Direct answer
Retail sales commissions come in five common shapes: a flat percentage of the sale, tiered rates that step up as volume rises, category-specific rates that pay more on the products you want moved, spiffs on individual items, and splits when two people work the same deal. Whichever you pick, calculate it on every sale and show the number to the salesperson and the manager at the time of the sale, because commission arguments start with surprise at payday, not with the rate itself. Apply changes going forward instead of reaching back into closed sales; retroactive edits have to be done by hand, and they cost you more trust than they save in payroll.
Commission management is one of the most requested features in RetailGenie, and one of the most impactful. Clear, real-time commission tracking reduces disputes and builds team trust.
Setting Up Commission Structures
Navigate to Settings → Commissions to configure your structure. RetailGenie supports flat percentage commissions, tiered structures (higher rates at higher volume), category-specific rates, spiffs on specific products, and split commissions for team deals.
How Commissions Are Calculated
Commissions calculate automatically on every sale based on your configured rules. Both the salesperson and the manager can see the commission amount on each transaction. At the end of the pay period, the system generates a commission report ready for payroll.
Managing Team Members
Under Settings → Team, you can update roles, reassign store locations, set individual targets, and deactivate accounts when someone leaves. Deactivating (rather than deleting) preserves their sales history for reporting.
Commission structure changes apply to future sales only. Retroactive changes require manual adjustment. Contact support if you need help with this.
Frequently asked questions
How do you split commission when two salespeople work the same customer?
Set the split rule before it happens, not after the ticket is written. A commission setup should let one sale carry two names with the credit divided between them, so the greet, the demo, and the close all get paid instead of one person quietly taking the whole thing. Decide in advance what the split looks like (even halves, or a larger share to whoever wrote the order) and post it where the team can read it. The rule matters less than the fact that everyone knew it going in.
Can I change my commission structure in the middle of a pay period?
You can change it, but expect the new rules to apply only to sales written after the change takes effect. Sales already closed keep the commission they were calculated with, and moving them onto the new plan means adjusting them by hand. The cleaner move is to announce the change, then start it on the first day of a new pay period so every sale in that period is measured the same way.
What should I do with a salesperson's account when they leave?
Deactivate it rather than deleting it. Deleting a person can take their sales out of your reporting with them, which wrecks year over year comparisons and any pay period they were part of. Deactivation cuts off access while the sales they wrote stay attached to their name, so the history still adds up. Do it the day they leave, for the same reason you take their key back.
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