Retail execution is a critical component in the consumer goods industry, influencing everything from product visibility to sales performance. In a landscape where brands are not important in 48% of purchase decisions, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies face a significant disadvantage, making effective retail execution even more vital. To maximize your retail execution budget, it’s essential to implement best practices that not only streamline operations but also foster lasting partnerships with retailers.

By focusing on strong relationships, comprehensive support plans, and strategic positioning, brands can ensure their products shine in-store and capture the attention of consumers. In this blog, we’ll explore essential strategies to elevate your retail execution by focusing on three key areas.

Enhancing Retail Execution

Monitor Your Inventory to Ensure Shelves Stay Stocked

Inventory challenges like stockouts and delivery delays can frustrate shoppers and can hurt profit margins. Greater inventory visibility is essential for effective supply chain management. Field representatives equipped with the right retail execution solutions can provide critical insights to their company’s supply-and-demand planning teams, pinpointing where actual needs lie and optimizing the flow of goods. This proactive approach is likely to win over retailers who are also concerned about missed sales.

To maintain well-stocked shelves, field reps require tools that enable them to plan store visits more efficiently. Mobile devices, such as tablets that function with or without internet connectivity, empower reps to check real-time inventory levels, plan routes intelligently, place orders, and submit reports from any location. For instance, they can reorder stock directly at the store; if the warehouse is out of stock, they can propose alternatives on the spot. In cases of intermittent connectivity, orders will be processed as soon as the signal is restored.

Ensure In-Store Displays Align with Your Strategy

In-store displays are crucial for encouraging consumers to choose your products. Effective placement can significantly enhance visibility, which is vital for capturing impulse purchases. However, many consumer goods leaders find that their merchandising and marketing strategies are not executed as planned in retail environments. It’s essential to equip your field representatives with the necessary tools to implement your strategic vision effectively. They should have easy access to planograms and display guidelines, allowing them to set up product displays swiftly instead of searching through various resources for instructions. This enables them to spend more time engaging with store managers and staff, fostering relationships that can lead to increased sales. It also allows them to monitor competitor activities and provide valuable feedback to the sales and marketing teams.

Field representatives serve as the vital link between your brand and retailers. Supplying them with accurate, up-to-date information through effective retail execution strategies is crucial for how your brand is perceived by consumers. Ultimately, they act as your eyes and ears in the field, assessing competitive merchandise and relaying insights from the shopping aisles.

Empower Field Reps with Always-On Pricing Access

Your field reps are determined to keep shelves stocked, but they’re missing valuable order opportunities everywhere they go. Why? Without offline access to pricing scales, per-unit costs, and manufacturer discounts, placing timely orders becomes a challenge. This can strain your relationships with retailers, especially when a competitor’s rep can easily order products at the right price.

In today’s competitive landscape, having precise pricing is essential. Ensure your field reps have instant access to accurate pricing information, regardless of connectivity. This empowers them to confidently address product inquiries, swiftly place orders on-site, and guarantee they remain competitively priced.

To maximize the return on your retail execution budget, it’s essential to adhere to a few key practices.

• Foster Strong Retail Relationships: Dedicate time to understand the retailer’s business model and cultivate a collaborative partnership. Engage in joint planning, maintain open lines of communication, and ensure alignment of both parties’ objectives.
• Develop a Comprehensive Support Plan: Equip your retailers with the necessary tools to effectively sell your products. This includes providing training materials, promotional assets, and point-of-sale displays that enhance product visibility.
• Prioritize Strategic Positioning: Be proactive in securing optimal shelf placements, end-cap displays, and prominent store locations. If you don’t take the initiative, your competitors will seize the opportunity.

Enhance Your Retail Execution Strategies with our AI-powered REX

Retail execution strategies are essential for keeping your brand top of mind with consumers and securing prime shelf space in stores. These activities not only drive consumer engagement but also strengthen your relationships with retailers. To truly make your retail execution efforts count, it’s crucial to have the right tools and technology. This helps streamline processes, increase efficiency, and boost overall productivity, ensuring your brand remains competitive in the marketplace. Ivy Mobility’s retail execution solution offers key features like real-time data access, mobile-friendly tools, enhanced communication between teams, and customizable dashboards. These features enable brands to improve in-store visibility, automate routine tasks, and strengthen their retail partnerships. The result? Increased operational efficiency, better product placement, and higher sales, all while maintaining a strong presence in stores and capturing more market share. Talk to our expert team today and learn more about our Retail Execution solution.