Planograms: Planning The Way Towards Retail Success

One of the biggest hurdles faced by retail store owners is trying to decide exactly how and where to display product. It's no secret that product placements plays a critical role in the success of a retail store or business. When it's done right, customers will naturally feel more inclined to make purchases; thus, increasing your sales and profits. However, the wrong placement will have an opposite effect by discouraging customers to make purchases. The good news is that visual representations know as planograms can help owners choose the right location for their products...

What Is a Planogram?

First and foremost, let's go over the basics of a planogram, as some people are likely hearing about them for the first time. Although there are dozens of different types of planograms, they all share some basic similarities. A planogram is essentially a visual representation of how product is set up and displayed in a retail store. Nearly every major retailer use them to instruct crews on the proper way to set up product. Rather than trying to guess what the best way to display product is, a planogram will reveal exactly how it should be done.

Shelves, Grid Wall, Slat Wall and More

It's important to note that planograms are used for more than just basic shelving units. They are also used to define product display and placement on gondolas, end-caps, slat wall, grid wall and checkout lane fixtures. Store owners and set crews may have a difficult time trying to organize product on new fixtures which they aren't used to working with. Thankfully, planograms are available to guide them step by step through the process.

Benefits of Using a Planogram

Unless you've used them before, you might be wondering what the benefits of planograms are. Well, planograms for traditional gondolas, for instance, reveal the exact placement for product along with the appropriate heights for each of the shelves. This is a huge benefit that will save you both time and energy in the long run. With each of the shelves designed on a visual planogram, you'll have no problem adding all of the necessary product.

Planograms also reveal SKU numbers along with a short description of each product. If your store is running low on a particular product, you can circle or make a note on the planogram to order more. With the SKU number already printed on the planogram, you don't have to worry about trying to manually write down or remember some long code.