How Aesop Grew In-Store Conversion Rates by 4 Percentage Points

The Problem 

Like many retailers, Aesop used to build its labor plans from the bottom up.

Each store estimated its needs, finance translated those into budgets, and wage percentage acted as the primary anchor. This approach worked for a while, until it didn’t.

The inefficiencies became hard to ignore:

– Stores were operating in silos.  

– Coverage assumptions weren’t grounded in traffic patterns or sales behaviors.  

– And their tools become disconnected, inconsistent, and manual.  

Aesop’s Retail leaders knew they needed a better way. Transforming the model required clarity, collaboration, and most importantly, trust in one another.

Recognizing the Need to Evolve 

The shift toward a more data-informed labor strategy came from both experience and necessity. For leaders Pauline Notari, Director of Retail Operations, and Dave Ferruggia, Head of Commercial Retail North America, the shift wasn’t theoretical.

Both had led payroll transformations before, but this time, the stakes were higher.

“We were using five different tools,” said Pauline. “Payroll was based on sales assumptions, and the system felt disjointed. StoreForce didn’t just streamline the process, it helped us ask better questions.”

Aesop started moving away from static wage percentage allocations and built more responsive, store-specific models. However, this shift wasn’t about turning operations into spreadsheets. It was about creating a system that reflected how the business actually worked in the field.

The Solution 

Unlike grab-and-go Retail, where speed is everything, Specialty Retail is built on connection. In categories like apparel, footwear, and home décor, shoppers don’t just want to buy, they want to be guided.

Personalized service, thoughtful recommendations, and a sense of trust all play a critical role in the path to purchase. That’s why effective labor planning in Specialty Retail must start with the shopper.

Bottom-up scheduling handles execution. Top-down planning begins with visualizing traffic patterns and layering in the people who bring the brand to life, your associates.

StoreForce became the platform that kick-started Aesop’s labor transformation. Not by dictating a new philosophy, but by giving their teams the validation to evolve their approach.

Key Shifts Included: 

– Bringing all stakeholders into one system: Finance, HR, Commercial Ops, and Store Leadership.

– Building a payroll model based on data and impact, not just inherited percentages.

– Driving peak hour planning using real-time traffic and performance insights.

– Capturing non-sell activity with clarity, making non-selling hours visible and meaningful.

“The math is the math,” said Dave. “StoreForce helped depersonalize the conversation between departments. It became a neutral ground where we could see the data and work together.”

The Results

Aesop’s labor planning evolution was measurable and has shown eye opening results. Here’s how it looked on paper:

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

and Then Builds a Better One

From the start, Aesop approached this as a people-first transformation.

“We knew we had to involve our Store Managers during the solution roll-out,” Pauline explained. “They’re used to running a business. If they feel like they’re part of the process, the buy-in is real.”

This meant training, dialogue, dry runs, and the launch of a Super User Program—a group of field leaders who could coach peers, gain insights, and reinforce StoreForce education at scale.

This helped reframe how scheduling decisions are made:

– Store Managers began asking, “How can I be profitable with the hours I have?”

– District Managers started owning their P&Ls, using StoreForce data to dynamically adjust schedules.

– Teams across Canada reported clearer, more efficient weekend coverage, resulting in stronger, more focused customer experiences without overstaffing.

Aesop’s transition was a mindset shift.

Store Managers became more financially fluent. District Managers leaned into strategic coaching. And leadership stopped working in silos.

“We used to operate in silos,” one leader said. “Now, we’re building an even stronger team.”

Their case proves that when you lead with clarity, data, and empathy, the transformation feels natural and produces incredible results.

Drive In-Store Conversion Rates, Optimize Costs,

and Align Your Teams

Aesop increased in-store conversion by 4 percentage pts and maintained the same labor hours as the previous year while achieving double-digit revenue growth. By adopting StoreForce’s data-driven scheduling platform, you can develop the same processes:

– Achieve 90% peak coverage to obtain above company average in-store conversion rates.

– Balance wage costs against sales in real time, even during unexpected labor challenges.

– Unite finance, operations, and store leadership with a shared, actionable playbook.

Optimize Labor Planning with StoreForce

StoreForce’s Labor Banding tool helps you allocate the right hours to the right stores, balancing selling and non-selling activities. This drives better conversion, improves efficiency, and gives your teams more flexibility.

Learn how Labor Banding can boost your store performance.