With the increased pace of consumerism, there has been a growing need for optimum display at the point of sales. This holds truth for both online and offline stores. Having said that, we mean more and more scientific display of products has been the need of the hour for the businesses across the markets in the world. Planogramming has, therefore, evolved as a natural choice.
Well, to take the discussion forward in a meaningful way, let’s try to define planogram and how it helps to optimise sales at the retail stores. In simple words, planogram is a pictogram that delineates where and how products should be placed on the shelves of the retail stores so that visitors can see them best. This, in turn, can potentially increase sales.
Planogramming is a skill and it’s a learnt behaviour that revolves around merchandising and retail space planning bespoke to the requirement of a business. Planograms are often referred to as PIGs and people with the skill of planograms are called planogrammers.
Key areas of planogramming:
- Visualising the big picture: The job of a planogrammer demands the ability to visualise the big picture of a business. Having said that, we mean a planogrammer must be able to perceive the visibility quotient of the products on display at a retail store vis-a-vis the footfall there on an ongoing basis. After all, a product that’s optimally visible to the visitors at a retail space is most likely to get sold to its customers. As a matter of fact, people with a high degree of inquisitiveness on retail space planning are likely to succeed in planogramming.
- Consumer insights: At every retail space, there is essentially a huge number of products on display. Interestingly, not every product appeal every consumer. Therefore, the propensity to sell of each product is different. A planogrammer must be able to recognise that in advance and must be able to plan the display accordingly. Hence, a planogrammer must have adequate consumer insights while arranging the display of products at the retail stores.
- Ability to introspect: Visitors aren’t going to tell a planogrammer about the right display arrangement that’s convenient for them. Instead, it is the duty of a planogrammer to analyse the situation proactively based on the factors like frequency of sales of a product from a retail unit vis-a-vis its demand in the local market. In short, a planogrammer must be smart enough to introspect planograms from time to time and should come out with the best practices there. This is a prerequisite.
- Planning: After the introspection and the sales data analysis vis-a-vis the demand for a product in a niche market, the next step is to plan the display of products at the retail store with conviction even challenging the rules at times. Our two cents here is that retail space display planning isn’t a fixed format since the retail spaces are different with respect to markets. The job of a planogrammer, for instance, isn’t exactly the same at a mall and at a multi-brand shop.
The scope of work of a planogrammer is huge. So goes with the job prospect of a planogrammer.
