Visual Merchandising Audit Checklist Example
soumya GhorpadeMake sure your products are displayed in an appealing manner that makes them appealing to customers, and conduct visual merchandising audits to verify whether your business meets brand standards and operational policies.
Use this modern checklist template for retail auditing to develop your own merchandising audit checklist, or automate store visit basics and streamline the process with software solutions such as Store Visit Pro for field teams.
1. Identify the Areas to be Audited
Product placement takes time and effort, and once a planogram has been implemented it’s important to monitor its implementation so as to ensure products are displayed where they should be for increased sales, reduced costs and an enhanced field team bottom line.
Start by outlining your business objectives to develop an in-depth visual merchandising audit checklist. This will allow you to identify which items should be prioritized for investigation and provide you with a clear focus.
Create a list of questions that cover all the essential elements to be reviewed, following an audit’s natural migration path (from storefront to aisles and back of store) so as to save both time and ensure all aspects are covered by your audit. This will save time while guaranteeing all areas of concern are addressed effectively.
2. Create a Checklist
Adopting a standard audit template can ensure consistency for both auditors and field team members during audit visits, helping reduce time required as items are checked off consistently.
Your company can gain more accurate data and make faster improvements to the store with this approach. A standard audit template makes it simple to track key metrics such as merchandising, pricing, promotions and competitor inventory while comparing results from each visit to identify areas needing the most improvement.
Utilizing a visual merchandising audit checklist can also increase staff motivation to maintain uniform presentation standards during peak retail seasons, especially those where customer numbers spike significantly. Some software systems offer a ‘What Good Looks Like’ (WGLL) feature which makes setting and sharing clear standards easy across locations – saving both time and money for your company!
3. Schedule a Visit
Maintaining a visual merchandising audit checklist helps store operations remain organized and focused on brand strategy implementation from outside entrance to interior aisles and windows. This checklist can ensure accurate implementation of brand strategy at every store across its entirety, from exterior entrance to internal aisles and windows.
Visual merchandising allows businesses to captivate shoppers’ sense of sight, which can be an influential force in purchasing behavior. A product display may create an inviting ambience or tell a tale with realistic images such as people using products in real life or blender smoothies being blended at kitchen blenders.
Pazo’s inspection software makes creating and scheduling retail audits, such as visual merchandising audits, effortless. Just add specific dates and times for visits as well as any forms you expect field teams to fill out and your inspection is ready to launch! You can even schedule regular visits – daily, weekly, or monthly visits can all be scheduled easily with Pazo! Start using it now by starting a free trial!
4. Complete the Audit
As a business, you want to ensure that your brand is represented appropriately across retail locations across the country. This requires strategically placing products and having a keen eye for detail when it comes to visual merchandising which takes place within these stores.
Conducting periodic retail audits and inspections are one of the best ways to ensure that your product or service is being sold in line with company policies and merchandising standards. An audit can reveal operational bottlenecks or any issues which might be hindering success at your business.
No store wants to be audited or inspected, but these processes are vitally important for protecting both brand image and customer experience. By creating an audit checklist you’ll be able to collect and organize data to give field representatives everything they need for effective performance in their job roles.