Planograms
Planograms – learn this term! I’ve been wanting to do a post on planograms for a long time now, but for some reason it kept slipping my mind. I’ve been feeling incredibly guilty and foolish for not covering this topic in-depth in class. EVERY visual merchandiser should know what planograms are and how important they are in our line of work.
Planograms are a visual tool retailers use to show in detail where everything will go. It’s the diagram or layout of the selling floor. They can be simple or very complex. They can be done by a hand-sketch or with a software program (the most common, nowadays). Sometimes they are even provided to the retailer by the vendor. They show you exactly how they want a wall, for instance, to be merchandised. If you are a retailer who does not use planograms then make this your New Year’s resolution!
Planograms are effective because:
- You have better control of inventory
- Your staff knows where and how to replenish merchandise
- You can visually layout merchandise in a way that’s easier for the customer
- You can plan your product adjacencies
- Selling space isn’t wasted
Some retailers may already be using something of the sort and just didn’t know the technical name for it, but nonetheless all merchandisers know the importance of planograms. Chain stores use them for consistency throughout their stores and independent stores use them to maximize their selling space.
Besides giving you the picture of how the selling space will look they also give you the details on the number of facings and the depth. The facings are the number of units for that particular item (or SKU) and the depth is the number of units stocked one behind the other.
Planograms are the lifeblood of grocery stores and big box chain stores, and looking at all of the merchandise they stock, you can see why. Grocery stores use planograms to optimize shelf space and control inventory:
Clothing retailers tend to focus more on presentation and visual appeal when using planograms:
There are many software programs and services out there to help you learn more and get started if your store is big enough and you choose to subcontract this service:
Happy Planning!
This is a great article to learn the basics of planogramming before you start to think about doing any store planning. It is an excellent visual tool! I look forward to coming back and checking out more blog posts from this site. I work for a solutions company call ToolBox Solutions, we do planograms for big retailers. I really enjoyed the read, thanks again!
soooo great this post!!! sared on my facebook ;o) thanksssssssss
soooo great this post!!! shared on my facebook ;o) thanksssssssss