10 Benefits of Using Planogram Software in Retail Merchandising

Planogram software helps retailers optimize store layouts and product displays. Retail chains can automate processes, improve layout, and increase sales by using such programs. In this article, we'll look at 10 key benefits of using planograms in retail merchandising and why they are essential for increasing efficiency, boosting sales, and improving the customer experience.

1. Shelf Space Utilization

One of the main tasks of planogram programs in retail is ensuring optimal shelf space use. By analyzing the store and product layouts, retailers can make data-driven decisions about positioning products on shelves to maximize visibility and sales. This leads to better inventory management and retail space utilization.

2. Inventory Control.

Planogram programs help retailers manage their assortment and ensure products are correctly placed according to availability. This visibility helps to prevent overstocking or out-of-stock, leading to better inventory control and more efficient replenishment cycles.

For example, a retailer that often faces shortages during peak periods can use planogram software to better manage the replenishment cycle, avoiding out-of-stock situations during holiday promotions. Some tools allow you to track the stock of the product displayed on the planogram.

For example, PlanoHero planogram software records how much of a particular product is left and whether it will be enough for today.

3. Consistency of Store Displays in Different Locations

For retailers with multiple locations or a vast chain of stores, maintaining consistency in display is a challenge. With the help of planogram software, retailers can standardize the display across all stores in the chain, ensuring a consistent shopping experience for customers. Uniformity of display helps to create a brand identity for the chain itself. PlanoHero has a functionality that allows you to create special layout rules, which can be saved and applied to planograms for any store in the chain.

4. Increase Sales through Strategic Product Placement

Using the best planogram software, retailers can strategically place high-margin products where customers are likelier to notice them. This improves product visibility and stimulates impulse purchases, which leads to increased sales.

5. Improved Customer Experience

Well-organized store layouts and shelf displays based on sales data help customers easily find what they are looking for and encourage them to spend more time there.

6. Saving Time and Resources

Creating planograms and managing store displays manually can be complicated and time-consuming. Planogram software automates these processes, saving store managers and merchandisers time and effort. This efficiency allows them to focus on more strategic tasks rather than spending hours creating planograms and trying to monitor the execution of the display.

7. Opportunities for Experiments

Experiment with the layout and placement of equipment in the program without the need to be physically present in the store. Easily plan how new products will look on your shelves.

8. Data-driven Merchandising Decisions

Evaluate product sales compared to other periods and types of displays and track which shelf placement delivers the best results for each product.

With planogram software, merchandisers can access data on product/equipment parameters, display efficiency, customer behavior, and sales trends. This information allows businesses to make informed decisions about which products to promote, which products to discount, and how to adjust the display based on real-time data.

9. Adaptability to Seasonal Changes and Marketing Activities

Retailers must adapt store layouts and displays to seasonal promotions, product launches, or special events. Scheduling tools make it quick and easy to update store displays, ensuring that promotional items are prominently displayed.

10. Planogram Software with Free Trial 

Free demo versions of the programs are available for retailers who want to try out a particular solution or those who are just starting to work with planogramming software. The trial version of PlanoHero allows you to try creating a planogram using a test assortment or by uploading your own products.

Advantages of Using Programs for Creating Planograms

Merchandising software helps retailers plan and implement merchandising strategies. This includes determining which products to display, where, and how to place them. The popular planogram creation programs are PlanoHero, Nexgenus, Shelflogic, Scorpion, Quant, DotActiv.

According to the experience of retailers who have integrated a program for planograms into their business, sales metrics increase by 15-20% due to the optimal arrangement of goods and ensuring the visual appeal of the shelves.

Retailers use the software not only to create planograms but also to customize the entire planogramming process. The process starts with creating or uploading a store plan and equipment, then creating planograms, sending them to stores, checking their implementation, and analyzing the effectiveness of the layout. Some programs have a builder to create plans and equipment for their functionality. Therefore, with the right tool, you can easily create or edit equipment templates, create planograms, and customize the layout to meet the needs of your business and customers. After creating a planogram, it is important to be able to send it to stores through the program and check its implementation using photo reports. And most importantly, without analyzing the effectiveness of the displayed goods, you will never know if your products are selling well.

Conclusion

The benefits of planogram programs are apparent - from improved shelf space utilization to increased sales and improved customer experience. By choosing PlanoHero, you invest in an innovative solution that improves your merchandising strategy, provides efficient store planning and better assortment management, optimizes business processes, and sets your store up for success.

Try PlanoHero's free trial today!