Effective merchandising and quality retail displays are key to increasing sales, delivering a great shopping experience and achieving an advantage in a highly competitive industry. However, it isn’t always viable for a company to perform its own merchandising in-house. With more and more retailers cutting permanent staffing levels to save costs, the pressure on existing staff means that presentation levels can suffer, impacting the overall customer experience.
Here are 5 of the main reasons why it makes sense for retailers to outsource their merchandising to a specialist third party partner.
Save on Staffing Costs Whilst Managing Peaks and Troughs
It may be impractical for some companies to create and maintain an in-house merchandising department. Luckily for retailers, there is another viable avenue to explore.
One of the best reasons to allocate merchandising work to a specialist company is to reduce costs. Of course, you’ll have to pay the external company for their services, but this outgoing will be more manageable than the costs associated with hiring and training your own staff, as well as all the other associated costs such as National Insurance and pension contributions. This is a huge commitment compared to the short-term and flexible arrangement of bringing in outsiders, and managers also don’t have the worry of providing work for full-time staff if the demand isn’t there. External companies can support you when demand is high at crucial times such as Easter and the Golden Quarter, and when demand is low you won’t be wasting money on unnecessary staffing.
Draw on an Experienced Talent Pool
One of the great aspects of deciding to outsource your merchandising is that you’ll have access to a huge talent pool of experienced merchandisers who can provide you with a reliable, quality service. The added benefit is that they will usually be able to provide you with a new perspective; by looking at your store through fresh eyes they’ll be able to suggest improvements that might not have crossed your mind. By relying on a specialist retail merchandising company, they’ll get the job done, and will add real value to your business.
Free up your Time
This may be stating the obvious, but your time is valuable. Therefore, it makes sense to allocate some of your workload to a company who lives and breathes merchandising and will do a fantastic job. This will free up some of your time to focus on the core areas of your business which will increase growth and productivity.
Improve your Staff’s Morale
A recent article by HR News highlights how half of UK retail workers felt that their company was understaffed during the last festive period. This problem isn’t restricted to Christmas time, but in fact is an all year-round occurrence.
Relying on a merchandising company and letting them take care of your displays and even supporting with stock replenishment will place less pressure on your staff. This will increase morale and provide them with time to get more face time with the customer, delivering a better-quality service, enhancing the shopping experience and increasing your sales.
Benefit from Specialist Expertise
A retail merchandising company lives and breathes merchandising and constantly trains their staff on best practice and the latest developments. This means that they not only appreciate the nuances and intricacies that their role demands in making a store presentable and profitable, but they will be passionate about the work that they do. Your own staff are unlikely to have such an in-depth knowledge of merchandising, so it makes sense to outsource to a company who specialise in this part of the industry.
By introducing an external merchandising company to your business, you’ll be taking advantage of several key benefits that will add value. Seeing your business through the lens of an outside professional will widen the horizon and provide a new perspective. You’ll be giving yourself and your core team more time to focus on other important areas of the business, whilst saving money by successfully navigating the tricky peaks and troughs of the retail calendar.
RMS are a leading merchandising company with over 15 years’ experience of working with major retail brands. Find out how we can help you improve your customer experience and increase sales.
