From the desk of Julie Massey, visual assets manager, for the Focus on Fixtures blog series
In my previous post about instruction and training materials, I detailed how we put together videos, manuals, and mini-guides to help a mass retailer who was revamping their beauty department across their stores. In this post, I’ll share solutions we’ve provided beauty brands and a distributor to give you a better idea of our capabilities and how we might help you.
One cosmetics brand we work with asked us to create an instruction manual for installation of their fixture pieces that included line drawings instead of photographs. This is an option that may be a good solution when there is limited time or if the drawings already exist. We also developed twenty 30-60 second videos to show how each shelf, tray, clip, and graphic should be installed for their seasonal reset. We shot quick visuals of how every piece should be attached to the wall. We also created this brand’s fixture planograms, so between the listing they received with their planogram and the videos, there was little room for error in setting up the new configuration.
Another cosmetic brand we work with asked us to put together a merchandising guide that includes fixture planograms and listings particular to each mass retailer that carries their products. Often mass retailers have their own fixtures beauty brands must use, and in addition to coordinating that process, we created the guide so they have a comprehensive reference. You can read more about this and other merchandising guides we’ve created in my previous post.
Our long-standing relationship with a leading wholesale distributor lead to a fixture project a bit different than the work we do with cosmetic brands and for retailers’ beauty departments, but still in the realm of making sure store displays are optimized to be visually appealing, attract shoppers, and inspire sales.
The distributor has a number of independent pharmacy customers and wanted to make sure key fixtures in any brick-and-mortar store — endcaps — were fully stocked and signed to draw shoppers’ attention and spur sales. Using their branding guidelines, we created signs for the top of the endcap, as well as shelf signs to promote specific items. Because there are a variety of fixtures in use by their client stores, both the shelf and section signs needed to be flexible to fit the options that might be available. The merchandisers setting the endcaps needed to have options available to fit whatever they might have to work with. To accompany the signs, we created instruction sheets with options for displaying the signs depending on the type of fixture they may be working with.
The in-store experience is critical, and it’s important that products are neatly organized, visually appealing, and well-signed when a customer is at-shelf making a purchase decision. Giving store personnel tools to use as they merchandise ensures this, helping in the creation of a memorable shopping experience.