See the Forest And the Trees

Helping you focus on what matters most

Retail is detail -- the small things are important. But if you're stuck in the details, it's easy to miss the big picture.

For over two decades, we've helped retailers forecast demand, optimize schedules, and invest payroll where it will help the most.

We're more than software. We bring technology and expertise to your team so that you can focus on what matters most.

How It Works

Our Partnership Model

A different model: Software as part of a pay-as-you-go partnership.

At Matrix Retail, partnership isn't a marketing buzzword. It's our business model. We succeed when you succeed — and we stay invested long after go-live.

Here's what we've learned from 20 years in retail: the best scheduling technology in the world doesn't work if nobody uses it well. Implementation is just the starting line. The real value comes from continuously refining your forecasts, tuning your optimization rules, adapting to seasonal shifts, training new managers, and evolving as your business evolves.

That's why we don't just hand you software and walk away. We embed ourselves in your operation. We handle setup and configuration upfront — at no charge — to prove we can deliver before you commit. Then we stay. Weekly tactical meetings with your operations team. Quarterly executive business reviews with your leadership. A named team that knows your brand, your stores, and your goals.

Other vendors call this "customer success." We call it the job.

We prove everything upfront.

We load your data and configure the system according to your rules. No burden on your IT team. Go live in weeks.

We help get you going.

We're there for rollout — monitoring accuracy, refining models, supporting managers, and addressing issues in real time. Not from a help desk. From a dedicated team.

We work with you to create value.

Weekly tactical check-ins with your operations team. Quarterly business reviews with leadership. As your business changes — new stores, new positions, new channels, new regulations — we adapt with you. No change orders. No consulting fees for reconfiguration.

Keep going if you're happy.

Long-range budgeting support. Scenario planning before peak seasons. Proactive recommendations based on what we see in your data. A true strategic partner, not a vendor waiting for a renewal call.

What we've heard from retailers who came to us:

"Our last provider disappeared after implementation."
"We couldn't get anyone on the phone."
"Every change request became a consulting project."
"We fell three versions behind because upgrades were too disruptive."

Experience the Difference

Our Approach

Building schedules from the bottom up.

Traditional scheduling starts with a budget and then spreads payroll based on weekly sales. It doesn't ask what those people will actually be doing once they're on the clock. The result? Some hours overstaffed on the floor and understaffed at the register. Tasks falling through the cracks. Customers noticing.

Our approach — rooted in what the industry calls activity-based scheduling — flips that equation. We calculate every activity your employees perform — cashiering, customer service, fulfillment, stocking, merchandising, cleaning, training — and how much labor each activity requires at each location, at each hour. Then we build schedules that match employees to the work that needs to get done. Not headcount to a budget line. It's one of the most powerful tools in our methodology, and for many of our clients, it's the capability that transforms how they think about scheduling entirely.

The difference is precision. And precision means your customers are greeted when they walk in, the shelves are stocked when they're shopping, and there's someone at the register when they're ready to buy. That's what scheduling for the customer looks like.

Graphic that represents:
customers tasks >> workload calculation >> optimized shifts >> right people, right time, right tasks

Here's how we make it happen...

Workload Forecasting

If it drives work in your stores, we forecast it.

Good schedules start with good forecasts. Matrix StoreCast™ predicts store workload at the level that matters — by activity, by location, by hour.

Most scheduling solutions forecast based on one metric: net sales. That gives you a rough direction, but it misses the real picture. A store doing $50K in sales on a Saturday needs a very different labor mix than one doing $50K on a Tuesday — because the work is different. Traffic patterns are different. Transaction counts are different. The number of online orders waiting for pickup is different.

StoreCast uses multivariate regression tailored to each store's individual history. We forecast every metric that drives the need for labor — sales, traffic, transactions, online orders, whatever matters for your brand. Each location gets its own model, because each location responds differently to events, seasons, and promotions.

Store-specific models.

Every location has its own forecast model based on its unique history and sensitivity to events. No one-size-fits-all.

Any metric that drives labor

Sales, traffic, transactions, BOPIS volume, delivery orders — if it creates work in the store, we can forecast it

Event-aware

Holidays, promotions, new product launches, local events — StoreCast calculates the specific weight of each event on each metric at each location.

Omni-channel ready

As e-commerce, BOPIS, and delivery reshape what happens in stores, the forecasting model adapts. We account for the work that originates outside your four walls but lands on your store team's plate.

Overrides and budget alignment

Corporate can apply budget overrides and run scenarios without undermining the accuracy of the underlying forecast. Plan with precision, adjust with confidence.

Why this matters for your customer...

Every overstaffed hour wastes payroll you could invest elsewhere.

Every understaffed hour is a customer who waited too long, couldn't find help, or left without buying.

Accurate forecasting is the foundation of great customer experiences — and efficient payroll investment.

Learn more about Forecasting

Schedule Optimization

Schedules built for what your stores actually need to do.

Matrix Optimizer takes the forecasted workload and creates employee schedules that cover every activity, comply with every rule, and respect every budget — automatically.

Once we know how much work each store needs to do and when, the Optimizer builds shifts that match employees to that work. Not just"4 people from 10 to 6," but specific, activity-aware shifts: cashiering from 11 to 3 when traffic peaks, stocking from 6 to 9 before the store opens, BOPIS fulfillment timed to when online orders spike.

The algorithm is built specifically for retail. It understands labor standards — how long each task takes — and applies them to the forecasted workload, so every shift is grounded in the actual work required. It respects your budget constraints, your scheduling rules, your union agreements, and employment law. And when your business evolves — new positions, new activities, new regulations — the rules evolve with it. No expensive reconfiguration. No consulting project.

Shifts built around the work, not just the clock.

Shifts are assembled from the activities employees will perform, not generic time blocks. Every hour is allocated to its highest-value use.

Labor standards applied at every level

We define how much labor each activity requires per unit (e.g., 3 minutes pertransaction = 0.05 hours/transaction). These standards translate forecasted demand into precise labor requirements by position, by hour, by store.

Full compliance built in

Employment laws, break rules, overtime thresholds, minor restrictions, union rules, predictive scheduling regulations — all enforced automatically. Reduce your compliance risk without adding manual review steps.

Your rules

Minimum/maximum shift lengths, position requirements, seniority rules, availability preferences — configured for how your brand operates. Changes to rules propagate across all locations instantly.

IBC task hour optimization

Not all task work needs dedicated shifts. Our optimizer calculates which task hours can be absorbed into existing coverage ("in-between-customer" hours) and which require dedicated staffing. Clients estimate this saves millions in more precise task labor allocation — not by cutting hours, but by finding the optimal time to do the work.

Budget-aware, not budget-limited

The optimizer respects your payroll budget while showing you exactly where trade-offs exist. You'll see the cost of understaffing (sales at risk) alongside the cost of overstaffing — so leadership makes informed decisions, not blind cuts.

Why this matters for your customer...

When every shift is built around the activities that create great experiences — the greeting, the product knowledge, the fast checkout, the clean store — customers feel the difference. They may not know why your store felt great. But they'll come back.

Talk to us about Optimization

Strategic Planning

We can Plan your workforce a year out — from the store level up.

Great scheduling isn't just a weekly exercise. Matrix gives you the tools to budget accurately, plan staffing needs in advance, and run scenarios before committing resources.

Most retailers budget payroll top-down: take last year's number, adjust by a percentage, and push it to the field. The problem? That approach disconnects budgets from what stores actually need to do. Some locations end up overfunded. Others are set up to fail.

Matrix builds budgets from the bottom up — starting with forecasted workload at the store and hour level, then rolling up to district, region, and enterprise. You see exactly how many hours each location needs, when they need them, and what itwill cost. And you can run scenarios — what happens ifwe add Sunday hours? What iftraffic grows 10% in Q4? What ifwe add a new fulfillment position? — before a single dollar is committed.

we have capability to run a full year of schedules at one time

Labor-demand-based budgeting

Budgets built from forecasted workload, not last year's actuals. See what each location genuinely needs, notwhat it historically spent.

Staffing needs by location and hour

Identify where you're short-staffed (or overstaffed) months in advance. Plan hiring, cross-training, and seasonal labor with precision.

Core vs. temporary staff planning

Distinguish between permanent team needs and seasonal/temporary requirements. Know exactlywhere the money is — and where it's going.

Scenario modeling

Model the financial and operational impact of strategic changes before they happen. Test assumptions with real data, not gut feel

Why this matters for your customer...

When your stores are staffed right — not just this week, but through the holiday rush, the back-to-school surge, the new store opening — customers get a consistent experience year-round. Consistency builds loyalty. Planning makes consistency possible.

Explore Strategic Planning

Schedule a Demo

See what scheduling built for your customer looks like.

We'll walk you through how Matrix handles forecasting, optimization, and execution for a brand like yours. No generic demo — we'll show you what matters for your operation.