Overview of the Situation
A Home & Garden manufacturer was launching a new high-ticket barbecue into a market dominated by a major player. Having agreed a commercial deal with a do-it-yourself retailer, they needed a big impact on launch with their products. Due to the geography of the retailer estate, there was a need to implement a team that could visit each site and build a demonstration model for customers to see prior to purchase.
The Problem They Faced
The manufacturer, as part of the commercial agreement with the retailer, needed to visit the top 50 outlets and build a semi-permanent display stand, accessory rack, and a premium barbecue display, quickly and efficiently. They also had to spend sufficient time in each store, coaching store teams on the benefits of the brand and the features of the products, so they could themselves promote to customers who were looking to purchase.
To drive sales quickly, there was a need to ensure compliance of products, quality merchandising and the optimum positioning of the product for customer visibility – all in a consistent manner across the retailer estate – something that the manufacturer did not have the internal capacity or experience to deliver.
The Causes of the Problem
The lack of experience, structure or mobility meant that the manufacturer was unable to implement the programme that the retailer demanded using their own company.
The Impact of the Problem
Failing to implement this merchandising programme would have been against the commercial agreement with the retailer, causing financial penalties for the manufacturer and putting any future negotiations for extending the listing, or introducing an increased range at huge risk.
The Promise / Plan
Our solutions were designed to:
- Recruit a small, high-skilled team of merchandisers to visit the stores, locate the units and create the displays within the pre-agreed timeframe (as defined by the client and retailer contract)
- Communicate ahead of the activity to arrange the date and time that the work could take place as well as the contact person for the visit directly with the stores. This was to complete the activity in a manner that didn’t clash with competitors but worked for the benefit of the client and the retailer.
- Implement the merchandising and then collect photographic evidence of the unit’s location, for future reference.
The Outcome
For the project, we completed:
- The merchandising programme to the retailers’ timeframe
- The implementation of all available accessory stock, ensuring no back stock was left off sale
- The siting of all accurate POS and pricing before leaving
- Store-based training on the product range to each store contact, as well as the wider range from the client, focusing on those lines that would be more likely to sell through at speed
- The entire installation in a manner that the client then had a greater foothold in the retailer
