In the modern world, convenience and easy access to goods has become a necessary part of every grocery store’s layout and operations. People above all crave convenience, and during the new normal people want to spend less time in crowded public places like the grocery store. Here are our tips to properly merchandise a store to boost efficiency from the experts at Metro.
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Tip # 1
Use and optimize endcaps. One of the best ways to get product off the shelf is to put it in a prime location for easy access. When putting together endcaps choose products you want to move. For example, new products, products going out of code soon, and sale products are great options. Endcaps are an asset when used properly that can drive profit for your business.
To make the most of this space consider using wire shelving. Wire shelving allows the use of 30% more space which allows you to fit more on each endcap. Also, consider the use of adjustable dividers so endcaps can be easily transformed as priorities and sales change.
Tip # 2
Focus on grab and go. One of the most popular items in any modern grocery store is the convenience of grab and go items. These are meals, wraps, sandwiches, and other items that are prepared in advance and ready to eat. In our quick-paced reality, grab and go has become a large part of people’s daily lives. One important aspect of grab and go is making the products as easy as possible to access for customers.
To achieve this, make sure everything is stored with dividers. Also, for warm dishes consider the use of heated shelves that allow easy access to product while also maintaining the overall quality of the product. For added organization consider a system with dividers for more efficient grab and go systems.
Tip # 3
Optimize for online ordering. Whether you set up a delivery option yourself, or you decide to partner with a third party. Having a system for online ordering is extremely important to delight your customers. To create a faster order fulfillment process, create a cart system that is configured for that purpose. To help speed up the picking process, make sure that the carts include bins for individual orders and access to the order slip for fulfillment.
Picking orders efficiently can help to create an entirely new channel for your customers to access your store. So, take advantage of every sales channel you can with an online ordering system.
Tip # 4
Create an optimized store flow while utilizing as much space as possible. When designing a store, the layout should always work to move customers through the aisles efficiently. Store design now more than ever is an important aspect of maintaining safety and creating the best possible. To make the most of the usable area in your store, consider adding mobile shelving carts. Having a mobile shelving option will allow you to quickly add product to the center of aisles or near similar product without disturbing the movement of customers as they continue to make their purchases.
A well-designed mobile grocery cart is a great way to increase selling space without adding extra shelves to your original floor plan.
Tip # 5
Keep it clean. When choosing a merchandising shelf, move away from hard-to-clean bulky solutions. Older style gondola shelves hold on to dust and dirt and can be difficult to keep clean. Instead, replace these outdated staging solutions with wire shelving. The open design makes wire shelving an ideal solution for clean product merchandising. The openings mean that dirt and dust have nowhere to get stuck and simply fall to the floor where it can be swept or mopped.