Special Order Workflow
- 1Customer requests a non-stocked size
- 2Staff enters request into the portal
- 3System monitors inventory for SKU arrival
- 4Automated SMS sent to customer to pick up and pay
Systems for Footwear Retailers
Modern Systems for Independent Shoe Retailers
Shoe stores generate revenue through high-touch floor sales and repeat seasonal purchases. Income is usually lost when specific sizes are out of stock without a notification system or when local customers are not alerted to new arrivals that match their style profiles.
Retail
- Size Back-in-Stock Alerts
- Brand-Specific Reactivation
- AI Showroom Assistant
- Loyalty Review Requests
- VIP Drop Notifications
How the business actually works
How the work flows, start to finish.
- 01
Sourcing
Curating seasonal collections and placing pre-market orders with footwear brands.
- 02
Receiving
Barcoding stock and updating the floor inventory across all size runs.
- 03
Floor Fitting
Measuring customers and providing personalized style recommendations in the showroom.
- 04
Conversion
Completing the sale at the point of purchase including protective care upsells.
- 05
Clienteling
Building a digital profile of customer sizes, brand preferences, and purchase history.
- 06
Re-engagement
Alerting customers when new arrivals in their specific size or favorite brand land.
- 07
Clearance
Managing end of season markdowns to clear slow moving inventory for new stock.
Where it leaks
Common problems for shoe stores.
01
Size Fragmentation
Leaving a sale on the table because a specific size is missing from the stockroom. Without a way to capture that interest, the customer walks to a competitor or buys online immediately.
02
Dead Inventory
Carrying seasonal styles too long because you lack a direct way to notify loyal customers of private sales. This ties up capital that should be used for the next season arrivals.
03
Storefront Silence
High value shoppers walk by your window every day without a reason to step inside. You need a way to push real time updates about limited drops or restocks to local residents.
04
Manual Follow Up
Spending hours manually texting customers about special orders or repair statuses. This distracts floor staff from helping active shoppers currently in the store.
05
Review Gaps
Happy customers leave the store with their new boots but forget to share their experience. A lack of recent online reviews makes your boutique invisible to people searching for nearby footwear.
What LATTICE can build
Systems built around how you work.
Size Back-in-Stock Alerts
Allow floor staff to quickly capture a customer phone number and desired size to send an automated SMS the moment that SKU is scanned into inventory.
Brand-Specific Reactivation
Filter your database by brand preference and send targeted visuals of new collections to the customers most likely to buy them.
AI Showroom Assistant
An automated chat agent on your site that can answer questions about store hours, return policies, and current brand availability after hours.
Loyalty Review Requests
Automatically trigger a text message a few days after a purchase asking for a review while the customer is still excited about their new shoes.
VIP Drop Notifications
Create an exclusive list for limited release sneakers or high demand seasonal arrivals to drive immediate foot traffic.
Missed Call Text Back
When you are busy fitting a customer and cannot answer the phone, the system sends an immediate text to assist the caller.
Care Product Reminders
Send automated tips on leather care or weatherproofing six months after a premium boot purchase to stay top of mind.
Example systems
What it looks like in practice.
Seasonal Clearance Push
- 1Identify customers who bought a specific brand last year
- 2Send personalized SMS with a link to the new season lookbook
- 3Track clicks and store visits via the dashboard
In-Store Experience Loop
- 1Customer completes purchase at register
- 2Receipt triggers a thank you text
- 3Second text follows up 48 hours later for a review
- 4Positive feedback is pushed to your public profile
Have a different problem?
Tell us what's slowing the business down. LATTICE can build around the way your business operates.
Questions from shoe stores
How does this help if I have a physical store and no website?
Even without a full online store, you can use these tools to build a digital database of your local walk-in traffic. You can capture leads from your Google profile and text them directly to invite them into the showroom.
Can I target customers who only buy specific types of shoes?
Yes. The system allows you to tag customers by category, such as athletic, formal, or comfort footwear. This ensures your messages are relevant and prevents people from unsubscribing due to irrelevant content.
Will this work for my staff who are not tech-savvy?
The interface is designed for speed on the retail floor. Most actions, like adding a customer to a waitlist for a size, take only a few seconds on a tablet or mobile device.
Does this replace my point of sale system?
This works alongside your existing checkout process to handle the communication, marketing, and lead capture that standard registers often lack. It focuses on getting people back into the store.
Can I automate my holiday promotion schedule?
You can build your entire seasonal calendar in advance. The system will handle the delivery of announcements for Black Friday, Back to School, or End of Season sales automatically.