13 Tips for Managing A Retail Store Operations

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13 Tips for Managing A Retail Store Operations 

 

Your retail store should attract new customers – and entice regular customers to keep coming back. After all, customers are the lifeblood of any retail business so your retail operations need to be as smooth as possible.

Follow these tips listed below to manage your retail operations, attract new customers, gain repeat business, control inventory, and keep your staff motivated, and you will be sure to increase your store sales and profits.

 

1. GET TO KNOW YOUR STAFF

If you’re an effective listener, you’re also probably getting to know your staff both on a professional and a personal level. Retail environments can be tough — long hours, weekend shifts, bright lights, dealing with customers, etc. — you want to show your employees you’re right there with them.

Praise staff for their wins, and provide constructive criticism when they miss the mark. Remember to match praise to the effort, and distribute it across your entire team.

 

2. BUILD A GREAT TEAM

Every leader is only as good as the team they have behind them. It’s no different when it comes to managing a retail store. If your store runs as good or better when you are not there then you’ve done your job.

It begins with hiring the right staff. And while relevant job experience is important, don’t forget to consider candidates’ soft skills and personality traits. One survey found that 95% of employers believe that culture fit is important when hiring staff.

The key is not to rush. Don’t wait until your back is against the wall, and get a head start on seasonal hiring. “Take your time with hiring and involve your team in the interview process.

The onboarding process is important too — and training shouldn’t stop, he says. Document processes and provide training in different mediums so you can cater to multiple learning styles.

 

Managing A Retail Outlet For Maximum Results Workshop

 

 

3. BE A GOOD LEADER

Holding a leadership role and actually being a leader are two different things — the best managers do both. The biggest mistake retail managers make is when they forget to be leaders

Here are a few ways to be an effective leader:

  • LEAD BY EXAMPLE – Show your staff that you’re not above any task. Your employees will likely strive to match the effort and quality of your work.
  • BE DECISIVE AND DISPLAY CONFIDENCE – Especially during times of conflict. (Note that this doesn’t mean impulsive, it’s still important to rationally think through conflicts.)
  • KEEP CALM – If you’re stressed, your team will stress.
  • BE TRANSPARENT – This will enable your employees to respect and trust you more easily. Leadership is about purposeful engagement. Focus on making sure your crew knows what’s going on and why.

 

4.PROMOTE OPEN COMMUNICATION

Part of being a great leader is facilitating a safe environment with two-way communication. More important than speaking is listening.

You also want to establish an open line of communication with your superiors. Give them important updates, share your team’s wins, and bring new ideas to the table.

 

5. ADOPT A DATA-DRIVEN MENTALITY

As a retail store manager, a data-driven mentality spans across all areas of the business: employee productivity, in-store sales, shrink, etc. Create a KPI checklist for your store, and then establish goals against which you can measure progress. Two figures to pay special attention to: time and money.

 

6. GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS & PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

Much like you want to understand the people you’re managing; you also want to get to know the people you and your team are selling to. “Understand who your buyers are and then look for all opportunities to connect with them in your community, whether it’s through social media, a civic organization, or your kid’s soccer game,” says Hawkins.

Building authentic relationships with customers can help you not only understand them on a personal level, but also their pain points and which products would absolve those pain points.

This is extremely important in retail operations: always attend to every customer’s needs and give them amazing customer service. Increasing your customer satisfaction even by a little bit can result in loyal customers that keep buying from you constantly.

Train your employees to be alert at all times and to be sensitive to your customer’s problems. If they make a mistake, pay attention and address the issue so they don’t repeat it. This means that you need to deal with them as they arise and not simply sweep them under the rug. Being a nice person is great asset, but don’t let others take advantage of your kindness.

However, it’s easy to get bogged down with the management side of being a retail store manager, but it’s important to also wear your sales associate hat. Retail store managers who avoid direct sales and customer interaction by focusing on other tasks and simply try to direct their employees to do sell are making a critical error.

 

Wow Service, Experience & Loyalty Workshop

 

 

7. KEEP YOUR STAFF UP-TO-DATE

Make sure that your staff has good product knowledge. Train them on new products regularly so they stay up-to-date. Train them on other skills as well – Sales Skills, Customer Service Skills, Inventory Management Skills, Merchandising Skills and more.

 

8. KEEP YOUR STAFF MOTIVATED

Establishing and tracking progress against goals is one way to keep employees motivated and engaged. But there are other tactics you can take: Manage your team and individual meetings for goal setting and accountability. A simple 20-minute conversation with your staff each week can dramatically improve your retail operations. Also consider using other concerns like feedback, problem-solving, scheduling perks and mentorship.

Reward them with sales incentives to keep them happy and motivated. For example, you can run sales contests for achieving 75% of quota within the first 15 days of the month – the winner gets a gift card.

 

9. KEEP THE STORE INTEREST ALIVE

Implement a customer loyalty program. During new product or service launches, make sure enough people know about it to keep both your regular and prospective customers interested.

 

10. CATCH YOUR CUSTOMER’S EYE

Display your products in such a way that customers will locate them easily. Stock them in a logical manner (by section) so that products are easy to see. Also, make sure that the packaging and boxes are cleaned regularly. Your retail store should always be neat and tidy. Nothing turns customers off quicker than dirt and clutter.

Have your employees dress appropriately and have their name tags displayed clearly. This way, your customers can identify your retail operations team quickly. Also, form a bond with customers by asking questions about what they are looking for.

 

Retail Sales Skills for Effective Results Workshop 

 

 

11. SELL OFF SLOW-MOVING STOCK

Give a special discount on slow moving items, or pair them with fast moving products to clear out old inventory. Getting less for a slow-moving product is better than getting nothing at all, which could happen if the item becomes too old or goes past its expiration date. This can also help you improve your gross margin.

Running a retail store can get hairy at times. If you stay organized and follow these handy management tips, you will keep smiling to the bank and your bottom line will thank you.

 

12. MAINTAIN OPERATIONAL ORGANIZATION

While you may not be on the retail ops team, you do play a very important role in the process. Especially for retailers with multiple store locations, it can be challenging for the off-site corporate team to have their finger on the pulse. As a store manager, you can help them feel more informed.

Every retail store manager should make sure their inventory count is managed well and up-to-date at all times. Use your POS system to determine what’s in stock, how much, and how quickly it’s selling — and when you need to reorder.

 

13. BE PROACTIVE WITH COMPLIANCE

Ensuring your store is compliant — both with internal and external standards — is one of your biggest responsibilities as a manager. And while it’s often thankless, behind-the-scenes work, it’s absolutely critical to the business’s overall health. Non-compliance can lead to major challenges or, worse, shutting down the company.

Ensure all merchandising is up-to-date and in accordance with store policies and that the store is clean at all times. All employees should practice storewide protocols.

Conduct regular retail audits, both scheduled at regular intervals and sporadically. Inspecting what you expect can go a long way in ensuring compliance. Perform a random audit for a particular department every so often.

 

All The Success!

 

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