Outdoor Retailer - June 2021 - 11

OPPORTUNITIES
1. We do not have a consistent schedule for
remerchandising when sell-through
issues arise.
2. We do not have anyone who has ownership
over merchandising, and it is usually left to
whoever is in the store when new shipments
arrive.
Now that you have assessed this area of the
store, create a 30-, 60- and 90-day action plan
based on your findings.
For example:
30 days: Identify a merchandising specialist
and a set schedule for merchandising hours
for the store-one day at the beginning of the
week and one day at the end of week. Create
clear roles and responsibilities for the merchandising-specialist
role.
60 days: Train the merchandising specialRETAIL
101
All Systems Go
Are your operational systems helping or hurting your business?
Go through this simple exercise and get your store working like a
well-oiled machine. by Jordan Martindell
OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS ARE INCREDIBLY
important to a retail store. Without strong systems,
you could end up bleeding payroll dollars
and spinning your wheels in an inefficient
way. If you are like most small business owners,
you exist in a state of execution and not
planning. Planning seems to be a luxury retail
owners can't afford. But what if your ability to
stop and assess your store in an organized way
allowed you to thrive? What if creating systems
actually gave you more time?
Systems are the unseen heartbeat of a retail
shop that allow the customers to shop freely
and the staff to serve graciously. Completing
a simple systems audit will empower you to
make smart, lasting decisions for your store
and your team that will prepare you for a successful
move into Q4-the biggest quarter of
the year.
Make a list of areas of your store that require
systems. It could include the following: restock,
cash register, training, merchandising,
receiving, online orders, sale/clearance, opening
procedure, closing procedure. For each
section, rate the current system performance
on a scale of 1 to10. For example, merchandising,
score of 5.
Next, point out two to three things you are
doing well and two to three things that could
be improved upon.
SUCCESSES
1. When we get a new floor set or a new
season rolls around, we do great with
merchandising.
2. We have one sales associate who seems to be
interested in merchandising but only works
on Saturdays (our busiest day).
ist and management on the new partnership
plan to integrate merchandising days into the
current schedule. This includes sales reports
assessments, knowledge of reshipments, new
product arrivals, and merchandising visual
standards (including how to train the team on
the merchandising visual standards).
90 days: Commit to the merchandising
schedule and have weekly check-ins on what is
and isn't working, what changes can be made,
and how to maximize efficiency in this area.
In this example, you can see that the time
spent assessing the area of the store resulted
in a system of productivity around the store's
opportunity. Applying this mindset to all
areas of your store can give you focus, clarity,
and of course actionable ways to impact your
bottom line.
This activity should be done twice a year
or quarterly, depending on the store's needs.
When completing the entire store assessment,
pick your top three areas of opportunity to impact,
as you do not want to overcommit. Biting
off more than you can chew will leave you (and
your team) feeling defeated and lost.
When done successfully, this activity will
result in a motivated team, a shared-vision
mentality, and of course, will maximize sales
dollars. O.R.
June 2021 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 11
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Outdoor Retailer - June 2021

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