What is Retail Scheduling Software?

Retail Scheduling Software is a combination of algorithms, computer code, database structures, and User Interface (UI) forms that allow Retail companies to automate various workflows used in their business operations to stay competitive.

No single software manufacturer can seriously claim the availability of a system that covers all potential variations well enough to be a single provider to a retail establishment. The best providers specialize in a specific segment within the Retail Scheduling Software category and integrate the best practices for easy integration with software products selected by the customers. Here are just some examples of special sub-classes of the Retail Scheduling Software:

• Retail Labor/Employee/Shift Scheduling
• Physical Inventory Scheduling
• Merchandising planning software
• Store Delivery Scheduling
• Retail Marketing Scheduling software
• Event Planning Software
• Store Sampling Management Software

And many other tools are designed precisely for optimizing these particular sets of functions to produce the best result. 

While some “umbrella” software manufacturers will use big marketing budgets to convince you that they have “everything” you need for your business, they will leave some internal user communities underserved and forced to bridge their needs with the old, tired Excel spreadsheets. 

A good example of specialized retail management software is Demo Wizard – ​In Store Demo Event Management Software, which helps retailers increase traffic and sales by leveraging demos of products.

In-store sampling is a time-honored marketing technique in which potential customers are given small product samples to try before they buy. This can be an effective way to generate interest and create a favorable impression of the product. It is also known to increase sales per square foot significantly. However, it is important to consider the costs and benefits of in-store sampling before deciding to use it as a marketing tool. 

There are several costs associated with in-store sampling. First, there is the cost of the samples themselves. If you are giving away free samples, you are essentially giving away money. Second, there is the cost of staffing the sampling event. This includes the cost of paying employees to staff the event and the opportunity cost of their time ( they could be doing other things). Finally, there is the cost of lost sales. Customers who take a free sample may be less likely to buy the product. This is especially true if they are already familiar with the product.

In-store sampling can also have some very valuable benefits. First, it can generate interest in the product. Sampling can also be used to build brand awareness or to introduce a new product to the market. Store sampling can create a favorable impression of the product. When customers like a product, they are more likely to buy it.

Costco understood the power of store sampling almost four decades ago, propelling their US retail sales to third place behind Walmart and Amazon. Considering that Costco only has 561 stores in the US vs. Walmart’s 5,326, and Amazon’s lion’s share of sales comes via eCommerce, you have to wonder what drives their sales. Shoppers come to their stores for free food, leaving them with more purchases than planned. But wait, there is more … the product vendors fund all this growth, and all Costco has to do is schedule and coordinate these store sampling events.

So, why take advantage of demo scheduling software to increase monthly Traffic per store and Sales per customer transaction without raising your headcount? This can be your secret weapon for delivering the ultimate retail customer experience, growing store traffic, and increasing Sales per customer transaction.

Retailing is not an easy or simple business. There are many reasons for people to specialize in managing complexities. Specialized Retail Scheduling Software is much more effective and often much less expensive than the big “umbrella” providers. Since most modern software is delivered via the cloud, proliferation API, Webhooks, and such make integrating well-focused business flows provided by multiple specialized software vendors is very inexpensive.