SALT LAKE CITY — ReposiTrak, Inc. has announced that implementation of Touchless Retail is underway with a paper products supplier at a large East Coast retailer.
Touchless Retail combines ReposiTrak’s best-in-class DSD technology, including perpetual inventory, demand-driven ordering and out-of-stock visibility—with an elite merchandising team made up of the top 10% of merchandisers. The result is smarter, more consistent shelf execution at a fixed, predictable cost that is typically 50% lower than traditional hourly merchandising.
The retailer is also evaluating broader deployment of Touchless Retail to improve in-stock performance and reduce out-of-stocks across its DSD supplier base.
The combination of advanced technology, top-tier execution and significantly lower, predictable costs is driving strong market interest in Touchless Retail.
“Touchless Retail is moving from market introduction to implementation,” said Randy Fields, chairman and CEO of ReposiTrak. “Our first supplier contracts have been signed, and deployment is underway. Paper products are an excellent example of a category where shelf availability, presentation and consistent execution matter. Suppliers need a better way to manage that work without accepting unpredictable merchandising costs or inconsistent results.”
Touchless Retail has been extremely well received across categories and addresses two persistent problems for direct store delivery (DSD) suppliers managing products at retail:
- High and unpredictable merchandising costs, including variable hourly rates, travel charges and other expenses that make programs difficult to budget and scale
- Inconsistent store-level execution, with limited visibility into who performed the work, what was completed and whether products were properly stocked, displayed and represented at the shelf
For paper products suppliers, those challenges can directly affect product availability, shelf presentation and sales. Large, high-volume products require consistent attention to inventory conditions, shelf replenishment and merchandising execution to help keep products available and properly presented to shoppers.
Touchless Retail replaces traditional merchandising uncertainty with a fixed cost that is typically about 50% less than traditional merchandising models and store-level execution by an APEX Certified Team composed of SPAR’s elite merchandisers.
The solution is delivered through the relationship between ReposiTrak and SPAR Group, Inc. (OTCQB: SGRP). ReposiTrak manages the integrated Touchless Retail program, including technology, data, supplier onboarding and operational coordination. SPAR provides the experienced field organization responsible for in-store execution.
SPAR has more than 55 years of merchandising experience and a nationwide network of more than 6,000 merchandisers. For Touchless Retail programs, only the top-performing 10% of that network qualifies for the elite APEX team. These proven merchandisers deliver exceptional execution, with an on time visit rate exceeding 99.5% and a revisit rate of less than 0.5%.
“This is not simply access to merchandising labor,” Fields added. “Before deployment begins, we establish the stores, products, service requirements and execution standards. For a paper products supplier, that means having a disciplined approach to keeping the right products properly represented at the shelf. The supplier knows what the program will cost, who is representing its brand and how execution will be managed.”
Touchless Retail is available to suppliers across all categories delivered by DSD.
“Traditional merchandising has forced suppliers to accept unpredictable costs without always knowing who is representing their brand or whether the work was completed to their standards,” said William Linanne, CEO of SPAR Group. “By combining ReposiTrak’s technology and data capabilities with SPAR’s professional merchandising organization, Touchless Retail changes that equation. Suppliers can gain predictable costs, stronger store-level execution and greater confidence that their products are available and properly represented at the shelf.”
With the paper products supplier implementation underway, Touchless Retail is advancing a new merchandising model built around lower costs, higher-quality execution and measurable accountability.
