You see that stuff over there? The stuff in the box? Yeah, I'm gonna need you to set that up... Looks good. Thanks.
That's the kind of conversation I fear is happening in retail stores across America. Just the thought of it is enough to keep me up at night!
How does your store verify the correct materials at the correct store at the correct price and at the correct time? There are too many variables here that could go awry.
Let's break it down to see areas of improvement:
1. The Materials
Is there enough product? Are the product facings correct? Unfortunately, it's more complicated than just receiving the SKUs. An in-store promotion may require some assembly, from a cardboard display to the reorganization of shelf space. These changes must be done according to planogram.
How does it look now? Request that your team members take a photo to verify the correct setup.
2. The Store
It's a two-sided coin. On one side, the CPG company or vendor needs to track materials and compliance with set-up. On the other side, the retailer should know its own rate of compliance across the chain. Both parties should be able to call up this information quickly and pinpoint non-compliant stores.
3. The Price is Right?
Imagine if the game show had a question mark after it.There's no room for guesswork when it comes to the pricing of promotional merchandising! That's why there are product UPC readers. The right program can easily report back on a SKU.
4. The Correct Time
Customers will come to your store looking for a specific item on promotion. You have to be prepared. If a rollout is supposed to take two weeks, it can't take three. This applies to retail food establishments, as well. Menus or digital menu boards must be updated. Each store promotion should have the same start and stop time. Again, you need a system that can easily show you non-compliant stores vs. compliant stores.
The Takeaway
In a recent post about food quality, my colleague Jennifer warned against the "set-and-forget" mentality. I'd like to borrow the phrase and apply it to in-store promotions. Diligence is what sets apart winners from champions in the retail space.
The only way to be diligent in a brick-and-mortar business is to get out in the field and share insights across your network.
Learn more about the advantages of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and real-time exception reporting by clicking here.
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