3rd Joy of a Retail Spring – How much product in my stores?

Space planning & visual merchandising are the two cornerstones on which an attractive and commercial store are built

At the heart of this is the eternal question – “How much product should I put in my store?”

 

Get space planning wrong, allocate product incorrectly or deliver visual merchandising operations inefficiently and a store will never attain its potential sales productivity.

Marrying the “beauty and the beast” of the assortment comes down to an absolute certainty and consistency within a business on a few key questions:

• am I displaying with the correct option density?
• am I converting square metres into linear metres correctly?
• are my fixtures giving me the optimum linear metres?
• are my display techniques in-line with best practice?
• is my use of props and mannequins appropriate?
• how does the first 1/3rd of my store compare to my competitors?
• is my visual communication saying the right things?

This is how we can help… Space Planning & Visual Merchandising Audits

“How can I improve sales performance by better planning my space, allocating and managing my assortment, displaying my product and improving customer interaction & touchpoints?”

Overview:

Detailed measurement and comparison of selected store attributes from space allocation to display techniques, from store props to visual communication

• measuring and comparing display density and display type, rhythm and techniques
• measuring and comparing space conversion of sq metres to linear metres
• measuring the type, balance and number of wall & floor fixtures
• measuring type and density of messages & POS
• measuring busts, mannequins and visual props
• measuring focal points, power walls, gondola ends and store touchpoints
• measuring & assessing the touchpoints, mechanics & impact of the first 1/3rd of the store
• measuring the consistency of all above deliverables between selected client stores
• comparison across all above deliverables with competitors and best practice stores
• assessment of opportunities for more consistency within own stores and recommendations on improvements to achieve competitor best practice

Benefits:

• Identifies problems with inconsistencies across the client chain
• Identifies the processes & disciplines required to improve consistency
• Identifies opportunities to improve to achieve best practice
• Identifies where investment should be focused for maximum visual impact and return
• Identifies general and specific strengths/weaknesses across departmental disciplines

Process:

• Selected client store visits and best practice competitor stores
• Remote analysis, answers and action plan
• Client presentation workshop

Aggressive actions (from a potentially long list):

• identify correct option density by store based on its size and performance
• modify the wall and floor fixturing to give a store its competitive display metres
• invigorate space and display at the store front and first 1/3rd
• invest in props/mannequins and displays that directly increase KPIs
• change wall display rhythms, techniques and densities
• put the best product in the best place…

 

 

For more information on how the space planning & merchandising audit can help.

 

Please get in touch. We’ll be happy to help & advise…

+44 (0)7967 609849
tim.radley@vm-unleashed.com