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This is a strange article. Instead of answering all your questions, I will tell you many of the questions you need to ask while managing fixtures in the market. Trust me – in this case, the questions are more important than any specific answer. You can ponder the answers on your own time.

I am a visual person, so I have included my Homegrown flow chart (PDF) that I use for every “go to market” exercise.

Before we get into it, let’s define fixtures and displays.

Economically, a fixture is traditionally a CAPEX investment, and usually, a display is an OPEX spend. From a more practical view, a fixture is physically larger and presents an extensive product selection. A display usually highlights a single product or category. The exact definitions can be somewhat confusing, but don’t stress – just think of a display as a fixture’s little brother. Below I review a few of the issues in managing fixtures and displays that trade marketing professionals need to consider, and the specific questions you need to ask about each one.

  1. Distribution planning
  2. Economic planning
  3. Logistics process
  4. Tracking process
  5. Service, recall, and repair
  6. End of use

distribution planning

Moving fixtures into the market the first time is straightforward. You have a perfect blank canvas. Replacing fixtures in the market has a slightly more complex structure, and you need historical data and insights to do it correctly. That being said, you need to ask yourself the questions below.

This is a tricky area, and every company has their own methods for making the economics of fixtures and displays look just good enough so they can sleep at night. Trust me when I say that sooner or later, the way these items are accounted for will come up for examination. Over time, the magnitude of these unaddressed issues will increase and the stress on the brand will be even more impactful.

logistics process

As the owners of fixtures and displays, most trade teams are grossly underprepared for the logistics issues that they will face with a fixture and display rollout.

Actual physical tracking of your fixtures and displays can be critical for your brand. What if your fixture has a LED driver in it? What if you get a bad batch and have a bunch of fixtures dark in the market? What if that LED driver catches on fire and puts stores and people’s lives at risk? I have seen this more than once, and it is a HUGE issue. If you do not believe me, ask your legal team.

Well, you have done it, you have a fixture program in the market, and it’s increasing sales. Congratulations! As in life, all fixturing eventually starts showing its age. If you are in the CPG world, you know shopping carts destroy fixturing, leaving bumps and bruises everywhere. If you are a luxury brand and your fixturing has a large digital display, what happens when it goes dark? What if the retailer loses the remote?

As your brand evolves, you need to update its in-market appearance. If all things in your brand are clicking, the end-use problem will come up eventually. Will your evolving brand image rise anew from the ashes of the old, or will you sputter and fail as you try to gather the data to clean the playing field?

If you have all the above taken care of, you can now accept the award for the #1 fixture manager on the planet! If you can honestly say, “I don’t have all the above completely managed,” feel free to join the 99.99999 percent of brands that are just trying to do their best in a crazy game.

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