Advantage Solutions reported improved Retailer Services profitability in Q1 2026, crediting a shift to centralized labor management that replaces fragmented store-level hiring with regional workforce pools, according to Markets Insider. The company, which provides in-store merchandising and sampling for consumer brands, saw cost structure gains flow directly to adjusted EBITDA growth in the quarter.

The firm moved away from assigning dedicated staff to individual retail locations. Instead, it built regional labor pools that deploy workers across multiple store visits based on real-time demand. A merchandiser might reset a shelf display at three different locations in one day rather than spending eight hours at a single retailer. The model reduces idle time, cuts duplicate training overhead, and allows the company to scale coverage without proportional headcount increases.

The mechanism works because retail execution is episodic. A brand refresh happens once, then the location needs minimal touch for weeks. Under the old model, a store-dedicated worker sat through slow periods on the brand's dime. Centralized dispatch treats each store visit as a discrete task, matching labor to actual workload. Advantage Solutions can now cover the same store footprint with fewer total labor hours while maintaining or improving service frequency.

For a physical product brand running its own retail execution, the same principle applies at smaller scale. Instead of hiring part-time staff in each metro where you have retail placement, contract with a single regional merchandiser who rotates through all your doors on a set route. Pay per visit or per task completed, not hourly. A brand with 12 doors across three cities can move from three part-time hires at $15/hour for 10 hours weekly ($1,800/month) to one roving contractor completing all resets and audits in 36 hours monthly at $25/hour ($900/month). The contractor brings their own vehicle, you provide the route sequence and photo checklist.

Start by mapping your current retail footprint and logging how often each location actually needs physical attention—not how often someone is scheduled to be there. Most brands discover that 80% of store time is monitoring, not active work. Build a monthly visit calendar: first-of-month audits, mid-month restock checks, end-of-month display refreshes. Then source a local tasker or retail merchandising freelancer through Wonolo, Field Agent, or a regional staffing platform. Provide them a mobile checklist, photo requirements, and the route. Pay per completed location, typically $25-$40 depending on metro. Track with timestamped photos and a shared spreadsheet.

The broader pattern is treating retail presence as a dispatch problem, not a coverage problem. Brands default to thinking they need someone always available at each door. Advantage Solutions proved the opposite: you need the right person at the right door at the right moment, then they move on. For a small brand, that means one good contractor and a tight route beats three mediocre part-timers with overlapping downtime.