Retail is Detail — Balancing Done with Perfect

Retail stores are a fast-paced, ever-changing environment. Most brands work to project a common brand image and familiarity across all of the locations. This creates predictability and comfort for customers. It is important. However, I believe most customers will also point to the differences they often see between brands and experiences. I believe they will also say they ultimately want what they came for or an experienced employee to help guide them to the solution they need. These two components have to work hand in hand – a consistent-looking experience and a productive, meaningful, engaged connection with the people in each location.

We covered components of that in the first article while defining the foundation of what an Agile mindset can look like in a retail environment. I think it can feel like this way of thinking is not meant for the store or field level. Using an Agile methodology is not just for big projects or headquarters set of principles, it can be applied at all levels and maybe even more so at the store or district level. 

If conceptually Agile is meant to introduce nibble-thinking where there are still many unknowns, then it absolutely should apply to a store or district level. To fully embrace the concept, you have to remove perceived boundaries or examples that may have come from other industries or even the general origins of the Agile workflow. At its core, it is about identifying potential opportunities (backlogs) and quickly trying ideas to solve those. The flow becomes – try, learn, iterate, improve, implement, repeat on the next backlog item.

This thought process lends itself to small adjustments that a store or district leader can make in their everyday business. These minor changes can be more important and impactful than taking big swings that take more time and effort than most local locations will have the resources for. In taking this smaller approach, you can move quickly to learn, then take those learnings and apply them to the next iteration. See where the improvements come from, or not, make the adjustments, and then implement. Repeat in other areas that make the most sense.

Here are some examples of what Agile thinking might mean at a localized level driven by a district or store leader.

Test new training ideas

Most retailers have a defined training curriculum that they use to provide a consistent approach to knowledge sharing. This is usually excellent for foundational knowledge, but doesn’t always address the immediate needs for specific areas a store may need to improve or for products/services where a training program has not yet been developed. This is a great opportunity for the local leader to define the quick knowledge needs and generate a tool to share with employees to see how it impacts their ability to provide that information to customers. 

It doesn’t need to be fancy. The leader can learn what they need about the situation, and even if the sharing is in small huddles or one-on-one conversations, training can occur without much additional structure. But it is an action that can be put into place, basic measurements can occur, changes made to improve (if needed), and then shared with others. It seems very basic, but again the Agile thought process does not have to be complex to deliver results.

Try a new merchandising element

Some flexibility in product placement likely exists for any retailer. While structure will exist in having monthly or quarterly planners for key outpost locations like end caps, side panels, or floor stack, there is usually some discretion available to local teams. These are excellent ways to try new ideas for moving additional product or gaining more exposure for items your customers may be looking for. (Note: coming from someone in operations, this doesn’t mean turn your entire store upside down and move everything around. It means work within your structure to utilize the flexibility that inevitably exists. It also means collecting data to support your statements with facts and not supposition.) Making a minor merchandising adjustment can yield quick, productive results. You can measure the outcomes, make adjustments as needed, and build on that to have an impact on your business.

Scheduling changes

I realize scheduling can be a dicey subject for many. Scheduling is emotional, but it is usually the most important, controllable element a store has in ensuring they are serving their customers effectively and complete the work necessary that goes with any retail location. The phrase, ‘schedule for the needs of the business’ has likely been uttered by so many retail leaders that it cannot be counted; however, the examples of improvement opportunities are equally countless. Scheduling is an imperfect science. Trying to get it exactly right is a fool’s errand. However, there are plenty of opportunities and options to make improvements on a small scale.

This is an area that lends itself very well to an agile mindset. There are data points that many retailers have that can be used for improved scheduling to enhance service levels or store productivity. Use what you have available – even if it is as simple as observation, making small adjustments in your scheduling can yield big results. Define the specific actions you want to take, put that plan in motion for a week or two, measure the results, then make any adjustments. It could be as simple as having someone come in fifteen minutes earlier to catch a morning or afternoon rush. That one change could free up productivity or improve service levels to a point you never thought possible. It is a matter of trying and adjusting from there. It doesn’t cost any more, it doesn’t have to be completely disruptive to your team, but it can help everyone in the long run.

Rethink a process

I am sure there are numerous examples of something that you do on a routine basis that always seems to have a little friction attached to it. What could smooth that out? Is there a small step or set of steps you could begin to experiment with that could lead to dramatically improved outcomes? As with the examples above, it doesn’t have to be a big swing in a process to make the changes necessary to improve the productivity of the process or your team. 

Retail is detail, and the details can mean a lot. It is not always about staying strictly within the lines. Small, minor, iterative adjustments can come in many forms. These are foundational elements behind the Agile mindset. Understanding the impact becomes critical in being able to use data to demonstrate your success and make adjustments. In the next article, we’ll look at how making these adjustments requires having data points to analyze for the outcomes. Using that data ensures you can effectively make quicker decisions and better understand the progress you are making. 

Hopefully, you can begin to see the options and opportunities that can be found at levels well below the centralized headquarters for any business. Agile truly is less about a set of steps and more about a mindset that allows you to try, learn, iterate, improve, and repeat. The details within those steps are the ones that have the ability to transform (over time) any retail location.

What first steps can you take to utilize Agile thinking in your location?

Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!

No spam ever – just leadership goodness.