In the past few years there have been several dismal predictions for brick-and-mortar stores as retailers and forecourt stores face constant disruption from eCommerce and a growing competitive environment. Despite that, the physical store remains very relevant, with many consumers wanting to feel and touch the product before committing to a purchase or preferring to order online and pick up in store (along the way learning about new products and promotions).
Achieve real-time visibility of in-store displays
In an experience-driven consumer world, stores provide brands with another opportunity to tell their story to the consumer. Here are three reasons why CPG brands and wholesalers need a retail execution strategy in place, to remain relevant and successful:
- One of the biggest challenges that brands struggle with is keeping tabs on their in-store displays. Traditionally, field reps have a tough time submitting reports in a timely fashion, mostly due to slow, manual, error prone reporting processes.
- The introduction of sales force automation apps with retail execution capabilities empowers field reps to monitor retail shelves and share that information with relevant stakeholders in real-time. They can quickly take pictures of shelves, compare them to planograms, take stock of merchandise, make recommendations for replenishment, optimize shelf space and facings, and make sure retailers and forecourt stores never run low on best-selling products.
- Monitoring store shelves in real-time is not only good for inventory tracking, it also verifies that merchandising practices are carried out as planned at each store.
Strengthen your brand
Brands and wholesalers are beginning to realize that retail locations can be used for much more than a channel for selling their products. It is the ideal space for you to share your vision and the story behind your brand. Perhaps you’re a food brand and can use your retail execution to advocate your company’s core lifestyle beliefs? Or a clothing brand that gives consumers the attitude they need to conquer their goals?
Your promotions and displays convey your image, so it’s vital those ideas are perfectly executed in-store. Merchandising apps guide your field reps to follow best practices in the store to ensure that your goals are achieved in each outlet.
Get actionable sales insights
Merchandising activities provide managers with up-to-the-minute reporting on the status of inventory, sell-through data, merchandising activities, competitive information and more. This means they have data from which they can derive tangible and actionable insights for their field operations, marketing campaigns, production plans and more.
Brick-and-mortar stores are here to stay for the foreseeable future and will remain an important touch point with consumers. The stocking and presentation of your products and related marketing tools in-store, play a decisive factor in the purchasing decision of many consumers. It directly results in higher sales and enhanced brand awareness. For that reason, a retail execution strategy is not an option - it’s a “must have”.
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