How Build-A-Bear Optimizes Retail Operations with StoreForce  

For Specialty Retailers, operational complexity is part of the job. Managing Retail task execution, scheduling labor efficiently, and maintaining visibility into real-time store performance is no small feat—especially when you’re overseeing hundreds of high-touch locations like Build-A-Bear Workshop.  

Annie Schmitz, VP of Store Operations at Build-A-Bear, knows these challenges firsthand.  

In a recent conversation at StoreForce Community Conference, Annie shared how StoreForce has helped her team bring greater clarity, consistency, and performance to the field—by solving three of the most critical pain points in Retail operations: 

1. Streamlining Retail task management across every location

From promotional rollouts to visual standards and operational checklists, Build-a-Bear teams manage a constant flow of store-level tasks. Before the StoreForce implementation, keeping track of execution relied heavily on manual processes and employee follow-up. Now, Annie’s teams can assign tasks, upload reference photos, and track completion all in one platform, with visibility at the field and HQ levels.  

“In particular, both our store operations team and communications team can leverage communication and divide it [compliance] into different categories. Easily adding it as tasks for our teams has been really great,” Annie says.  

This level of organization reduces rework, ensures brand consistency, and allows stores to move faster—especially during high-traffic periods.  

2. Smarter labor scheduling with recommended coverage

Labor is one of the biggest challenges for Specialty Retailers. StoreForce’s Retail labor optimization features help Build-A-Bear move from static weekly schedules to dynamic staffing models based on sales data and traffic forecasts.  

By leveraging real-time sales data and traffic forecasts, Build-A-Bear’s managers can align staffing with peak periods, not just weekly templates and outdated Excel sheets. StoreForce even recommends ideal coverage to help stores hit their sales targets while controlling costs. 

“We love the ability to see the recommended coverage, understand where we need to isolate labor, and make sure we have the right coverage at the right time” says Annie.  

3. Live visibility into Retail metrics and store performance

It’s where your forecast, brand promise, customer experience, and sales targets either come together or fall apart. This means you can’t afford to separate labor from performance anymore. With StoreForce, you don’t just know what’s happening you actively get to influence it. 

“We didn’t have great visibility into our metrics. With the dashboard updating every 30 minutes, our teams can see real-time results. They could course correct and make adjustments right on the floor,” says Annie.  

That means store leaders can make decisions in the moment, not after the fact. Field leaders can send guidance, adjust priorities, and support stores in the moment. And Annie’s team at HQ can see the full picture, without sending a single email.  

Why StoreForce matters for Retail operations

Today, store execution directly impacts profit. StoreForce helps Retailers like Build-A-Bear turn operational complexity into strategic performance—by making task management seamless, labor scheduling smarter, and Retail metrics instantly accessible. 

For executives, this isn’t just about better operations. It’s about delivering results that protect your bottom line. 

If you’re still relying on fragment systems, spreadsheets, or siloed tools, it’s time to consider a platform that turns execution into a competitive edge.  

Just like we did for Build-a-Bear.  

Book a demo with us today.