POS Execution. What’s going wrong?

March 17, 2016 6:53 pm Published by

Having just spent a day in the multiples looking at POS, it is alarming to see the extent of poor POS delivery in store.  This is a view derived  from visits across high street, grocery, DIY and leisure channels.  There were too many digital screens not working and far too many of the promotional POS displays were really poorly stocked.  In other words providing little incentive to buy.

With social media feeds full to over flowing with shopper marketing and the importance of omni-channel why is it going wrong at ground level?  Some suggestions could include:

  • Allocation of budget, time and effort is focussed on the initial development phases of the in-store campaign, with significantly less being allocated to in-store maintenance and review
  • The focus on ROI and how to get the last drop out of the campaign is incomplete
  • Execution is not part of the measurement metrics
  • Not enough stock (or allocated field support) to fill and replenish promotional displays, or, the unit stock holding is inappropriately sized
  • Technical issues with equipment (general maintenance or otherwise)

There are some basics to get right.   It goes without saying that the consequences of poor in-store delivery is not just about lost sales opportunity and poor brand experience, but cost incurred to the business through wasted budget, time and resource.  A blank screen does little for user engagement, experience or ROI.  This is particularly lamentable as we prove time and time again how influential POS can be to sales.

The in-store execution is the most important stage in the campaign.  So failure here should not be an option.  But with so many obstacles and barriers along the way it can be a challenge. A sample of considerations might include:

  • Treat the in-store phase with as much care and attention as the earlier stages in the campaign development – if not more. Allocate a percentage of campaign budget to delivery and maintenance
  • Measure lost sales opportunity as a result of poor compliance, it will help justify where support is most needed to achieve greater ROI
  • Identify which stores or retailers need more support with maintenance and build this into budgets and plans
  • The more complicated it is (not least digital) the more possibilities to go wrong. Ensure there is an ongoing maintenance strategy in place.  Build on learnings from each campaign
  • Involve field service partners from the early stages of project planning to influence and guide on delivery. With no additional cost, this alone could help increase ROI

With such a focus on success in our industry we can as part of this include a programme of continuous improvement through all stages of the POS journey.

POS Insights work with brands and retailers to maximise the power of their POS.  They do this through Insights and informed field service solutions, do click here for more information.

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This post was written by Dawn Odoi

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