27 BUSINESS ADVICE With the e-commerce sector estimated to grow to 2.77 billion buyers this year, crafting innovative in-store experiences with creative strategies could be the best way to attract and retain customers in today’s high-demand and competitive retail landscape. Effective shelf management is a core component of ensuring traditional retailers remain competitive, but with consumer behaviour constantly shifting, an engaging, customisable and high-quality solution is more important to implement now than ever. “For a successful shelf management strategy, engaging customer priorities and attention must be at the forefront of planning,” says Daryl Bedford, Managing Director at Harrison Retail. “Offering a meaningful in-store retail experience attracts more shoppers to spend, but any successful strategy must take into consideration what works best for your stores on a location-to-location level, in particular for (re-)stocking, accessibility, visibility and loss prevention needs.” “Effective shelf management equips retailers with the tools to create a unique and positive brand image, fostering long-term, repeat business relationships with customers. Retailers must ensure product placement remains consistent, products are well presented, shelf space is optimised, and loss prevention is considered, ultimately playing a part in delivering a positive shopping experience. Bedford continues by highlighting key areas for retailers to enhance their shelf management strategies, and why to enforce them sooner rather than later. THE IMPORTANCE OF PRODUCT PLACEMENT “A common misconception when it comes to product placement is that it’s purely an aesthetic afterthought. Effective product placement engages customers for maximum sales potential. Ensuring high-margin, popular items are at eye level and positioning impulsebuy items near entry points and checkout lanes for boosting last-minute sales are simple solutions to implement for maximum yield when it comes to shelf management. “Similarly, vertical merchandising can capture buyer attention and promote multiple sales. Ultimately, giving customers a smoother shopping experience retains greater foot traffic in stores as customers remain familiar with item locations. Creating a visually appealing vertical display that groups merchandise together is easy to implement by utilising variable shelf risers and dividers, or by complimenting with roller trays to automate product visibility. “Additionally, T-rails used at the front and rear of shelving and featuring PVC rails and adjustable breakpoints are just to help enhance product visibility and give retailers a customisable shelf configuration that works for them. Flexibility in options allows stores to position products of all shapes and sizes in ways that enhance product visibility.” OPTIMISING SHELF SPACE “Streamlining display assembly, enhancing organisation and expediting restocking processes are key to reducing time-consuming tasks and staffing requirements. However, as shelf management is not a one-size-fitsall solution and changes to store layout, optimising shelf space for these factors can be a continuous process. Preparation by planning a solution that offers quick adjustments for changing products, promotional displays, or seasonal stock is therefore critical for ongoing success. “Shelf risers, dividers and pushers optimise shelf space with efficient product organisation and segmentation without compromising on the available space. Magnetic tape variants implemented into existing solutions also enable quick adjustments dependent on available space or location-to-location needs. “Ultimately, considering what solutions work best at each store can require time to perfect. Having an adaptable shelf management solution can help support this without retailers needing to constantly switch out displays entirely or need multiple management solutions for the same job.” Bedford concludes: “Shelf management is establishing itself as a crucial element of modern retail operations. The result directly influences and impacts the experiences of both customers and employees, unified in their desire for effortless store navigation and improved product accessibility. High-quality shelf management solutions can support instore enhancement, elevate product displays and ultimately deliver a compelling shopping experience. Thus, retailers must assess which available options can support their store most effectively, for this year and beyond.” Shelf space UK retailers must focus on the shelf management systems that work best for their stores and customers, taking into consideration stocking, visibility, and loss prevention strategies, says Daryl Bedford, Sales Director at Harrison Retail
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