Curing Performance Anxiety

Sure, you can plan alright, but how well can you implement?

I imagine this question keeps truly conscious merchants and consumer product marketers awake nights with what amounts to performance anxiety.

Those of you who follow the work of the In-Store Implementation Network may be well aware that members regard the pursuit of retail compliance as nothing less than an industry imperative. Our latest work on Merchandising Performance Management drives the point further. Our not-so-hidden agenda: Shift the dialog from hand-wringing about our challenges to identifying and implementing practical solutions.

You see, we are standing at the threshold of the next (maybe the last) great opportunity for retail financial performance gains - the stores themselves.

The past two decades of industry consolidation, supply chain advances and category management have failed to move the needle on basic merchandising performance indicators such as out-of-stock rates, promotion compliance and planogram compliance and decay. The numbers remain so disheartening that we routinely plan not to measure them. This despite their obvious causal link to GMROII and profits.

Here is evidence of what I call “dis-economies of scale.” …….

Continue reading the article at Tensers Tirades

ISI Updates - June 29, 2009

The Tech Behind the Technique
Exclusive ISI Network Report Details Solutions for Merchandising Performance Management

Offered at a special discount to In-Store Implementation Network member firms, Merchandising Performance Management delivers an industry first market analysis and buyers’ guide to this emerging and important class of software solutions.
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RFID’s Widening Gyre

Two recent news items about retail giants, radio-frequency ID tags and promotional displays have pundits punning and some market vultures vultching:

When Procter & Gamble declared it would no longer apply EPC/RFID tags to promotional displays built for Walmart stores, it triggered critiques of the technology and its underlying economics. Observers circling above the decaying carcass of the program sniffed that just maybe, Walmart wasn’t delivering a measurable benefit from the solution.

Within days Walgreen Drug Stores delivered a more positive spin, stating that the very same sort of radio-frequency tags had helped it improve its in‐store execution in the past year “to nearly double the industry average.”

Never mind that the industry average stinks like carrion.

David Van Howe, vice president of purchasing for Walgreens, called the information captured from the tagged displays a “game changer” for the chain, and at least one partner, Revlon, said the program delivered “unprecedented insight into what works and what doesn’t with consumers.”

So what are we to take away from all this? The vultures in our midst keep trying to declare retail RFID dead on arrival. The tech pundits claim they have seen a glorious future in those tiny transponders. I say the misdirected focus on RFID technology threatens to derail an important initiative.

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Planogram Compliance Measures: Low Tech and Lightly Used

Measurement of planogram compliance is a decidedly low‐tech matter. More than one third of respondents to the latest ISI Network 30‐Sec Poll (35%) indicated that they have no process in place whatsoever to track planogram compliance. Those that answered “yes” rely heavily on spot checks (49%) and store manager sign‐offs (46%).

Retailer reliance on third parties is also commonplace. “Use of 3rd party reline team to implement required changes,” said one retailer respondent. “A merchandising team does them.” said another.

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Brain Martin Podcast: Jonah Bloom, Ad Age

As the editor of Ad Age, the world’s leading marketing and media publication, Jonah Bloom has become on of the most well-known industry experts in the field today. In this episode, Jonah offers his insights into the increased utilization of social media and what it can mean for your brand. He also shares his thoughts as to what gets his attention when seeking content for his publication.

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Standing Out in the Crowd

Being competitive as a candidate in today’s job market requires extra attention to detail to stand out in the crowd. Fewer jobs and more candidates mean Recruiters and Hiring Managers are reviewing more resumes today than they have in a very long time. One way to bring your resume to the top of the stack is through a well constructed cover letter attached to your resume or application.
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Can I Really Get a Job During the Holidays?

With 20 Customer Service Representative positions to start on January 7th and a short time line to fill them, I’m eagle-eying each and every application that comes through. With unemployment at a 30 year high and Telerx with a reputation as a great place to work you would think electronic applications through the Careers page of our corporate website would be exploding server bandwidth.

But, they’re not…
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