{"id":19755,"date":"2025-07-29T15:31:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/storeforcesolutions.com\/euro\/?post_type=resource&p=19755"},"modified":"2025-07-29T15:34:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:34:24","slug":"journeys-back-to-school-labor-strategy-drove-11-sales-growth-2","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/storeforcesolutions.com\/euro\/resource\/journeys-back-to-school-labor-strategy-drove-11-sales-growth-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Journeys\u2019 Back-to-School Labor Strategy Drove 11% Sales Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
As back-to-school becomes an increasingly complex and competitive season in Specialty Retail, Journeys faced a high-stakes challenge in 2024. With inconsistent regional peaks, shifting school calendars, and heightened customer expectations, the footwear leader needed a more precise, localized staffing strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through a decade-long partnership with ShopperTrak<\/strong> and StoreForce<\/strong>, Journeys combined deep traffic insights with real-time scheduling optimization. As a result, Journeys experienced an 11% increase in comp sales in Q3<\/strong>, fueled by strategic labor alignment, precise forecasting, and effective execution at the store level. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFollowing a strong start to the third quarter including the heart of\u202fback-to-school, sales trends at Journeys remained robust in September and October, fueling a double-digit comp gain for the business\u2026\u201d<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mimi Vaughn, Genesco President, CEO, and Board Chair<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n For mall-based Specialty Retailers like Journeys, Back-to-School (BTS) is the second highest <\/p>\n\n\n\n in-store traffic period of the year, just behind holiday. But while the holiday season follows a consistent calendar with predictable peak days, BTS is far more fragmented, varying significantly by region, product category, and even school district. This makes staffing and planning far more complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A store might experience comparable traffic volumes to December, but without the benefit of uniform shopping patterns. The stakes are especially high for footwear, where the shopping experience is hands-on, time-intensive, and driven by service expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how BTS stacks up to Holiday traffic by category: <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Wireless<\/strong>: 95\u2013105% of holiday traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Footwear<\/strong> (Journeys\u2019 core category): 85\u201390% of holiday traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Children\u2019s apparel<\/strong>: 75\u201385% of holiday traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Family apparel<\/strong>: 65\u201370% of holiday traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of this, Journeys faced added challenges: <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Inconsistent regional traffic peaks (e.g. Weeks 26\u201327 in the South vs. Weeks 29\u201330 in the Northeast). <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Heightened customer expectations for fit, style, and service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Labor planning challenges: staffing without overspending, and without missing peak opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A need to recover from a slow Q2, Back-to-School had to perform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. ShopperTrak: Turning Foot Traffic into Forecasting Intelligence<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Journeys used ShopperTrak (part of Sensormatic) to move beyond \u201clast year\u2019s dates\u201d and build location-specific forecasts grounded in over a decade of traffic data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ShopperTrak\u2019s data enabled Journeys to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Pinpoint when traffic would spike by region (e.g. Weeks 26\u201327 in the South, 29\u201330 in the Northeast). <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Understand how footwear traffic compared year-over-year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Identify category-specific lift patterns, showing that footwear stores like Journeys see 85\u201390% of holiday volume during BTS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Isolate store-level trends where school calendars shifted year to year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Journeys’ analytics team, led by Billy Bennett, used this insight to forecast the most valuable selling days and hours in each store; sometimes down to the exact Tuesday or Wednesday that mattered most. As Billy noted, “Getting the day right, not just the week, could mean thousands of dollars in a single location.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. StoreForce: Turning Forecasting Intelligence into Winning Schedules<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Traffic data is only as powerful as your ability to act on it. That\u2019s where StoreForce stepped in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n StoreForce helped Journeys operationalize their traffic insights through: <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Recommended Coverage<\/strong>: Align labor hour allocations with forecasted customer volume. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Peak Coverage<\/strong>: Monitor how well each store\u2019s schedule matches peak demand windows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Sales Leader Scheduling<\/strong>: Assign the most effective floor leaders to power hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Shopper-to-Associate Ratios (Star \/ TPLH)<\/strong>: Balance coverage to optimize service, not too thin, not too bloated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of setting static labor plans, StoreForce let Journeys dynamically tailor schedules by store, by hour, by day, even within tight budget constraints. Billy\u2019s team didn’t add more hours; they just placed them more intelligently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Leadership Alignment at the Store Level<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n With powerful data in hand, Journeys focused on the in-store execution. Starting in May, Billy\u2019s team held 1-on-1 planning calls with every field leader, reviewing: <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Local school calendars and Back-to-School peaks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Store-specific traffic history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Budgeted labor hours vs. forecasted opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – The importance of assigning \u201cfloor generals\u201d (Sales Leaders) during high-traffic windows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This high-touch approach turned what could\u2019ve been a generic seasonal push into a grounded store-by-store strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are no easy sales in Back-to-School,\u201d said Billy. \u201cIt\u2019s high-touch, it\u2019s high-stakes, and if we miss the moment, we don\u2019t get it back.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n April<\/strong>: Data analysis begins with ShopperTrak traffic forecasting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n May<\/strong>: Journeys conducts 1-on-1 planning calls with field leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n June<\/strong>: Schedules are finalized, and Sales Leader roles are pre-assigned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n July<\/strong>: Execution begins as early back-to-school traffic arrives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n August<\/strong>: Peak weeks hit, StoreForce metrics guide real-time adjustments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By pairing the right people<\/strong> with the right hours<\/strong> in the right stores<\/strong>, Journeys was able to create a better in-store experience and capitalize on every high-traffic opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re in Retail operations, planning, or store leadership, the Back-to-School window is your moment to drive high-margin growth. But capitalizing on it requires strategic focus now, not in July. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what high-performing Retailers should act on immediately: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Audit Your Regional School Calendars<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Work with field teams to map the first day of school by district, city, and region. These dates shift every year, and so does your traffic curve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip: Use historical ShopperTrak data (or your own POS + traffic blend) to validate when your stores saw peak weeks in prior BTS seasons.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Identify Power Hours by Store<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Use foot traffic reports to determine your top 20 sales-driving hours per store. Are they Saturday afternoons? Tuesday evenings? Those windows should dictate your labor strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Journeys found that 15% of a week\u2019s traffic happened in a 5-hour Saturday block, and they staffed accordingly.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Align Your Top Talent to Peak Hours<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Match your highest-converting team members to your highest-traffic periods. Tools like StoreForce\u2019s Sales Leader scheduling allow you to assign your \u201cfloor generals\u201d when it matters most. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Measure & Manage Peak Coverage<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Build your scheduling and target KPIs around Peak Coverage, the percentage of labor deployed during top traffic hours. Set benchmarks and review by district\/store weekly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Journeys targeted 75%+ Peak Coverage, leading to a double-digit comp lift without increasing labor budget.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Enable Field-Level Execution<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Data is powerful, but it only works if it\u2019s activated at the field level. Make Back-to-School planning a co-owned initiative between HQ, analytics, and your store leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Journeys held 1:1 calls with every field leader, driving local buy-in and clarity. This led to an increase in not only transactions, but conversion rates and total sales.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Journeys\u2019 Back-to-School success wasn\u2019t luck, it was the result of focused preparation, precise execution, and a cross-functional partnership that treated labor as a revenue driver, not just a cost center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a Retail leader aiming to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Convert more traffic during seasonal surges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Improve in-store experience without increasing spend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Empower store teams with actionable data and scheduling intelligence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n StoreForce is built for this.<\/strong> With tools like Recommended Coverage, Sales Leader Activity Tracking, and Peak Coverage Analysis, StoreForce helps Specialty Retail brands align labor to real-time customer demand and win the moments that matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to see how StoreForce can help you maximize your next Back-to-School season? <\/strong>Schedule a call with the StoreForce team today. Let\u2019s build your playbook together.<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":19758,"template":"","resource_category":[3041],"class_list":["post-19755","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_category-case-study"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
The Challenge<\/strong> <\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Solution: A Strategic Partnership to Win the Moment<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nResults<\/strong> <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat Retail Leaders Should Do Now<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Make Every Hour Count This Season<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n