Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies struggle to provide consistent brand experiences across touchpoints as omnichannel commerce grows. The disconnects between online and in-store experiences—coupled with outdated processes, poor communication, and lack of standardization—can impact both the path to purchase and brand loyalty.
But your in-store experience will always be a powerful lever to drive sales and brand engagement. Brands are increasingly focusing on the in-store experience to meet customer expectations as they evolve, and knowing what each store looks like makes it much easier to accommodate specific setups and maximize promotional success.
But there’s still a rub: CPG brand leaders can’t make as many store visits as they would like—meaning they have to rely on merchandisers to execute the visual merchandising strategy and enhance brand engagement. Fortunately, technology can solve these challenges and help set your brand apart.
Maximizing Store Performance with Data, AI, and ML
According to McKinsey, 71 percent of CPG leaders have adopted AI for at least one business function. One big reason? Combining artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) enhances visual merchandising strategy, communication, and compliance for CPG promotions—unlocking a significant competitive advantage.
So what could this look like for you? McKinsey further estimates that investing in digital transformation could increase CPG brands’ revenue by 6-10 percent over 3-5 years and add up to $270 billion annually in profit (measured in EBITDA). Choosing the right technology can make all the difference, taking your CPG brand performance from so-so to successful.
An in-store experience management solution like Optimum Retailing (OR) enables CPG leaders to enhance performance through a deeper understanding of in-store activity and local trends. Consider just a few key platform capabilities:
- Improve planning, compliance, communication, and efficiency
- Reduce level of effort (LOE) and non-selling hours
- Enhance each customer’s in-store experience
- Showcase the right products in the right locations to increase sales
With these insights, you can improve your visual merchandising strategy, maximize the potential of promotions and placements, and boost sales opportunities.
Executing a Flawless Visual Merchandising Strategy
A visual merchandising strategy is every bit as important as your brand strategy. OR helps retailers form an effective strategy and provides a platform that ensures successful execution. Our platform empowers CPG leaders to clearly communicate with team members at each store and syncs all communication into one easy-to-find place for seamless collaboration. Plus, compliance is built-in, giving management full visibility into field activities across locations.
From planning to execution to compliance, every detail is tracked and shared, so the head office always knows what is happening with every display. Expect the best from Optimum Retailing’s augmented technology and improve your visual merchandising strategy with:
Virtual Planogramming
Improve your in-store planning with OR’s one-click planograms. Merchandise every store in seconds when you connect to real-time inventory. Get store-specific planograms and distribution lists that reveal which graphics and merchandise you need and their quantities.
Automated Photo Compliance
Level up your compliance and efficiency. OR’s Automated Photo Compliance combines the convenience of smartphones with AI technology to help staff understand where merchandise, posters, and fixtures belong in real time. Just point any smartphone camera at each fixture to verify compliance. Photo compliance reduces the level of effort for both staff and HQ, saving time on finding discrepancies and ordering missing product or signage.
Real-Time Communication
Don’t lose track of key information. OR centralizes communications in one place to connect HQ and individual stores. Automate updates across all locations, create lines of communication for issue tracking, and track shipments.
In-Store Data and Analytics
Use the power of data to optimize the performance of your visual merchandising strategy and find opportunities for improvement. OR enables CPG retailers to use key information to understand store performance and customer behavior. OR helps you plan and track inventory to understand what is and isn’t selling, see which fixtures sales are coming from, and even connect to heat mapping software to determine the ideal customer journey.
Optimize Your Performance with Optimum Retailing
As the CPG industry and consumer preferences evolve, stores that invest in AI and data stand to get ahead. With a data-driven strategy that amplifies promotions, placements, sales, and compliance, CPG leaders can maximize success.
OR removes the guesswork to enhance the in-store customer experience. Schedule a demo to develop your breakthrough visual merchandising strategy with the right tools.
