At Plum Agencies, our national merchandising team works in retail stores across New Zealand every single day.
From pharmacy and beauty to big-box and specialty retail, we support brands with professional NZ merchandising services and consistent in-store execution. Because we are physically on the retail floor, reviewing planograms, checking compliance, and talking with store teams, we see clearly where retail strategy translates well to shelf level and where it quietly breaks down.
These are not mistakes made by our team. They are the common in-store issues we are often called in to fix, prevent, or report on through structured retail execution and strong compliance reporting.
Here are the most common merchandising issues we see across NZ retail.
1. Planograms Treated as Flexible
One of the most frequent retail execution issues is partial planogram compliance.
Products shifted slightly to “make it fit”, additional lines squeezed in, or facings reduced to create space elsewhere.
Planogram compliance is not just about neatness. It protects brand blocking, supports visual flow, and ensures range strategy is delivered as intended. When execution drifts, performance often follows.
2. Gaps on Shelf While Stock Exists On Site
On-shelf availability is one of the biggest drivers of retail sales.
Yet we regularly see empty facings even when stock is somewhere in the building.
Customers do not shop the stockroom. If it is not on shelf, it is not available in their eyes. Strong merchandising support ensures replenishment happens consistently and gaps are minimised.
3. POS Installed Without Strategic Placement
Point-of-sale material might technically be installed, but placement matters.
If signage is hidden, cluttered, crooked, or competing with multiple messages, it loses impact. Effective retail merchandising ensures POS is visible, aligned with campaign messaging, and positioned for customer decision-making.
4. Testers Missing, Empty, or Unusable
In beauty and pharmacy merchandising especially, testers are a key conversion tool.
We frequently see testers missing, damaged, or empty. That directly affects customer confidence and purchase behaviour.
Maintaining testers is part of professional in-store execution, not an optional extra.
5. Overcrowded Displays
Trying to show every SKU often results in cluttered displays.
When fixtures are overcrowded, hero products lose visibility and customers struggle to navigate the offer. Clean, structured displays with strong brand blocking perform better and create a stronger brand presence in-store.
6. New Ranges Landed Without Full Execution
New product launch execution is one of the most critical moments in retail.
We often see new ranges arrive in-store but not fully integrated into the category. Signage may be missing, placement may not match the planogram, or stock may not be fully worked to shelf.
Launch momentum depends on accurate, timely retail execution.
7. Pricing Errors or Missing Shelf Labels
Retail compliance reporting frequently highlights pricing inconsistencies.
Missing shelf-edge labels, outdated promotional tickets, or incorrect price points create friction and reduce trust at shelf level.
Accurate pricing is a fundamental part of merchandising support in New Zealand retail.
8. Disorganised Reserve Areas
Reserve organisation directly impacts on-shelf availability.
When reserve stock is unstructured, replenishment slows down, and staff waste time searching for product. As part of our field merchandising services, we often improve reserve organisation to support better sell-through and faster restocking.
9. Broken Brand Blocking
Strong brand blocking improves shopability and reinforces brand identity.
We often see colour stories disrupted, hero SKUs separated, or competitor lines inserted into brand space. Even small visual changes can significantly weaken brand representation in-store.
Consistent brand blocking is a core part of effective retail merchandising NZ brands rely on.
10. Limited Feedback to Head Office
One of the biggest challenges in retail execution is the absence of a clear feedback loop.
Fixtures may not match plans. Allocated space may not reflect sell-through. Deleted lines may still be sitting on shelf.
Without detailed retail compliance reporting, including clear images and structured commentary, head office assumes execution is happening correctly.
In reality, it is often inconsistent.
Why Strong In-Store Execution Matters
Retail is fast-paced. Store teams are managing customers, deliveries, staffing pressures, and constant change.
These issues do not happen because people do not care. They happen because retail environments are complex.
That is why structured training, clear processes, and consistent NZ merchandising services matter so much.
At Plum Agencies, we focus on:
- Accurate planogram compliance
- Strong brand blocking
- Proactive communication
- Detailed retail compliance reporting
- Consistent in-store execution across New Zealand
We fix what we can immediately, escalate what needs attention, and provide clear photographic evidence so brands understand exactly what is happening at shelf level.
Because retail strategy only delivers results when execution on the floor matches the plan.
If you would like an honest view of how your brand is performing in-store across New Zealand, our merchandising team would be happy to talk.
