Picture this: It’s playoff season, the stakes are high, and your team is ready to hit the field.

Except, this isn’t football—it’s store operations. 

In today’s retail world, the path to success isn’t just about strategy; it’s about having the right players on your team.

Enter Zipline, Legion, and RetailNext: the fantasy dream team for any retailer looking to run smoother stores, engage employees, and turn data into action. Together, they’re the ultimate lineup to keep your operations moving like a well-rehearsed two-minute drill.

Drafting the lineup

Every great team needs star players, and these three have the skills to help you win. Let’s break it down and see why Zipline, Legion, and RetailNext should be the MVPs of your fantasy retail team:

Zipline: The quarterback

A retail team is a lot like a football team. To score a touchdown, everyone—from the store associate to the regional manager—needs to execute the same play with precision and timing. 

Misalignment happens when one part of the team gets mixed signals or conflicting strategies. If the quarterback calls one play and the running back executes another, the whole game plan collapses, and progress toward the goal line halts.

This feeling of confusion is familiar to a lot of retailer organizations today. With so many shifting customer preferences and an unprecedented amount of customer data, HQ teams often bombard stores with information from every direction—emails, intranets, messaging apps, you name it. 

Store teams that are already stretched thin are now dealing with a flood of information. They miss priorities, communication gets lost, and most of what HQ sends never gets executed in the way it was intended. In fact, studies show that only 29% of HQ directives are executed correctly in stores. 

Zipline exists to get everyone on the same page. The platform combines tasks, messages, insights, training, and more— – simplifying communication from HQ to the frontline. Zipline’s flexible hierarchy adapts to the complex realities of retail. District managers get the oversight they need, specialized teams have personalized views.

(In football terms, that means every player knows the playbook, understands their role, and is ready to execute when the ball is snapped.)

Retailers using Zipline see execution upwards of 90%. Whether it’s a new technology rollout, a compliance update, or a last-minute adjustment to holiday promotions, Zipline keeps everyone aligned and ready to act.

Legion: The coach 

Legion tackles some of retail’s toughest challenges: demand forecasting, scheduling, and time and attendance. Think of their AI-powered Workforce Management (WFM) software like a savvy coach who anticipates the playing conditions and their team’s every move. By analyzing real-time demand, it makes sure your players (employees) are on the field (your store) at the right time, and in compliance with the rules of the game.

And just like any great coach understands their players, Legion puts associates in the best position to succeed. Gig-like flexibility, self-service scheduling tools, and instant access to earned wages help associates stay engaged and motivated. 

Meanwhile, managers get to step off the sidelines and into a more strategic role. With demand forecasting, routine scheduling, and time and attendance tasks intelligently automated, they can focus on leading their team and driving results. 

With a 96% match rate between business needs and employee preferences, Legion fosters happier teams, reduces turnover, and keeps labor costs in check.

RetailNext: The playmaker 

Think of RetailNext as your eyes on the field. With tools like the award-winning Aurora IoT sensor and AI-powered forecasting, RetailNext gives you visibility into every move your customers make, helping you craft the perfect play to boost sales and elevate the shopping experience.

RetailNext keeps your operations running like a Super Bowl Halftime Show, optimizing labor schedules to match peak traffic, so you’ve always got the right employees on the floor. Its insights even streamline inventory, ensuring shelves are stocked with what your fans (aka customers) are cheering for. 

And just like post-game analysis/highlights, RetailNext serves up actionable insights, providing clarity and context so you can adjust your strategy and keep scoring touchdowns.

How they work together

Ready for the play-by-play? Here’s how this fantasy lineup drives results:

1. Clear communication fuels execution

You already know that Zipline gets everyone on the same page by ensuring tasks and updates are communicated seamlessly from HQ to store associates. 

But,  – combine that communication with RetailNext’s real-time data insights, and now your team can make informed decisions on the fly.

For example,: RetailNext can help you understand how an unexpected traffic spike should impact your current staffing levels. Zipline can help you get the word out to store leaders that it’s time to bring in those on-call shifts.

Together, these two players eliminate guesswork and enable agile execution.

2. The right staffing, every time

Legion ensures you’ve got the right people in the right place at the right time by leveraging advanced scheduling algorithms and employee preferences. 

But,  – combine that with RetailNext’s granular data on peak traffic times and shopper behaviors, and now your schedules are supercharged.

For example,: RetailNext’s predictive traffic models can forecast high-demand periods, allowing Legion to align staffing levels precisely with customer needs. This synergy ensures stores are fully prepared for busy moments, reducing wait times and enhancing customer satisfaction.

3. Feedback loops that keep improving the game

Zipline’s intuitive survey and audit capabilities make collecting qualitative feedback from the frontline simple. You can easily survey associates who know the day-to-day challenges of your business best. 

But, when combined with RetailNext’s quantitative data— – hard numbers on traffic patterns, dwell times, and conversion rates— – you’ve got a real 360-degree view of store performance.

This feedback loop helps refine processes, improve employee engagement, and ensure operational excellence.

It’s not a fantasy at all!

Drafting a fantasy football team is exciting, but it’s also just that— – a fantasy. What if your ultimate lineup could actually win you games in the real world? 

That’s what Zipline, Legion, and RetailNext deliver: a dream team that’s no fantasy. Come meet our teams IRL at reTAILGATE during NRF this January.

We’ll show you how these tools can level up your retail game—and we’ll also have the playoff game on, so you can cheer for your favorite football team while you’re at it. Snacks, insights, and touchdowns? That’s a win-win-win.

See you at reTAILGATE! 🏈