Rally House automates hiring in midst of expansion
A sports apparel and merchandise retailer is ensuring it has enough employees during a period of rapid growth.
Rally House, which recently took over three former M Den retail spaces in Ann Arbor, Mich. (where the University of Michigan main campus is located) and has expanded from 140 to nearly 300 stores, uses applied artificial intelligence and automation to accelerate recruitment, reduce costs and enhance candidate experience during this growth process.
[READ MORE: Rally House in store milestone; 'just getting started']
To scale recruitment without proportionally increasing staff, Rally House worked with AI hiring technology provider Phenom to roll out solutions including mobile-first QR code applications placed throughout stores, AI-based chatbot screening, predictive hiring campaigns and automated interview scheduling.
Rally House and Phenom designed the solutions to remove friction while preserving transparency and fairness.
The retailer used real-time data and predictive insights, including sports betting odds during playoff seasons, to launch geo-targeted hiring campaigns before demand surged, enabling it to staff new locations before construction was complete.
The Phenom solution maintained a “human-in-the-loop” approach that included store managers and scaled recruiting operations efficiently. Key results of the implementation include:
- 5,800-plus interviews were automatically scheduled in three months, reducing time-to-interview from days to hours
- 10,000 hours were saved through automation, which Rally House says was equivalent to having five full-time recruiters, freeing store managers to focus on operations and customer service.
- 7,992 employees were hired in 2024 through automated workflows.
- 122% cost savings were achieved through reduced dependence on paid job advertisements and more efficient sourcing strategies.
"The time saved, the candidate quality that we’re surfacing to the top and our ability to differentiate from our competitors — that’s something Phenom’s applied AI has helped us do. It’s helped us add a personal touch at scale, which is absolutely essential in high-growth retail environments like ours," said Bryan Brazil, talent acquisition manager at Rally House.
Based in Lenexa, Kan., Rally House and Sampler Stores Inc. is a family-owned specialty boutique that offers a selection of apparel, hats, gifts and home décor representing local college and pro sports teams in addition to locally inspired apparel, gifts and food. Rally House operates more than 275 locations across 22 states.
