Store Ops Walkthrough

Understand and act on store performance with context

Overview

The Store Ops Walkthrough helps operations teams identify which stores need attention — and why. It guides you through using Almanac’s Store Operations Dashboard, Markets Section, and Smart Benchmarks to interpret performance with confidence.

Goal: Empower Store Ops teams to separate controllable execution issues from market-driven effects.

Step 1: Start with the Store Operations Dashboard

The Store Operations Dashboard is your home base for assessing store health. It shows each store’s visit performance, market-adjusted demand, and comparison to nearby competitors.

How to explore it:

Open the Store Operations Dashboard from the Beta Platform main menu.
Select a store or group of stores.
Review visit trends alongside local competitor activity.

Metric Example:
If Store A’s visits dropped 8% while competitors in the same market declined only 2%, that’s a signal to dig into local execution or store-level changes.

Step 2: Use Multiple Data Points for Confidence

The Markets Section combines three independent signals — parking, foot traffic, and spend — to validate whether a performance change is meaningful.

What to check:

Parking Data: Gauges site activity and access patterns.
Foot Traffic: Reveals changes in customer interest or mobility.
Spend Data: Confirms if economic activity aligns with traffic trends.

Outcome: More confident, data-backed decisions that reduce overreaction to short-term noise.

Step 3: Benchmark Fairly with Smart Comparisons

Every store’s environment is unique — which makes fair benchmarking critical. Smart Benchmarks automatically select the most relevant local competitors based on proximity, retailer type, and visit behavior.

How to use Smart Benchmarks:

From the dashboard, select “Add Benchmark.”
Filter by competitor type and distance.
Almanac auto-selects nearby stores that best match your criteria.

Result: Performance comparisons that are defensible, credible, and trusted by leadership.

Step 4: Interpret Patterns Visually (What Good vs. Bad Looks Like)

Use visual cues and patterns across dashboards to quickly distinguish healthy versus concerning store trends.

Step 5: Act with Context, Not Assumptions

Once performance patterns are clear:

Identify stores deviating only for your brand → focus internally.
Flag stores where the entire market shifts → external factor.
Export a Store Ops Report to align decisions with leadership.

Next Step: Share your Store Ops Report and align on where to act versus where to monitor.

Key Takeaways

Don’t diagnose in isolation — internal data needs market context.
Trust convergence — multiple signals = strong confidence.
Benchmark smartly — fair comparisons build trust and reduce debate.
Visualize patterns — quick pattern checks prevent overreaction.

Almanac helps Store Ops teams act decisively, not reactively — using context to turn noise into clarity.

Store Ops Walkthrough

Understand and act on store performance with context