based training is to provide the factual information
and the product features and benefits and the step by step
process to help the trainee organize the information in a concise
manner.

12
Simulation
Managers will role play and simulate different types of scenarios that an
associate may face. Employees will learn how to respond to different
types of customers and situations in a role playing scenario before
executing these behaviors on the sales floor. This is an opportunity for
managers to coach and give feedback on the employee’s performance.
The simulation training allows for employees to gain confidence in their
abilities and practice the appropriate behaviors without distractions or
complexities of the environment. Managers will slowly incorporate more
difficult scenarios to test and coach employees on how to meet the
performance objectives.

On-the-job training
On-the-job training allows sales associates to apply
the knowledge gained in the simulation and role
playing scenario to the actual job. Role playing
further develops the employee’s interpersonal skills.
Employees will shadow a manager and will interact
with customers and begin displaying the learned
behaviors. Managers will provide continuous
feedback to reinforce positive behaviors.

TRAINING DEVELOPMENT

Facilities
The training will take place in the store that the sales associate was hired for. However, some exceptions
may apply where the sales associate may initially be trained by a store manager in a different store. The
reason for this could be due to scheduling conflicts and/or to give the sales associate exposure to stores in
the district. The store layout includes the main sales floor, the stock room and break room area. The
training modules will be taken in the break room area where a computer will be set up in a well-lit area.
Traffic is relatively low in the stock/break room as the number of associates on break rarely overlap.
Employees are also encouraged to avoid being in the stock room pulling sizes in order to ensure
customers are being attended to on the sales floor. This is minimized by encouraging employees to fill
the sales floor with styles and sizes prior to the store opening. A portion of the training will be on the
sales floor in regard to register training, selling best practices and customer service role playing.

13
Trainer
The Store Manager will guide the training for all associates and will train employees during all role
playing and interactive portions of the training. Managers will be trained by a District Manager and/or
experienced Store Manager with their on-boarding, which will prepare them to train their future sales
associates.

Equipment
 A training software will be used that can be accessed online through the American Eagle
Outfitters portal. This will be accessible through the computer in the stock room of each store.
This software will showcase a video demonstration followed by an online quiz to assess the level
of knowledge retained from the video.

 A printed brochure summarizing each module’s lesson will be presented in addition to the video,
manager demonstrations, and role playing, to further reiterate the information being presented.
Selling tips and best practices will also be included in a 4x3 card to insert in every sales
associate’s lanyard as a quick reference on the sales floor.

14
In order to accommodate the different learning styles, this training will incorporate various teaching styles
and methods. The equipment and facilities used will help facilitate the transfer of knowledge and training
to all learning styles. The combination of videos to share factual information and more interactive
demonstrations with a Store Manager will enable employees to learn the information through various
outlets. Employees who need more time to process the information individually will benefit from the
handouts given during each module to facilitate learning.

TRAINING EVALUATION

How will the training intervention be evaluated?

 The training will be evaluated through role-playing and requesting volunteers to demonstrate the
behaviors learned in each training module. The scenario will be presented and facilitated by the
trainer. Sales Associates will be asked to practice the learned behaviors with another sales
associate or the Manager if only one associate is present. The trainer will then evaluate the
volunteers and critique what behaviors were aligned with the training and areas of improvement.
This will serve to reinforce the behaviors and engage the group in the transfer of knowledge.

Sample Scenarios:
Scenario 1: Demonstrate how to approach a customer that walks into the store.
Scenario 2: Demonstrate how to engage a customer that walks into the store.

Measuring Training Effectiveness

The effectiveness of the training will be measured by the following metrics.
 Customer Feedback/Satisfaction
 Sales Metrics: Conversion % (% of traffic in store that is converted to a sale), Average Dollar
Sale (ADS) made by customer, and % increase of sales to last year.
 % increase in American Eagle Outfitters loyalty programs and credit card applications.

Measuring Transfer of Knowledge

1. Reaction – reaction questionnaires will be taken at the end of each module training. The survey will
measure the relevance of the training, the trainee’s reaction to the facility and the trainer (See
Appendix 1).

2. Learning – learning will be measured by the results of quizzes distributed after each module and the
trainee’s ability to successfully demonstrate the learned material in role playing demonstrations.

3. Transfer – learning will be measured by the level of confidence and appropriate demonstration of
the trained behaviors by the sales associate on the sales floor. Employees will greet every customer
that enters the store, ask open ended questions, and suggest items to add to their purchase.

15
 4. Organizational – whether or not organizational objectives were met will be measured by the
following

 % increase in customer satisfaction

 % increase in employee satisfaction/turnover
 % increase in sales to last year
 Minimum $35 average dollar sale
 Greater than 20% conversation rate
APPENDIX 1

Sample Evaluation Survey Questions

1 – Strongly disagree
2 – Disagree
3 – Neither agree nor disagree
4 – Agree
5 – Strongly agree

Thank you for participating in this 2 minute survey to gather your feedback on the training you received
at American Eagle Outfitters. Please answer the following questions to assist us in improving future
trainings. This information is confidential and is being used only for the company’s training program
evaluation purposes. Please rate your level of agreement and satisfaction from 1 – 5 with 1 being
“strongly disagree” and 5 being “strongly agree”.

1. Did you find this training helpful in preparing you for your current or new role?

2. Would you recommend this training to a new American Eagle Outfitters employee?

3. Were you satisfied with the training location?

4. If you answered no, please describe what we can do to improve the training location.
____________________________________________________________________

5. How can we improve future trainings? _____________________________________

6. How satisfied were you with the trainer?

7. Was the trainer knowledgeable of the content being presented?

8. Could you clearly comprehend what the trainer was saying?

9. Was the presentation engaging?

10. Additional comments that you would like to share to help us improve our trainings.
____________________________________________________________________

16
 REFERENCES

AEO Profile | American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Stock - Yahoo! Finance. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2015,

from https://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=AEO

American Eagle Outfitters | Careers, Jobs, Internships, Recruiting | AEO Brands. (n.d.).

Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://www.liveyourlifeloveyourjob.com/aeo_brands.aspx

American Eagle Outfitters | Careers, Jobs, Internships, Recruiting | AEO Inc. Values. (n.d.).

Retrieved July 15, 2015, from

http://www.liveyourlifeloveyourjob.com/the_ae_inc_story_values.aspx

Blanchard, P. N. (2012). Training Design. In Effective Training: International Edition (p. 163). Pearson.

17