Skip to content
Pontian
Industries / 05 Retail

Help your team remember what customers love.

We tie your receipts to what customers have told your staff. Your salespeople get a short briefing before they say hello, and you get straight answers about each store.

Shoppers and escalators in a retail center

01Know the customerBefore the conversation

Give your salesperson the context before the conversation.

Staff look a customer up by name and get a reason for each suggestion on the shelf. It won’t invent a personality, or push a bag for the margin.

Example workflowMaya at the counter, Harbor StreetIllustrative coffee retailer, not a Pontian client

You can use this.

  1. Switch the suggestion
  2. Click a product

Briefing: MayaFound by name. No cameras.

Observed
Purchased House Blend three times.
  1. 8 MarBrewerHouse Blend
  2. 6 AprHouse Blend
  3. 5 MayHouse Blend
Observed
Recorded
Recorded preference: chocolatey coffee. Told to staff, 8 March

“Would you like your usual House Blend today?”

House Blend is on every receipt, about a month apart. Bought often. That doesn’t make it her favorite.

In stock: 18 bags at Harbor Street, 08:00 count.

  1. Situation

    Maya comes in. Staff find her loyalty account by name.

  2. Result for review

    A short briefing. Each suggestion shows why it’s there.

  3. Next step for your team

    Your salesperson decides what, if anything, to mention. Nothing goes in a basket.

Start the conversation with something the customer actually cares about.

02Understand the businessAcross your stores

Ask a business question. Follow the evidence.

Ask why one store’s margin is lower. The check uses both stores’ sales records, and it says what they can’t explain.

Example workflowTwo stores, similar salesIllustrative coffee retailer, not a Pontian client

The owner asks

“Why is product gross margin lower at Market Square?”

You can use this.

  1. Switch the period
  2. Click a store
  • Coffee beans, 60% margin
  • Brewing equipment, 30% margin
  • Tasting sessions, 70% margin
  • Products soldDiffersEquipment: 49% vs 20%
  • Product costsSameOne cost list for both
  • DiscountsSimilar2.9% vs 2.9%
  • ReturnsSimilar1.0% vs 1.0%
  1. Situation

    Net sales for May: $30,000 at Harbor Street and $29,800 at Market Square.

  2. Finding for review
  3. Next step for your team

    Go through product mix and displays with the store manager. Next question: why does equipment sell better there?

Know which difference deserves your attention.

03Plan the next visitBetween visits

Know when a follow-up is worth sending.

When a regular goes quiet, the tool looks for a newer purchase before it drafts a note. Nothing goes out until your team approves it.

Example workflowMaya’s record, checked 16 JuneIllustrative coffee retailer, not a Pontian client

You can use this.

  1. Switch the purchase record
  2. Replay the check

Maya’s House Blend purchases

She usually comes back after 29 days. It’s been 42.

Three purchases is a short pattern. Home stock, and coffee bought elsewhere, aren’t in the record.

Checked before drafting

  • Newer purchaseNone at any store since 5 May
  • Open orderNone
  • Recent messageNone in 60 days
  • Contact preferenceEmail, opted in 8 March

Draft follow-up, awaiting review

Hi Maya, would you like help choosing your next coffee? Your usual House Blend is available.

Email, opted in. 12 bags at Harbor Street on 16 June, House Blend. Nothing is sent from here.

  1. Situation

    Six weeks since Maya’s last recorded purchase.

  2. Result for review

    May be ready for a refill. A draft waits for review. Nothing has been sent.

  3. Next step for your team

    Someone on your team edits, approves or bins the draft.

Give customers a useful reason to return.

04Stock for demandBefore the shelf runs low

Put stock where it’s more likely to sell.

The shelf count sits next to usual sales and what’s already on order. A short store and a full one become a transfer a manager can approve. The forecast stays an estimate.

Example workflowReserve Blend across three stores, 3 JuneIllustrative coffee retailer, not a Pontian client

Reserve Blend, 250 g bags

Transfer stock or place another order?

You can use this.

  1. Switch the option

12 spare bags from Market Square cover Harbor Street on the next store run. The need, about 18 (16–20), is an estimate. Market Square keeps 28, above its reserve of 16.

Harbor Street 18+ Market Square 28+ Riverside 14= 60 bags, the same 60 as this morning

Checked first: Market Square’s 08:00 count was 40, and neither store has an order due.

  1. Situation

    Harbor Street has 6 bags and needs about 18. Market Square has 40 and needs about 8.

  2. Result for review

    A transfer proposal: 12 bags from Market Square to Harbor Street. Nothing has been moved or ordered.

  3. Next step for your team

    The manager checks quantities and timing, then approves or changes it.

Make the stock call with its assumptions in view.

How we start

Start with the records you already keep.

We start with one store and one job: a briefing, a set catalog, or one follow-up. Stock planning waits until the counts and the supplier data are reliable. Your team decides if it’s useful before we add more.

Sales analysis is work we’ve already done. Briefings, follow-ups and stock plans get built and tested with you.

What should your team know before the next customer walks in?

Tell us how you sell and what your point-of-sale system already records.

Talk through your retail operation