Retail leaders don’t have the luxury of time. When asking AI for help, the quality of your question directly shapes the quality of the answer. Enter CODO — a simple, actionable framework to craft sharper prompts in seconds.
CODO stands for:
- Character – Who should the AI “be”?
- Objective – What problem are you solving?
- Dos & Don’ts – What rules or limits matter?
- Output – What format or final deliverable do you want?
Example 1: Daily Sales Summary
❌ Weak Prompt:
“Summarize my sales.”
✅ CODO Prompt:
- Character: Act as my retail operations analyst.
- Objective: Summarize today’s sales across 3 branches.
- Dos & Don’ts: Do highlight top-selling SKUs and branches. Don’t list raw transaction data.
- Output: A 1-paragraph executive summary with 3 bullet-point insights.
Result: Instead of a generic list, you’ll get an insight-rich brief you can read in under a minute.
Example 2: Staff Scheduling
❌ Weak Prompt:
“Help me with staffing.”
✅ CODO Prompt:
- Character: Be my store HR planner.
- Objective: Recommend staff shifts for this weekend’s mall sale.
- Dos & Don’ts: Do ensure at least 2 cashiers per store during peak hours. Don’t schedule overtime beyond 8 hours.
- Output: A simple 3-day shift table.
Result: Clear, actionable schedules that reduce overstaffing risk and save labor costs.
Why It Works
- Character makes AI adopt the right lens (analyst, planner, marketer).
- Objective ensures focus on the real business question.
- Dos & Don’ts keep results practical and aligned with your constraints.
- Output saves you from reformatting or re-explaining later.
Try It Tomorrow
Next time you ask AI for help — whether it’s analyzing inventory, writing customer messages, or drafting supplier emails — run your request through CODO.
Think of it as a checklist: Character, Objective, Dos & Don’ts, Output.
It only takes 15 seconds to set up, but it can save you hours of back-and-forth and unlock sharper, more executive-ready insights.