Quick Fixes Brands Can Do Before a Store Visit
You’ve booked your merchandising team. The call plan is locked in. Everyone’s ready to go. But here’s a little secret from the shop floor…
There are a handful of things you can do in five minutes that make a huge difference before your merchandiser even walks through the door. And no, they don’t require a bigger budget.
1. Check the Retailer’s Website for What’s “Live”
This sounds obvious, but it’s often missed.
Before a call cycle begins, jump onto the retailer’s website and look at your brand as the customer sees it.
- Is a product showing as available online but deleted in store?
- Is a new launch being promoted digitally but hasn’t physically landed yet?
- Are prices aligned?
- Is clearance stock still visible?
When online and in-store don’t match, confusion starts immediately. Store teams get caught in the middle, and customers lose confidence fast.
A quick alignment check between what the retailer is promoting and what you expect to see on shelf can prevent a lot of awkward conversations later.
Five minutes. Big impact.
2. Review Your Top 10 SKUs
You don’t need a full sales report deep dive.
Just ask:
- Are these still your hero lines?
- Are they actually in stock at your DC?
- Are they meant to be front facing in store?
If your best sellers aren’t clearly defined, it’s very hard for a merchandiser to prioritise them on shelf.
Clarity here equals better execution.
3. Look at a Real Shelf Photo
Not the planogram. Not the render. A real photo from store. When was the last time you looked at your brand exactly as the customer sees it?
- Is your brand block obvious?
- Are shelf strips visible?
- Are testers clean and complete?
- Is there dead space?
One photo can tell you more than a 20 page presentation.
4. Confirm the Objective of the Visit
Is this call about:
- Compliance?
- Driving sell through?
- Fixing stock flow?
- Supporting a promotion?
- Training staff?
If the objective isn’t clear, the execution won’t be either. A merchandiser with a clear goal can prioritise properly. Without it, time gets spread too thin.
5. Check That Stock Can Actually Be Ordered
This one causes more issues than you’d think.
Before a call cycle begins, confirm:
- The stock is available.
- The ordering system is active.
- The product codes are correct.
- There are no unexpected deletions.
There is nothing more frustrating than building beautiful shelves that can’t be replenished.
6. Tighten the Brief
If different people read your brief, would they interpret it the same way? Ambiguity costs time in store.
Clear instructions save hours across a call cycle.
Even small tweaks like adding example photos, specifying “must stay on stand” lines, or clarifying promotional priorities can dramatically lift consistency.
The Bottom Line
Your merchandising team should absolutely be solving problems in store. But when brands do these small five minute checks beforehand, the difference is noticeable.
- Execution is smoother.
- Stores are happier.
- Stock flows better.
- Sales have a much stronger chance of lifting.
Retail isn’t won in one big heroic moment. It’s won in small, disciplined actions repeated consistently.
And sometimes, those actions take less than five minutes.
