Unlocking Efficiency and Growth with Retail Execution Software

Management
General
Published on:
January 21, 2025
Read Time:
9
min

There’s a lot of talk around retail execution, the winning or losing factor for getting your products on the store shelves and into the stores’ customers’ hands. 

In this guide, we’re diving right into it.

We’ve put together a list of the best retail execution software to improve your store operations and avoid expensive mistakes first. Next, we’ll examine what you should look for when purchasing software that is tailored to your special requirements.  

Why does this matter? The best products and campaigns still fail if not executed well. Retail execution impacts everything from having shelves stocked to making sure planogram compliance, all of which has a direct effect on sales, customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, and ultimately the success of your retail account. 

An Oracle study found that 47% of shoppers rank "out of stocks" as their biggest frustration—and here’s the kicker: Those shoppers won’t wait for a restock: 63%. They’ll find an alternative.  

However, wait if you’re ready to take charge of your retail execution. Actionable advice, real solutions, no fluff. 

Let’s get started!

Sign up to get expert articles, guides, tips, and inspiration straight to your inbox.
You're in! Look out for our emails in your inbox.
Oh no! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Our Top Picks
#1
Xenia
The Workforce Operations Platform for Frontline Teams
#2
#3
Rated 4.9/5 stars on Capterra
Pricing:
Supported Platforms:
Priced on per user or per location basis
Available on iOS, Android and Web
Pricing:
Priced on per user or per location basis
Supported Platforms:
Available on iOS, Android and Web
Download Xenia app on

5 Best, Free, And Mobile Retail Execution Software in 2025

1. Xenia

Xenia is the leading software for retail execution to those teams that want to simplify, optimize, and scale with the same quality and efficiency. Xenia is designed to be flexible and to work well in real time for headquarters and frontline employees.

It allows businesses to run retail audits, streamline process flows, and improve visibility across entire networks of stores, whether they are a single shop, or across the world.

Xenia lets retail teams know that something’s not quite right with a customer experience, while also helping reduce inefficiencies and simply achieve operational excellence, all from the palm of their hand.

2. YOOBIC

Built for the frontline, YOOBIC is an all in one digital workplace that powers frontline teams with task management, communication, and training.

3. Repsly

Repsly offers a field service management solution that streamlines operations for organizations with mobile workforces, focusing on retail execution.

4. Pepperi

For retail audits, execution, and order placement, Pepperi offers a unifying platform with user-friendly approach to avoid stock outages and optimize the use of assets.

5. Movista

Movista is a comprehensive workforce management software designed to enhance operational efficiency and streamline workforce coordination for retail organizations.

Also read: 27 Best Free, Paid, and AI Powered Retail Execution Software

What Is Retail Execution?

A retail store has a lot going on behind the scenes. Keeping shelves fully stocked all day, every day, across hundreds or thousands of locations is an incredible achievement in and of itself for retailers and the organizations who sell and/or service products inside their shops. This is only a small portion of what is expected from modern retail teams.   

Product prices must align with current advertising methods. Displays and shelves must be organized in accordance with detailed planogram guidelines. 

For grocers for example, fresh food must be sold and restocked within certain time frames. Precise tracking of sales and inventory levels is essential for accounting for shrinkage and other losses (as well as for analyzing customer behavior and making bigger strategic choices about variety and selection).  

Retail execution, retail activity optimization, or retail execution and monitoring are all phrases used to describe the complex juggling act that is taking place in-store.  

Not long ago, teams could get away with labor-intensive, manually-intensive execution procedures in retail. However, it became critical for in-store workers to have access to more structured, automated, and efficient tools and procedures as shops expanded in size and scope and new technology sped up retail. 

Why is Retail Execution Management Important?

Convenience shopping has been the norm for customers these days. You risk losing a sale only because your prices are somewhat different from your competitors. 

Similarly, losing money could happen from out-of-stocking a highly desirable product or having it placed in the incorrect aisle.

Strategic inventory, warehousing, and display practices are hallmarks of retail execution management. This can include everything from the obvious, like where your items are physically located, to the more nuanced, such as the way your promotional materials are executed, the presence of stock-keeping units (SKUs), the stock levels of certain products, etc.

Your field teams are essential in this context because they carry out your strategy and report back important details on compliance and the overall success of your retail execution plan.

Whose Job is Retail Execution Management?

Every company is different in terms of size and structure, but generally speaking, we oversee the implementation of our retail strategies via our:

Brand Managers: With the use of retail execution tools, the brand manager is able to monitor success, get insights, and advance the plan by reviewing reports.

Retail Managers: A retail manager may be involved directly with in-store commerce for larger firms that divide brand management into distinct channels. Typically, they will also record developments and gather data.

Sales Reps: When a retail execution is finalized, the initial point of responsibility might be the in-office sales people.

Field Sales Reps: The initial point of direct human contact for tracking store compliance and strategy effect will be a field sales representative.

Merchandizers: Those in charge of merchandising are responsible for carrying out retail execution in accordance with customer demands.

What is Retail Execution Management Software (RES)?  

Retail execution software, or, to put it simply, a suite of programs aimed to improve and standardize every facet of in-store execution, is the term. In most cases, these programs are open to use from desktops as well as mobile devices.

This can benefit both frontline teams and team leaders because the former can organize tasks more easily while the latter can assess performance more easily. 

Retail execution management software helps businesses gain real-time business insights, simplify communication, and reduce operational loss. This software is a must-have for any company that wants to revolutionize its operations by managing its field team.

The following are some of the most important advantages of using retail execution software for field team management:

Automation and Streamlined Processes: Retail execution software automates what used to be manual and reduces the time spent on repetitive, mundane tasks by a long shot. It allows companies to free up resources to focus on the things that matter more.

Real-Time Insights: One has the option of making well-informed judgments using the real-time data that the retail execution software supplies. That way, companies can gain insight into their process and see what improvements can be made.

Increased Visibility: Retail execution software tracks field workers’ activities in real time. It gives them the freedom to track their teams’ progress and make adjustments as wanted to guarantee goals are followed on time.

The right software solution can help businesses to deploy the most effective field staff and to improve their business operations.

Key Features and Criteria for Selecting Retail Execution Software

Easy to Use Interface

The software must be streamlined and easy to use so that retail staff can get up and running quickly. Look for ways to have a well-organized dashboard, be compatible with mobile devices, and be able to tailor the systems to meet your organization’s specific requirements

Mobile Compatibility

Support for mobile devices is essential to enable field personnel to access and update data in real-time while on the move. For seamless data flow, mobile retail execution must work offline and synchronize instantly when an Internet connection is available.

Real-Time Reporting and Analytics

Quickly making data-driven choices is made easier with the ability to obtain actionable insights and produce reports in real time. Software with powerful reporting features, sophisticated analytics, and dashboards that you can personalize should be your top priority.

Customizability

For optimal performance, your retail company needs a software system that can adjust to its specific needs and processes. Research software that provides you the option to personalize workflows, forms, and tasks to match your unique company procedures.

Integration Capabilities

Make sure the retail execution software can connect to your current systems for easier data flow. This includes ERP, CRM, and POS. A comprehensive overview of the company can be achieved via seamless integration, which eliminates data silos.

Support and Training

To make sure that your crew has a seamless onboarding experience, look for a software dealer that provides super customer support and schooling substances. You can make the maximum of the software program by taking advantage of its every day updates and persevering with support.

You can streamline your retail operations, make them records-driven, and help them be a success within the aggressive retail landscape via the use of a retail execution software program that has a user-friendly interface, is well-matched with mobile devices, presents real-time reporting, is customizable, can be integrated, and has dependable resources and training.

Key Differences Between CRM & Retail Execution Platform

When it comes to managing customer interactions and in-store operations, retail teams often turn to customer relationship management software and retail execution platforms.

The main goal of customer relationship management software is to better serve customers and manage relationships with them, whereas a retail execution platform is designed to enhance performance by optimizing in-store operations. 

It is vital to think about how each solution will fit in with the company's objectives and current plans, as while both solutions assist with sales and customer interactions, they serve distinct purposes and have various features and functions.

Enhance Client Experience & Relationships

The key to customer retention and repeat business is providing outstanding client experiences and establishing great connections. By assisting teams in optimizing store layouts, enhancing product displays, and eliminating out-of-stock situations, retail execution tools may improve consumers' shopping experiences. 

Aside from a 97% increase in customer happiness, this also improves the store's reputation and encourages 54% more customers to shop there again. 

Software for customer relationship management (CRM) helps teams manage and sustain connections with customers by creating a single database of client information. This database makes it easy to retrieve customer data, trace contact history, and segment consumers according to their preferences and requirements. 

To better control inventory and conduct targeted vending, it's far beneficial to have better communication and coordination with clients and to understand their purchasing styles and preferences.

Marketing & Promotional Strategies

New consumers and sales are encouraged by existing ones using strategic marketing and promotional initiatives, which permit the personalization of attempts and experiences. Retail execution systems provide up-to-the-minute data on customer choice and action, which increases the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. 

This is a good opportunity to drive revenue by using it to serve targeted ads (based on interests and seasonality). One way retail execution systems can assist with promoting planning and execution is in automating the creation and deployment of promotions. It’s faster — and cheaper — and guarantees promotions are the same on every channel.

With the right customer relationship management software, attracting new customers and retaining old ones using targeted marketing campaigns and incentives is no secret. 

That means segmenting customers by what they’re interested in, and what they’ve purchased in the past, so that marketing teams can create more effective message strategies, and launch more relevant promotions, leading to more engagement, and more sales.

Operations Automation & Efficiency

To keep things operating properly, businesses rely on efficient internal procedures, which, when combined with automation, greatly reduce the chance of human error. 

Retail execution platforms automate several systems, including inventory management, workforce forecasting, and data reporting and dissemination, to optimize internal operations, increase productivity, and save costs. 

Moreover, it demonstrates to be an ideal tool for managing tasks and facilitating internal communication. With customer relationship management software, internal operations can be streamlined thanks to a centralized database that automatically collects and analyzes client data. 

You can improve your operations based on customer service metrics like response times and satisfaction with the support of customer relationship management software.

Choosing The Right Retail Execution Management Software

Work Order Request Processes For Better Operational Efficiency

The ultimate choice for teams, big or small, Xenia offers a seamless retail execution solution. Its easy-to-use application spans desktop, mobile, and tablets (compatible with Android and Apple products), ensuring accessibility anywhere, anytime.

Xenia streamlines process optimization and retail store audits, ensuring uniformity across all branches. Through features like checklists, SOPs, retail store forms, customizable templates, and work orders, it standardizes operations effectively.

Moreover, this retail execution software also provides real-time updates, allowing frontline staff to upload photos, communicate with managers via chat, and track progress, enhancing collaboration and efficiency.

Bottomline

Achieving successful retail execution remains a dynamic challenge, with evolving consumer preferences and behaviors. Equipping yourself with the appropriate tools empowers you to swiftly adapt to these changes, ensuring timely adjustments and staying ahead of the curve.

Unify Operations, Safety and Maintenance
Unite your team with an all-in-one platform handling inspections, maintenance and daily operations
Get Started for Free
Streamline End to End Operations with Xenia's Retail Execution Solutions
Book a Demo
Rated 4.9/5 stars on Capterra

Latest Articles

Frequently Asked Questions

Got a question? Find our FAQs here. If your question hasn't been answered here, contact us.

Illustration for empty FAQ section.
No FAQs Found

Looks like there's no data available in our FAQ section at the moment.