Deciding to use planograms in your retail space is a time-saving and revenue-increasing venture that will benefit your business in the long run. Some companies may decide to utilize their in-house staff to create planograms using software applications such as Scorpion Planogram software. Another option that some companies choose is using an external company such as Retail Smart, to produce highly-functional and intuitive retail space planograms for them. There are some key factors to consider when deciding on producing your own planograms or letting an external company create them for you.
The advantages of an outside perspective
Let’s begin by discussing the benefits of using an external planogram company. Some planogram and space planning consultants offer a team of professional space planners/category managers to do the work for the client. That work ranges from basic planogram design to data driven range optimization. These services can be helpful in assisting with space planning operations within a business. This service is ideal for businesses that may lack the resources or expertise within their organization to perform these tasks efficiently. By hiring an external planogram company for space planning, they hire experts in the planogram field that will put their knowledge and wide experience of category management in the creation of planograms and product range optimization.
When planogramming is done by an external company the retail business doesn’t have to hire extra in house staff, saving money, time and resources.
Before deciding on an external planogram company, keep in mind these important considerations:
- Sensitive data that is private to the client needs to be handled with care
- An in-house employee may have more knowledge about the company and their space planning than an external company
- Always ensure that an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) is signed between the client and any outsourced company that would be dealing with this information
Add an expert team to your team
The maintenance of a planogram solution can be daunting to retailers. Consistency is key and may be managed best by an external company who exclusively handles these tasks. The best part about working with an external planogram company like Retail Smart is the opportunity to collaborate with our team. Determining a space planning solution is not a one-way street. Your team and our experts will help you manage your data and goals to achieve success in your retail space using planograms.
The reality of retail space planning is that one merchandising solution does not fit all. In today’s highly technologically driven society, solutions such as Scorpion Planogram make it easy for in-house space planning team to achieve space planning goals. Live planograms are easily created and shared between parties, amendments to plans can be made in minutes, and information pertaining to planograms can be analyzed efficiently.
Companies such as Retail Smart have a team of well trained and experienced space planners, planogram designers and category managers. This team has had experience across all fields and industries, and have gained invaluable insights through serving an extensive array of retailers and manufacturers across the world. The resulting expertise gained by working with an external space planning company could be hugely beneficial for both small and large businesses.
Bringing planogram planning in-house
Choosing to create planograms in-house has its benefits as well. By using a planogram software, such as Scorpion, internal teams can build and maintain their own planograms. The internal team can learn and use the same program that an external company would use to create their planograms.
The advantages of designing planograms in-house are that an in-house merchandising team has the most in-depth knowledge of the company, as they know the company strategies and needs very well. Another advantage is that you have complete control when you design your planograms in-house; you do not have to wait for the consultancy company to conduct the changes and you limit any miscommunication between the planogram requirements.
Many retailers and manufacturers worldwide choose Scorpion Planogram software as their preferred visual merchandising platform. Scorpion software makes the design process easy due to the modern and intuitive software interface. When using Scorpion in-house, you can directly contact a Scorpion planogram expert if you need any assistance or help. Scorpion offers a full space planning solution in one application and interface including planogram software, store planning software and range optimization software. Scorpion’s unique software interface makes the planogram design process quick and easy.