Tips For Working with a Merchandising Company

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Rabbott

Woking with a Merchandising CompanyChoosing the right merchandising services company to partner with can be the difference between program success, mediocrity or failure. A company with experience and expertise can be a huge asset when it is time to execute in the store. Here are some valuable tips to consider when selecting a vendor for your next in-store merchandising project.

  • Engage them early in the planning process – they have knowledge and experience that will help find problems and efficiencies in your program that save time and money.
  • Match capabilities with program needs – most companies will claim to provide services for all categories and skill levels for a program.
  • Allow ample time for planning – delays in production and logistical execution are sure to happen.
  • Understand that more employees doesn’t equate with nationwide coverage – avoid companies that rely on mostly temps.
  • Provide as much information about your project as you can from the start – no detail is too small to consider or share.
  • Have a defined critical path and scope of work for the project – create documents that define each and stick to them.
  • Get key decision makers involved and define roles and responsibilities – determine who makes the final call on changes to schedule, critical path and scope of work.
  • Use the same company for performing store surveys and project execution – they will have a better understanding of the project needs.
  • Establish what type of completion information you need from the field to track and verify store execution – reporting is critical to proper compliance measurement.
  • Be flexible when developing an in-store execution timeline – again, problems and delays will happen, don’t be overoptimistic with it.
  • Brainstorm where potential choke points are in your program – facing them before launch pays huge execution dividends.

Each of these are critical to avoid in-store merchandising choke points that negatively affects your compliance success. To learn more, download our Merchandising Choke Points report.

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So Where Do You Want Your Display Installed?

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Rabbott

What would you do when a retail display installation is scheduled and the store is in the middle of a full scale remodel?

One of our display installation teams recently encountered this difficult, and all to common, merchandising choke point. This two person team was performing a complex display installation on a scheduled route that covered a large geographic area. Texas to be precise.

Store Not Ready - El Paso

Would you install a new display here?

When they arrive at one location, they found that the store was undergoing an extensive remodel and was far from finished. There was no indication of the store’s condition from the pre-call with the manager and the manufacturer was unaware of the store’s status. With bare walls and floors, it was basically still a shell and far from a retail store. Needless to say, it was not the ideal setting for the installation of an expensive retail fixture display.

The store’s condition caused a dilemma that became an expensive choke point, delayed the route and demanded a top level decision. The manufacturer  had two choices: One, set up the display while the team was there and have it potentially damaged during the remainder of construction; or two, have the team return later to the store after the remodel completion and perform the install. Neither were appealing options and the remote location of the store along with the size of the display made it more challenging.

If the display is installed now it risks being beat up by the drywall, paint, ceiling and flooring contractors. Each will try to work around it and move it out of the way with little regard for its importance. It’s very likely that it will be damaged and need replacing before the store reopens in a few weeks. In this case, the manufacturer could potentially pay for the display and the install twice.

If the team moves on, the display remains safely packaged in the warehouse but requires a second trip to the store to perform install. This will incur an additional “trip charge” to cover the team’s costs and complete the installation. When the store is in a remote location like this and requires installation expertise, it can get very expensive to schedule a skilled team to return. However, the display will not risk the thrashing of apathetic contractors.

What would you do?

A store like this can easily slip through the cracks. But this entire situation could have been avoided with better communication by store management to the manufacturer and merchandisers. This type of choke point occurs only because the two latter parties were not informed of the remodel and it’s projected completion.

Merchandising Choke Point ReportIn-store merchandising requires carefully planning and coordination. Whether you have 50 or 500 locations, you must perform the extensive leg work to insure an expensive choke points are avoided. Your budget can quickly take a significant hit by experiencing a choke point such as this.

To learn more about Merchandising Choke Points, download a copy of our free report.

 

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Merchandising Choke Point #1: Critical Path & Scope of Work

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Rabbott
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Most under performing merchandising initiatives are the result of poor execution due to improper or incomplete planning. Your concept, material design and printing may be worthy of industry accolades and awards but without defining a clear critical path and scope of work, implementation in the store is doomed. It is very easy to create unnecessary choke points by failing to invest the time developing these documents.

Here are the primary choke point sources of critical path and scope of work issues:

No Critical Path Established To Guide Implementation

The critical path is exactly as it sounds – an indispensable step-by-step list of action steps and timelines that must be completed so the project is executed as designed. Without this list, the project becomes a muddled mess of assumptions and guesswork by store management, construction and merchandising teams.

Lack of a Detailed Scope of Work

A detailed scope of work is essential to achieving a high level of in-store compliance. This document should contain an overview of the project, an explanation of goals, procedures and instructions, example photos, and a list of tools needed to complete the tasks.

Non-Existent or Confusing Installation Instructions

Without clear and concise instructions there is little chance of proper execution. You can never assume that installation is a “no-brainer” and easy to understand. If process tasks and procedures are not illustrated and explained in detail the required installation time increases and the compliance rate drops dramatically.

The Appearance of “Scope Creep”

Scope creep is the phenomenon that occurs when unplanned additions and change orders are made to the project during the in store installation. These changes can be instigated by all levels of decision makers from corporate management, district managers to store managers.

Adding more to the project scope on the fly can be very costly and have a negative effect on measurable results. It is critical to have a process in place that handles any project change order with a single person making the final decisions.

Download your copy of the free Merchandising Choke Points Report here

 

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Merchandising Choke Point: Poor Material Logistics

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Rabbott

A good way to blow up a merchandising program budget is failing to have a firm grasp on material logistics arriving at the store. Poor planning and execution on delivering the displays, fixtures and POP to the store can easily double the cost of an in-store set up.

merchandising material logistic isssuesThis merchandising choke point is not easily rectified because of all the moving parts involved from manufacturer to distributor to shipper to store receiving. As a merchandising services company, the worst situation we experience is sending a merchandising team to a store location and the materials have not yet arrived. Without any materials, no work can be performed and the project critical path grinds to a halt and the route schedules are obliterated.

The only choices are to sit the team and wait for the materials to arrive or move on to the next store. Too often, the team must return at a later time adding days to the project. Both are detrimental  for your budget because additional costs are incurred to cover their time, travel and expenses.

There are many reasons for poor material logistics, here are the most common:

  • Not enough time planned for the entire process from design to manufacturing to distribution
  • Manufacturing delays
  • Shipping issues such as weather and labor problems
  • Failing to hire a reliable freight company
  • Shipments sent to the wrong store location
  • Missing, partial or damaged components
  • Receiving issues at the store

Each of these can be avoided by careful planning and allowing enough time to absorb problems when they arise. An experienced merchandising company such as DisplayMax should be engaged early in the process to help identify possible choke points in the process.

By examining the plans and brainstorming the worst case scenarios, our merchandising execution experts can help you avoid wasting your money on unnecessary choke points in your initiatives.

Click here for more on Merchandising Choke Points

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A Key to Successful In-Store Merchandising Initiatives: An Accurate Survey

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Rabbott

One of the most consistent, and costly,  in-store merchandising choke points is the lack of an accurate store survey. When designing a new merchandising program, it’s easy to forget that not all retail stores are the same. Actually, very few are exactly alike.

A good survey provides a detailed picture of the store’s environment and how a new program’s fixtures or displays will integrate with existing marketing materials. It also reveals the available space, lighting and power sources that will be needed. Potential problem areas can also be considered such as ceiling heights, posts, traffic obstructions and sight lines.

A useful survey will be custom designed to give you the exact information necessary to correctly design and build the merchandising piece. There is nothing worse than investing a great deal of time and money in a new initiative and have the display not fit because of bad assumptions.

It is always invest in a accurate in-store survey in the front end of the program than pay for it with poor program results in the back end. Find out more here

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