Overview
Shopfitting quotes are sold to retailers on a deadline, and the trading-on-opening-day promise is the contract
Shopfitting is the trade that turns an empty retail unit into a trading shop. The customer is a retailer, a franchisee, or a brand rolling out a new store. The deadline isn't flexible: the landlord's lease starts billing, the marketing campaign launches, the staff have been hired. The shopfitter is coordinating multiple sub-trades on a fixed end-date: partitions, ceilings, flooring, joinery, shopfront, signage, lighting, electrical, HVAC adjustments, fire safety. A flat 'shop fit-out, $80,000' quote without the schedule, the sub-trade list, and the trading-on-opening-day commitment doesn't win against the competitor whose quote shows the week-by-week plan.
QuoteGenio gives shopfitters a quoting shape built for retail rollouts. Survey and design coordination with the brand or retailer as the first line, build programme by week, joinery and fittings by section, electrical and lighting, flooring and finishes, shopfront and external signage, fire and emergency lighting, contingency for landlord-requested changes, and a trading-day commissioning. Send via email or WhatsApp to the retailer's property or operations team, take staged deposits, raise progress invoices weekly, and the final invoice closes with the keys handed over and the shop ready to trade on the scheduled date.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for shopfitting and retail fitout businesses of every size.
The problem
The quoting headaches every shopfitter knows
Shopfitting quotes mix joinery, electrical, finishes, and install hours. Miss one trade and the project runs at a loss.
Quotes take a week to write
Pulling materials, finishes, electrical, and install into one quote can swallow days. Meanwhile the brief moves on without you.
Multi-trade scope is fuzzy
Without a clear breakdown by trade, clients argue about what was included. Disputes eat your margin and your goodwill.
Retail clients buy on PDF
Brand procurement teams pick from clean, comparable quotes. A scrappy email with totals only gets shortlisted nowhere.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes it simple
A fast, clean workflow that lets you quote per linear metre of joinery and per trade in one document.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for shopfitters
Line items for joinery, finishes, electrical, signage, lighting, install, and snagging. Structured the way fitout projects actually price.
Works from the site
Quote variations from the shop floor on your phone during a site visit. No need to wait until you are back at the office.
Quote in under 10 minutes
A structured workflow that turns a brief and a measure into a sent quote before the brand's procurement deadline.
Track progress payments
Issue 30/40/30 or milestone invoices off one quote. Know exactly which payments are due and which have landed.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how shopfitters actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Shopfitters choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Shopfitters build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Shopfitters job pricing
A rough guide to what shopfitters charge. Price varies with finish grade, retail brand standards, after-hours install premiums, and centre management fees. Use these as a sanity check, not a fixed rate card.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Retail counter (per linear metre, melamine) | R6,280 - R12,395 |
| Wall shelving unit (per linear metre) | R3,636 - R7,933 |
| Solid surface counter top (per linear metre) | R7,933 - R19,832 |
| Display cabinet with glass and lighting | R29,749 - R74,372 |
| Full small retail fitout (under 50 sqm) | R297,486 - R908,985 |
| Office fitout per square metre (basic) | R4,628 - R14,048 |
| Site install team (per day, two-person) | R14,048 - R23,138 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A site measure call-out should cover travel, time on-site, and the drawing-up afterwards. Most shopfitters charge R2,479 to R6,611 for a measure visit, sometimes credited back if the job is awarded. List it as a separate line so brands see what they are paying for.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use per linear metre or per square metre fixed pricing for the joinery and finishes once the spec is signed off. Use hourly or daily rates for site install, snagging, and after-hours retail work where the scope can shift. Always state your after-hours premium in the quote terms.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here's a clean, itemised quote for a typical small retail fitout. Joinery, install, after-hours premium, and centre management costs are all visible. Brand procurement teams accept structured quotes faster because they can see exactly where every cent sits.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Boutique retail fitout, counter and rear shelving
Retail counter (4.2m, melamine with solid surface top)
Rear wall shelving (6m, melamine with LED strip)
Display cabinet with glass and lighting
Site install team (3 days, after-hours mall)
Centre management induction and waste removal
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail counter (4.2m, melamine with solid surface top) | 4.2 | R15,205 / m | R63,860 |
| Rear wall shelving (6m, melamine with LED strip) | 6 | R6,280 / m | R37,682 |
| Display cabinet with glass and lighting | 2 | R39,665 | R79,330 |
| Site install team (3 days, after-hours mall) | 3 | R20,659 / day | R61,976 |
| Centre management induction and waste removal | 1 | R7,933 | R7,933 |
| Subtotal | R250,781 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R25,078 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R275,859 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Centre management induction fees, after-hours install premium, waste removal, snag list visit, brand-mandated finishes (often more expensive than your standard), and the second trip for handover photos. Add these as standard lines on your retail template.
Peer snapshot
How Shopfitters actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Shopfitters on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
25
Quotes sent per month
61%
Average quote acceptance
5 min
Median time to send quote
R275,859
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Shopfitter jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of shopfitters. The same scoping mistakes come up on every brand fitout. Fix these and you will protect your margin and stop arguing with brand procurement at the end of the job.
Mistake: Pricing only the joinery
Better: Retail fitouts include lighting, electrical, signage, and finishes. Quote each as a separate line so the brand sees the full scope and you do not absorb invisible costs.
Mistake: Ignoring after-hours premium
Better: Mall and retail fitouts almost always run after-hours. Build a 1.5x to 2x premium into install lines and state the trading hours assumed in the quote terms.
Mistake: Forgetting centre management costs
Better: Centres charge induction, security, waste, and key deposit fees. Build a 'centre fees' line keyed to the venue, or state they are excluded and billed at cost.
Mistake: No allowance for snag list
Better: Brand snag visits always pull up something. Quote a fixed snag visit (typically 1 day, 2 to 3 weeks after handover) so it is paid time, not a freebie.
Mistake: Soft-quoting brand finishes
Better: Brand-mandated finishes (specific laminate, paint, stone) cost more than your default. Get the brand spec sheet before quoting and price the actual finish, not a similar one.
Mistake: Same install rate for everything
Better: Install in a quiet office is half the cost of install in a working mall. Have at least three install rate tiers: shop closed, after-hours retail, occupied office.
Mistake: Open-ended quote validity
Better: Brand programmes slip. Set a 30 day quote expiry with a reprice clause if the install date moves more than 60 days. Stops you honouring last quarter's prices on next quarter's job.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote shopfitting jobs
Walk the retail shell before you price, and get the brand spec sheet before you leave the meeting. Measure counter and shelving runs in linear metres, count display cabinets, map the lighting layout, check ceiling heights, and note trading hours (mall day, after-hours only, overnight). Clarify which finishes are brand-mandated (specific laminate, paint code, stone) versus your choice, and ask centre management about induction, security, waste, and key deposit fees. A proper shell survey plus a signed brand spec sheet turns a fitout quote from guesswork into a defensible line-by-line price.
Itemise every trade on the PDF, not just the joinery. Split retail counter per linear metre (melamine carcase at one rate, solid surface top at another), rear shelving per metre, display cabinets per unit including glass and lighting. Add a separate install team day rate with the trading-hours assumption noted (shop closed, after-hours retail at 1.5x to 2x, overnight at 2x). List centre management induction, waste removal, snag visit (fixed 1 day, 2 to 3 weeks post handover), brand-mandated finishes at supplier cost plus markup, and any signage or electrical connection. Use at least three install rate tiers and name the scenario on the line.
Set a 30 day quote validity with a reprice clause if the install date moves more than 60 days out, brand programmes slip routinely. Stone, laminate, and imported hardware prices move with the rand. State after-hours premiums, centre fees, and snag inclusions explicitly in the quote terms so nothing is a surprise at invoice. For multi-site rollouts, use a 30/40/30 milestone split (order, fabrication complete, install sign-off per store). Take a 40 to 50 percent deposit on order for bespoke joinery because material is committed the moment the brand signs off. Note that scope changes become variation orders before any extra cut is made.
Send the structured PDF to brand procurement before the deadline, not at the deadline. Brand buyers shortlist on line-item clarity, and a quote that shows counter per metre, install per day, and centre fees separately beats a competitor lump sum. Email procurement, WhatsApp the project manager, and attach the spec sheet confirmation. Follow up after three days. During a fitout, any brief change from the brand project manager gets a variation quote issued through QuoteGenio and accepted online before you lift a tool, verbal change orders on retail fitouts end in unpaid work.
FAQ
Common questions from shopfitters
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Set the line item unit to metres and your rate per metre. QuoteGenio multiplies it out and shows it clearly on the PDF for the brand and procurement.
Yes. Every quote becomes a branded PDF and a public link. Email it to procurement, share via WhatsApp with the project manager, or both. The brand gets a clean structured document.
Add separate line items or sections for each scope. You can use different units (metres, days, square metres) on the same quote. The PDF shows it all clearly.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Brand reps open it on any device and accept online. You get notified instantly so you can lock in the slot.
Yes. Duplicate the quote into multiple invoices for 30/40/30 or any milestone split. All line items carry over so you just edit the percentages.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Most shopfitters apply a 1.5x to 2x premium on install hours for after-hours retail work and a 2x for overnight. Build it as a separate install rate in your template and reference the assumed trading hours in the quote terms so there is no friction at invoice.
Yes. List them as their own line, either at fixed cost (when you know the centre's rates) or as 'estimate, billed at cost'. Hiding them in install hours causes disputes when the centre invoices you for security and waste.
Get the full brand spec sheet before quoting. Price the exact mandated finishes (often a specific laminate, paint code, or stone) at supplier cost plus your markup. Note the spec and supplier on the line so the brand sees you are pricing what they asked for.
Yes. Quote a fixed snag visit (typically 1 day, 2 to 3 weeks after handover) as a paid line. Brand snag lists always find something, and this protects your team's time when the call comes in.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Reviews
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Real feedback from people who quote for a living.
"Quoting per square metre used to take me forever. I have templates set up now that cover lawn, pavers, and planting separately. Cuts my admin in half."
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Landscaper · Melbourne
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Installer · Paris
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Panel Beater · Durban
Guides
Guides for Shopfitters
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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