To get the maximum benefit from category management it needs to become a continuous process as opposed to a once off event. As mentioned above we recommend updating planograms as regularly as is practical to keep abreast of changes within the category. Macro space planning/ floor plans reviews should be completed on an annual basis. The benefits of completing this work annually are as follows;
- improvements made in an initial floor plan review will be capitalised on going forward. For example, the development of a new floor plan this year results in improved positioning for baby which was previously hidden in a corner far from the eyes of the many ‘young family’ shoppers of a pharmacy. A macro space plan review conducted in year two shows that due to the improved positioning baby has grown in terms of share of total front of shop, resulting in a decision to expand from one bay to two bays. The additional space further improves the health of the baby category. If the year two review had not been conducted improvements might have plateaued at the original level and an opportunity to grow the category further would have been missed
- the pharmacy team are always aware of the importance of each category to the total front of shop and how this evolves over time. For example, hair care may have generated four percent of total front of shop value in year one. A review conducted in year two may show that this has increased to seven percent. This may result in a shift in staff focus on this category from year two onwards
- by conducting macro reviews on an annual basis you are ensuring that space allocation and positioning always reflects the current state of your front of shop business