Managing retail staff is more complex than ever. Retailers must juggle hybrid work setups, multi-channel sales teams, and higher customer expectations. Add to that an average retail turnover of more than 70%, and it’s easy to see why workforce management is challenging for retailers.
You need to find a way to keep stores staffed, train new employees quickly, and control labor costs in an unpredictable market. Retail workforce management (WFM) systems aid in these processes. It can mean the difference between optimized retail operations that drive growth and costly inefficiencies that drain profits and burn out staff.
Ahead, learn about the best retail workforce management solutions and how to choose the right one for your business.
Table of contents
Best retail workforce management solutions
1. Shopify POS
Shopify POS is more than a workforce management tool—it's an all-in-one commerce operating system where point of sale (POS) and ecommerce naturally work together. Whether you're managing one store or hundreds, Shopify's Organizations feature lets you bring all your stores together under one umbrella, creating a single place to manage your entire retail operation.
The Shopify POS Pro plan offers powerful staff management features such as:
- Role-based access control: Create and assign roles based on job functions, ensuring consistent permissions across your organization
- Customizable staff permissions and roles: Lets managers control what each team member can do in the system.
- Unlimited POS-only staff accounts: Adds as many staff members as needed without extra costs.
- Sales attribution tracking: Shows which employee made each sale to recognize top performers and create targeted training programs.
- Location-specific staff management: Manage teams across different store locations while keeping records organized.
Shopify’s unique approach to unified commerce has been proven to save retailers the equivalent of 0.4 full-time employees per store location. The platform also offers a 22% better total cost of ownership than any of its competitors while creating operational efficiencies that enable up to an 8.9% uplift in gross merchandise value.
After switching from disconnected systems to Shopify POS, Starlight Knitting Society saved hours daily on inventory management and staff training. The POS was so intuitive that new seasonal staff could be trained within minutes, helping to deliver exceptional customer service.
Owner Melissa Nelson said: “My team now has time to beautify the shop, make samples, and personal shop for folks via email or phone. They told me that the time that switching to Shopify freed up for them felt like they were getting a bonus.”
2. Easyteam
Easyteam adds specialized workforce features to Shopify POS, focusing on three core areas: time tracking, scheduling, and performance metrics. It’s best suited for Shopify merchants who need more advanced staff management tools but want to avoid the complexity of a separate system.
The platform works directly within Shopify, meaning your team won’t need to learn a new system. Staff can clock in directly through the Shopify POS interface they already know and love, create automatic timesheets, and track commission.
Features include:
- Native Shopify POS integration
- Location-verified attendance tracking
- Commission tracking
- Direct clock-in through the Shopify POS interface
- Payroll integration
3. When I Work
When I Work is a mobile scheduling platform that puts self-service tools in your staff’s hands. It works well for multi-location retailers who need flexible scheduling and strong mobile capabilities.
When I Work offers complex scheduling. If a worker requests time off or wants to swap schedules, for example, it automatically checks for conflicts and makes sure there’s coverage. Your employees enjoy flexibility while the standard of service remains great.
Features include:
- Mobile app to schedule retail staff on the go
- Self-service shift claiming
- Automated conflict checking for shift swaps
- GPS-verified clock-ins
- Built-in team messaging system
4. Deputy
Deputy stands out for its AI-driven approach to staff scheduling. By analyzing sales patterns and customer traffic, the retail workforce management tool helps match staffing levels to actual demand.
Clock-ins happen through phones, using facial recognition and GPS verification. This helps prevent time theft and makes payroll processing easier. And when overtime limits approach or break requirements kick in, Deputy sends automatic alerts.
Features include:
- AI-driven scheduling based on sales patterns
- Facial recognition clock-in
- Automatic overtime and break alerts
- Built-in news feed for team communications
- Advanced compliance tools for labor laws
5. Rallyware
Rallyware focuses on staff development through AI-powered training. The platform studies how each employee performs and then creates personal learning paths. It gamifies learning, with contests and leaderboards keeping teams engaged. But you might find some overlap if you already use Shopify POS’s training tools.
This platform is great in complex retail environments like electronics stores where product knowledge makes or breaks a sale. For commission-based teams selling sophisticated products, Rallyware’s depth makes sense. But consider your current setup first. If your POS already handles basic training and performance tracking, adding Rallyware might be more than you need.
Features include:
- AI-powered personalized training paths
- Mobile product information access
- Gamified learning system
- Training impact measurement on sales
- Targeted team communications with tracking
How to choose the best retail workforce management software
Integration
Most retailers already use several business tools: ecommerce platforms, order management systems, inventory management apps, loyalty program integrations, and the list goes on. Your workforce management system must work with all of these programs.
Before choosing a retail workforce management system, map out your integration needs:
- Which systems must share data?
- How often does data need to sync?
- What happens if one system goes offline?
Traditional retail operations meant patchy integrations and APIs to stitch these individual systems together. But it’s a costly approach that limits innovation. Shopify’s VP of engineering, Patrick Joyce, calls it fragmentation tax “that impacts not just the IT budget, but the entire organization's ability to compete effectively in modern retail.”
It’s much easier to integrate new technologies when your business runs on a core operating system. Shopify, for example, natively unifies your business’ infrastructure without patchy middleware or APIs. Everything operates from the same platform—an approach that a 2024 report from independent consulting firm, EY, found:
- Reduces implementation and integration costs by 11%
- Reduces third-party costs by 89%
- Reduces middleware expenses by 27%
Babylist, an online baby registry company, faced the challenge of opening its first physical store and needed a POS system that would integrate with its existing online operations. Shopify POS proved very intuitive for training new employees, with store management reporting that getting team members up and running on the POS required “minimal lift.”
Scalability
Your workforce will grow with your business. Whether you’re expanding your existing space or opening another store, check that your shortlisted workforce management systems let you manage a growing team. That includes features like:
- Managing multiple locations
- Adding commission structures
- Supporting hybrid work models
- Handling seasonal staff increases
- Expanding into new markets
Cloud-based systems often handle growth better than installed software. They work well for businesses with seasonal peaks or frequent changes, as you can add features, users, and locations without major disruption.
User experience
User experience significantly impacts user adoption. If store managers find it difficult to schedule rotas or staff struggle to request shift swaps, you’ll default back to your current processes—all while paying for the new system.
The issue is that it’s difficult to judge a platform’s user experience before you begin using it. Here’s how to combat that:
- Observe your current team’s habits. Do they prefer phones over computers? Do they need quick access to schedules between customer interactions? Choose software that fits these real habits.
- Consider ease of use. Many workers cite the lack of flexibility as theirtop reason for leaving. Your workforce management tool should offer flexibility with features like self-service scheduling and shift swapping.
- Test the mobile app thoroughly. Most retail workers rely on their phones for work tasks. Basic features like checking schedules should be simple. More complex functions like swapping shifts or getting manager approval should work smoothly on both phones and computers.
- Look at reviews from other retailers. They often point out practical issues that sales demos miss. Check how quickly the vendor fixes reported problems—it shows their commitment to improvement.
Compliance and security
All retailers are required to protect their employees and comply with labor laws. Since it’s difficult to keep track of frequently changing laws, especially if you operate in multiple locations, look for a retail workforce management system with features such as advanced warnings about potential violations.
You’re also responsible for protecting any data stored about your staff. Basic security features should include:
- Password rules that follow current safety standards
- Different access levels for managers and staff
- Data encryption for sensitive information
- Regular security updates
Ask vendors about the compliance track record of their workforce management systems. How quickly do they update their system when laws change? What security certifications do they have? Their answers will tell you how seriously they take these issues.
Reporting and analytics
Retail stores run better when managers make strategic decisions based on data, as opposed to gut instinct. This doesn’t just apply to which products you should stock or which promotions are more effective at luring customers in.
Check that your workforce management system lets you view insights like:
- Peak and slowest shopping days, so you can match schedules with customer demand
- Sales per employee, so you can identify staff that may need additional training
- Labor spend, so you can judge whether you’re under- or overspending on staffing costs
Total cost of ownership
Before committing to a new retail workforce management tool, ask shortlisted vendors for any extra costs upfront. Get specific about what’s included in the base price and what constitutes an additional fee. That might include:
- Implementation and training fees
- Extra charges for advanced features
- Per-user or per-store fees
- Support costs
- Data migration expenses
Also consider potential savings during your comparison. If the system reduces overtime or scheduling errors, it might pay for itself quickly. Shopify’s unique ability to unify order, inventory, and customer data from multiple sales channels has been proven to reduce total cost of ownership by 22%.
Manage staff easier with Shopify
Choosing the right workforce management system impacts every aspect of your retail business.Research shows that retailers with top-quartile employee experience are twice as likely to achieve top-quartile customer experience. Moreover, satisfied employees tend to stay longer and make fewer errors, creating a positive cycle of improved performance.
While many solutions offer specialized features, Shopify POS provides a solid foundation that grows with your business. The system’s core strengths match what most retailers need:
- One system for sales, inventory, and staff management
- Built-in security and role-based access
- Performance tracking that links directly to sales data
- Flexible integration with specialized tools when needed
Whether you run one store or many, Shopify’s POS and workforce management tools help you spend less time on administration and more time growing your business.
Retail workforce management FAQ
What is workforce management in retail?
Workforce management systems help retailers manage staff effectively. This includes scheduling, time tracking, and performance monitoring. Modern retail WFM systems automate these tasks while helping maintain the right staffing levels for customer demand.
What are the four key pieces of WFM?
- Scheduling and time tracking
- Performance monitoring
- Training and development
- Compliance management
What is the difference between HR and workforce management?
HR handles long-term employee matters like hiring and policies. Workforce management focuses on daily operations: scheduling, time tracking, and making sure stores have enough staff to serve customers efficiently.
What are the basics of workforce management?
- Creating staff schedules
- Tracking attendance
- Managing labor costs
- Training staff
- Following labor laws
- Measuring staff performance
