Commercial Merchandising Possibilities
In the wake of COVID-19, omnichannel retail is more important than ever for brands and manufacturers. And some of those possibilities are found outside of the retail space.
Commercial merchandising provides a way for brands to add another stream of income that provides resilience even during uncertain economic conditions.
For instance, at Storesupport, we work with clients who supply their products directly to hospitals, public schools, office buildings, restaurants, and beyond. Even when retail stores were closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these sites remained open — and continued to need products kept in stock.
The commercial merchandising possibilities are virtually endless – so long as you have the right supports in place.
Brand Support
Just like in retail, your brand may need support in planning out your commercial merchandising space — especially if you are stocking a larger area, such as a cafeteria or gift shop.
You may need:
- People support – staff to stock, sell, or promote your products.
- Merchandising maintenance – upkeep of your inventory and displays.
- Planogram implementation – where are your products located in the commercial setting and can that be optimized further?
- Special projects and more.
Point of Sale Support
Depending on the commercial setting, you may be selling your products to visitors to the institution — in which case you may need support at the point of sale.
- Sales teams – you may need sales support at the cash with a team that knows your products.
- Product launch support – if you’re supplying a new product, you might need help launching it in a commercial setting.
- Outsourced management – in some cases, you may need support managing the location itself.
- Display POP set-up – just as in store, you can draw more attention to your products with display POPs.
- And more.
Inventory Replenishment Support
It’s just as important to make sure that your products are kept in stock commercially as it is at retail. That is where inventory support comes in. Your commercial contacts may not have inventory tracking systems, but you can stay on top of stock levels (not to mention offer a great customer experience) with some additional resources.
- Stock replacement – a field team can replace outdated inventory or replenish stock as needed.
- Inventory management – keep track of ongoing inventory levels and proactively reach out to fulfill orders.
- Product change-outs – if you’re switching a product, our team can go into the commercial setting and take care of the change for you.
Training and Education Support
Sometimes, being in a commercial setting requires a certain amount of training and education for both staff and customers.
- Staff training – show staff how to use the POS system, teach nuances about your products, and more.
- Customer education – show customers how to navigate a new space, such as a micro-market or automated kiosk.
With these supports in place, the opportunity for more commercial partnerships only grows. Your brand can take back control — you make the connections and the fulfillment is taken care of. As a result, it’s a scalable partnership for your team.
At Storesupport, we have recently launched these commercial merchandising solutions and more to help brands ADAPT.
Be more places and increase resilience. We’ll help you get there. Reach out today by calling 1-877-421-5081 or visiting www.storesupport.ca.
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