How to maximize Sales Per Hour (SPH) in Specialty Retail

How to Maximize SPH (Sales Per Hour) in Specialty Retail 

SPH is more than just a metric, it’s your profit lever.  Every hour your store is open, you’re either maximizing revenue, or missing out. Sales Per Hour (SPH) is one of the most powerful Retail labor optimization metrics, directly impacting profitability. 

If you want to work smarter, it’s not just about increasing foot traffic, it’s about ensuring that every associate on the floor drives sales efficiently. With the right scheduling, workforce planning, and in-store productivity tools, Specialty Retailers can increase their SPH. 

Why SPH Matters

• Low SPH is signaling underperformance and lost profits.  A low SPH often means too many associates on the floor without enough sales activity to justify labor costs.  It signals things like inefficient scheduling, misaligned staffing, or associates spending too much time on non-selling tasks. 
• High SPH is signaling potential understaffing issues. If SPH is too high, it can indicate that the store was understaffed, leading to missed sales opportunities.  Associates may have been overwhelmed, checkout lines may have been too long, or customers may not have received the service they needed. 
• Balanced SPH is signaling better store performance. With the right associates, in the right place, at the right time, stores can improve conversion rates, customer experience, and overall efficiency, without wasting labor hours. 

Stores that optimize SPH see higher conversion rates, higher average transaction values (ATV), and stronger profit margins. 

5 Ways to Increase SPH with Smart Workforce Management 

1. Align schedules with peak hours. SPH optimization starts with strategic scheduling. 

• Your top 20 open hours drive 50% of your weekly sales.  When you don’t have the coverage you need, you miss your weekly sales targets. Schedule to 90% peak coverage to ensure associates are available when shoppers are ready to buy. 
• Improve Retail scheduling efficiency by dynamically adjusting labor to meet real-time store needs. 
• Use workforce analytics software to forecast demand and align staffing with peak sales hours. 

2. Eliminate non-selling tasks during peak hours

• If top-performing associates are stuck restocking shelves, handling admin work, or doing markdowns during peak traffic, sales suffer. 
• Use in-store employee productivity tools to assign non-selling tasks outside of peak hours.

3. Track and coach performance in real time

Top-performing Retail associates tend to consistently outsell their lower-performing peers. The key to SPH optimization is ensuring every team member performs at their best.

• Use real-time Retail analytics software to track individual and storewide SPH. 
• Identify underperformers and coach them to improve results. 
• Reward top sellers to reinforce high-performance behaviors. 

4. Leverage omnichannel selling

You can’t deny that Retail has changed. Shoppers research online, visit stores to browse, and expect a seamless checkout experience. If store teams aren’t staffed and trained to manage omnichannel interactions, sales will drop.

• Ensure store associates can convert high-intent omnichannel shoppers. 
• Align staffing levels with BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store), curbside pickup, and showrooming trends. 
• Use real-time workforce data to adapt in real time to online-driven foot traffic fluctuations. 

5. Use data to continually optimize

SPH isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it metric. Continuous optimization requires accurate, real-time insights.

• Use live dashboards and machine learning-driven insights to monitor SPH and labor efficiency. 
• Adjust staffing, scheduling, and execution instantly based on real-time store conditions. 
• Benchmark performance across multiple store locations to identify opportunities for improvement. 

SPH is one of the most critical Retail sales performance metrics you have at your disposal. It tells you if your store teams are operating efficiently or leaving money on the table. 

With StoreForce’s machine learning-driven workforce optimization tools, Retailers can: 

• Maximize SPH by aligning labor with real-time demand. 
• Improve in-store execution and drive profitability. 
• Turn workforce strategy into a measurable advantage. 

SPH is a key metric to unlocking higher sales. Without real-time workforce optimization, you’re leaving revenue on the table.  Ready to see us in action? Book a demo with us today!