Department store Myer will employ 3,000 extra staff over the key Christmas trading period to provide a higher level of service in a bid to drive sales.
Myer wants digitally-savvy sales assistants on the floor, iPad in hand, ready to help customers find what they want, and if necessary, order it on the spot and get delivery under way.
Myer chief executive Richard Umbers wants sales staff to sell products in an exciting and engaging way, using technology to add a new sparkle.
"This will come to life this year with our `giftorium' - I'm calling it Mark II - because it's bigger, better and more engaging than ever before," Mr Umbers said in an address to the Trans-Tasman Business Circle on Friday.
"As I speak, Myer stores across the country are setting up our unique giftorium concept, complete with highly-trained and digitally enabled `gifticians' who will find solutions for overwhelmingly-time-poor Christmas shoppers.
"We're hiring and training 3,000 people peak-season traders to be on the shop floor over Christmas to support a new level of customer service, particularly in our premium and flagship stores but also to support the giftorium concept."
Mr Umbers, who was appointed to the top job at Myer in March, is tasked with boosting disappointing sales and turning around the retailer's sagging profits through a five-year investment plan focused on female shoppers, high-profile brands and a much higher level of service.
After his address, Mr Umbers declined to comment on Myer's trading results during the first quarter of the current financial year when asked by reporters.
But he said Myer's brand overhaul and rollout of new brands was generating great feedback from both customers and staff.
Myer had also started investing more in training its staff so they could lift service levels.
He said the investment in an extra 3,000 staff over Christmas, when shoppers are looking for extra service while selecting gifts, was designed to show customers that Myer was committed to change and improvement.
Mr Umbers said he did not know yet if the recent shock move by banking giant Westpac to lift its mortgage rate would affect retail sales because it was still unclear whether the other big banks would follow suit.
He said the impact on consumers also depended on what the Reserve Bank of Australia would do in relation to interest rates.
"But even with those changes, in an environment of positive consumer sentiment, and in the run-up to Christmas which is typically a time when people do feel able to spend, I'm quite optimistic that we're in for a good Christmas," Mr Umbers said.
Myer booked a net profit excluding significant items in 2014/15 of $77.5 million - down 23 per cent on the prior year.
