The second to last great art form in the supermarket (if there is a meat department where you can see them cut the meat, that to me is still the best overall art) - The Display. From Wall of Values style displays to end caps to in-department displays with co-merchandising to in-aisle disruptor displays, building and using displays to drive impulse purchases (which helps build basket and profit), displays are how you compete week in and week out.
There are two major issues with retail displays today (at least what I see when I am in the market):
#1 - they too often become rote - meaning they are a box to be checked rather than the single most valuable way to build sales and profits every week
#2 - they too often ignore the #1 brand in your store - your Private Brand (the image above is from Publix - and they seem to get the co-merchandising aspect even if this is not the display I would have built)
So, how can you get better at integrating Private Brands into your weekly display plan (and building better displays overall)?
- Let the brands drive the price down - use branded funds to turn shoppers into buyers with their low price plays. This is especially critical today as inflation has elevated brand prices and increased promotional deals. Private Brands become the basket filler...
- Add complementary Private Brand items - both obviously connected items (coffee creamer with coffee) and perhaps less obvious ones as well (cinnamon sticks with coffee). Use your analytics team (your loyalty data will help here) to build the best and most profitable displays
- Focus on expandable consumption items - you all know these; items where if the consumer buys more they tend to consumer more. Examples: salty snacks, beverages, dips, etc.
- Focus on seasonal - this is where your Private Brands can become the star. As you move into new seasons or have multiple celebrations within a season, let your Private Brand stars have their day in the sun. Again, you and your analytics team should be able to glean this from front end data or loyalty card data. If you can access syndicated data, look for things your market wants to support and focus on those as well
- Get creative - you likely have some very creative people on your team. Turn them loose on the creativity side and let them have some fun - then take pictures and share with your entire organization
- Change your displays - weekly. Do not fall into the DSD trap of turning your ends over to those folks with "free labor" - it is not in your best interest or in the best interest of your guests. A display left up for two-weeks or more becomes an extension of the shelf and most of your guests will lose interest. This is a difficult habit to break - but you owe it to your guest's experience and your top line/bottom line combo to make this happen
- Buy...and sell.
Roger Davidson
used to talk about "The Edges" for displays - national brand items that you can buy at extremely low costs (often flavor over-runs, label transitions or similar). Pursue these intentionally and enhance your price impression on well known items. Remember - put those complementary Private Brand items with it to fill the basket and get the halo effect of the low price for your own brand items!
- Label Flush Out - you will also go through this as your labels change and evolve. Instead of looking at this as a burden look at it as a great Marketing Spend. If you have too many labels during a refresh, see how you can best move these through the system at cost. This helps with your overall value image and can transition categories to the new look more quickly (and help you and your suppliers/partners avoid absorbing any label liability)
You and your team know these things - but perhaps have forgotten the Private Brand piece (and likely the one week rule for displays) and allowed the Tyranny of the Now of running a store to distract you. Get after owning those guests - and drawing in new ones - by developing and executing a flawless display plan designed to maximize your value proposition and enhance your total store performance - while driving Private Brand performance to another level.
If you are a supplier and want to better understand how you can influence this with a retailer - click the link below and we can talk!
Do you want to build a more sustainable private brand business (and perhaps enhance your total merchandising approach to PB) where you can outpace both the competition and who you were yesterday? Schedule a 30-minute session to explore the possibilities: https://calendly.com/craigespelien/30-minute-meet_greet
