StoreForce

StoreForce is the eponymous retail operations software solution from the company headquartered in Toronto, that helps users drive sales, optimize the workforce, execute strategies and support a highly engaged workforce. Beyond providing visibility into store performance, the solution can be used to optimize labor spend, get maximum business out of peak retail hours, execute retail strategies accurately across stores, streamline retail operations, and increase employee retention.

The vendor presents StoreForce as a solution for complete visibility to stores’ performance through a single source of truth and navigate it real time towards profitability. At aims to achieve this through combining four focus areas.

Retail Workforce Management

• Labor Banding - To meet retail KPI goals by managing, forecasting and measuring daily, weekly and monthly targets; assess historical labor spend and apply insights to plan future periods; identify stores that could benefit from more hours as well as over-funded stores that can be used to support them.
• Automated Scheduling - To cover peak hours effectively by scheduling the best associates at these times; automate the process with the best schedule every time to keep your managers on the floor; empower employees to be scheduled in multiple stores and pick up and additional shifts.
• Time and Attendance - Have visibility to track compliance across all stores; automatically resolve exceptions based on rules; manage balances for multiple leave banks within the application.

KPI Performance Management

• Dashboards - Link metrics to behaviors. Analyze the KPIs for the most recent half hour and provide coaching suggestions. Build retail business acumen within store leadership teams by teaching retail math and showing how the levers they pull impact results. Drill down on any KPI from the dashboard. View KPI performance details by regions, districts, stores, or individual associates.
• Performance Statistics - Allow visibility to performance over time and trends, and capture feedback in the application. Analyze trends over quarters or seasons to Identify opportunities by day of week and time of day; compare and contrast different time periods to identify opportunities month to month or year over year.
• Target Management - The foundation level of the solution, Target Management uses advanced methodologies to create actionable targets across all metrics and all time periods. Used to create achievable targets for future weeks using historical data plus user-defined modeling criteria. Pick a focus KPIs to drive engagement and behaviors, and let the system create the supporting targets using a balanced approach.

Retail Execution

• Communication - Create rich documents with embedded links, photos, and videos. Curate communication and send information to only those who need it. Organize communication using folders and subfolders to organize content.
• Discussion Boards - Engage employees by sharing ideas, direction, or feedback in real time. Send and receive feedback using polls, sharing photos, and celebrating one another. Tailor the discussion to the audience and leverage content from the communication tool to enrich the experience.
• Task Management - Create tasks using workflows that get the information to the right people at the right time. Embed all the supporting material required to get the job done in the task. Give the end user the opportunity to provide feedback on the task and report on the results.
• Store Visits - Create the ideal store visit by pulling together store performance, schedule data, and audit checklists into a single tailored store visit. Schedule visits and track progress from the store visit dashboard. Create action plans and track completion inside the store visit so important details aren’t missed.
• Surveys - Collect feedback from stores and field leaders. Use surveys to quickly gather tactical information or understand more complex issues. Engage with each employee through employee surveys available in employee self-serve .

Retail Employee Engagement

• Time-off Requests - Submit time-off requests in the app. Get notified on request approval or denial. View schedules and timecards directly in the app
• Gamified Sales Competition - Create excitement and motivation among employees to increase sales focus and results. Create a sense of connection and performance transparency through friendly competition. Help employees understand how they are contributing to a bigger picture.
• Shift Exchange - Allow associates and managers to post unassigned shifts. Allow employees to pick up additional shift or trade shifts. Allow employees to work at multiple stores.
• Discussion Boards - Engage employees by sharing ideas, direction, or feedback in real time. Increase recognition and celebrate success across all the levels of organization. Give employees a voice to express their views by running employee surveys and ‘Pulse Polls’ in real-time.

StoreForce currently boasts installations in over 50 countries, and they state they currently partner with world-renowned retailers such as Vans, Crate & Barrel, Tory Burch, Build-A-Bear Workshops, Fabletics, ASICS, Journeys, Kate Spade, TNF, Lids, LUSH, Soft Surroundings, and others.