To succeed in big-box retailers, CPG brands need a top-notch team, internally and externally. One of the most crucial external partners is a retail merchandising partner. These are the people who will go in, on your behalf, and make sure your products are where they should be, priced correctly, fully stocked, and all marketing materials are properly installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But not all retail\nmerchandising agencies operate the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brands must identify\nwhat they need from a retail merchandising agency and choose the right partner\nfor them accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, if you\u2019ve never\npartnered with a 3rd<\/sup>-party merchandiser before, the vetting process\ncan feel daunting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are seven questions you can use to filter out potential merchandising agencies and find the one that suits your needs best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The actual\n\u201cfeet on the ground\u201d are called \u201cfield reps.\u201d They\u2019re the people who will be\ninside the retail location, performing the tasks you need done. Because of\ntheir critical role in your business\u2019 success, you need to feel confident that\nthe merchandising agency you\u2019re partnering with adheres to the highest levels\nof professionalism and training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One quick way\nto get a feel for the level of service you\u2019ll receive is to ask whether their\nfield reps (or merchandisers) are W-2 employees or independent contractors?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Companies have\nmore control over actual W-2 employees when it comes to training, scheduling,\nand putting together a quality team. The\nresult is more reliable and higher quality work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For reference, RMS employees are W-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It may come as\na surprise, but not every retail merchandising agency has the same\ncertifications and skills inside all retailers. These \u201cextras\u201d aren\u2019t that\nextra at all as they\u2019re crucial in helping them be successful at what they need\nto complete at each retailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, RMS is Backroom Certified, which provides our field reps permission to go into Target\u2019s backroom and locate inventory to be stocked out to the sales floor.\u00a0 It also allows for independent task completion for things like printing new shelf tags or locating ISM shipments. This allows us to thoroughly complete each job and give our clients peace of mind, accurate store-level inventory information, and an ability to complete more than an agency that is not certified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re one of\njust a handful of Target\nPreferred Service Partners<\/a>. We\u2019re proud to hold this distinction and how it\nhelps us serve our customers even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the most important piece of the skill\/cert puzzle is the ability to work independently to get the job done versus working through retailer employees. It\u2019s more efficient and merchandisers with this skillset will be able to complete far more tasks than non-certified companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to get a deep understanding of what and how\nservices will actually be provided at each retail location and if those tasks\nneed to be completed with the needed support of store employees or\nindependently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some merchandising agencies, especially those with a\ncrowd-sourced model, only identify issues at the store level. They can\u2019t fix\nanything that\u2019s amiss. To provide any type of fix for problems found these\ncompanies need to rely on retail employee support. The ability to complete a\nservice goes down significantly when store support is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, full-service merchandisers, like RMS, can identify and fix found problems all in one visit.\u00a0 Don\u2019t end up needing to pay twice to get your problems fixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will the agency\u2019s support structure provide the access, knowledge, and reliability you are looking for in a service provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will you have one point of contact who manages all aspects of your project? Or will you be waiting for the \u201cnext available representative\u201d when you call with questions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n How involved are other levels of the company with your account? For example, here at RMS, we all know our clients and who the account leads are. So, no matter who picks up the phone, they\u2019ll be able to assist you without you having to fill them in on everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A key question to answer is, \u201cis merchandising this company\u2019s specialty?\u201d Some agencies offer merchandising as just one of many services they provide. While there\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with this structure, it can impact the level of service you receive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Agencies\nfocused solely on merchandising hire and train people who are highly skilled at\nexecuting merchandising tasks. On the other hand, companies that do other\nservices like store training and demos typically offer a broader skillset and\nare less experienced in specific disciplines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget to\ncheck the average percentage of stores a company actually completes during a\nservice versus the number of stores you listed to service? This is called \u201cCompletion\nRate.\u201d Aim for a merchandising agency that has an average completion rate of\nhigher than 90%<\/p>\n\n\n\n1- Who are Their Field Reps and How are They Trained?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2- What Special Skills and Certifications Do They Have?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3- Will In-Store Issues be Fixed or Only Identified?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4- What Level of Service Can You Expect?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5- Is Merchandising Their Specialty?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6- What’s the Merchandiser’s Completion Rate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n