In ancient times, the use of soldiers was often based on loyalty rather than capability. Was the inventory sufficient? What were the gifts? Who were the staff? These were the war preparations of the store manager.
Belieye (Jiangsu) Co.,LTD , https://www.belieyeglasses.com
As the saying goes, “If you are forewarned, you are forearmed.†If you have the authority to prepare, you can avoid many problems. In daily management, the store manager must ensure that the supply of goods, personnel, and promotional materials is in place, so as not to become a bottleneck that hinders sales performance. This is especially critical during major holidays.
With the development of chain enterprises, there are now more stores in the same city, even across multiple cities. However, current chain companies lack proper design in procurement management, particularly in safety stock standards and technologies. As a result, stockouts during sales have become increasingly common, leading to failed transactions and growing customer dissatisfaction.
A joint study by Roland Berger and the China Chain Association found that out-of-stocks have become an invisible threat to the image of chain stores. Sales losses due to stockouts exceed 15%, and customer return rates have reached 37%. The loss of customers is even harder to quantify. Therefore, we believe that the key elements of combat readiness include: the store manager should act as a source monitor, providing real-time information to assist the purchasing department in making accurate orders.
Secondly, the role of promotional items in chain store sales has grown significantly. However, the distribution of these items is often biased toward flagship stores. Promotional materials available for surrounding community stores are usually delayed or insufficient. Similarly, factory-provided promotions tend to favor strong stores, leaving weaker ones with fewer resources. In such cases, the store manager must carefully manage the allocation of gifts and incentives. Dealing with underperforming stores is far more challenging than managing strong ones. If promotional resources are limited, the business performance of the store will inevitably suffer.
Thirdly, when reviewing combat readiness, the store manager must also consider the issue of “lack of people.†With the rapid expansion of chain stores, the number of factory promoters has increased dramatically. However, the establishment of these promoters is often limited. If they don’t meet sales targets, they may be replaced or reassigned. Sometimes, temporary promoters are hired only to be used elsewhere later.
Another challenge is that if a store’s customer traffic is low, even the most capable promoters may leave. When there aren’t enough customers, the transaction rate is high, but sales volume remains low, and commissions are minimal. This leads to an unstable promoter team. Many chain stores appear well-staffed at opening, but after some time, the number of promoters dwindles, resulting in a large number of empty shelves. As a result, store managers spend a lot of energy just trying to find people. Currently, no effective solutions exist for this issue across most chain enterprises, and few have the courage to fully utilize their internal teams. However, as a store manager, one cannot sit idle. From my experience, the best approach is to “win people over with emotions.†By building personal relationships with factory promoters, creating a supportive atmosphere, and using encouragement and motivation, it's possible to lift the team’s morale and improve overall performance.