On the Third Day of Christmas…How much Stuff?

“The 12 Gifts of Retail Christmas” for a Happy New Year

On the third day of Christmas VM-Unleashed! gave to me…
No.3 “The Answer to How Much Product to put in my Store!”

 

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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…

 

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For more information on how the space planning & merchandising audit can help. tim radley - CEO, VM-unleashed.ltd

 

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

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

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