Rethinking CPG in-store execution for COVID and beyond

As more people are vaccinated for COVID-19, and as states and countries allow businesses to reopen,  brick-and-mortar stores await the return of shoppers. But when consumers return to stores, they won’t shop the same way. Consumer products companies need to keep this in mind as they adjust their in-store execution.

In-store execution: then and now

Before the pandemic, CPG companies were already under tremendous pressure to adapt their retail execution for increasingly demanding and fickle consumers looking for an experience, not just a brand name.

What’s distinct about this moment in time is that consumers are clearly weighing the desire to shop against the anxiety of being in stores for extended periods. Further, they are seeking assurance that stores are putting shoppers’ safety above all else. This is new reality for retailers and consumer products merchandisers.

In more normal times, there’s a generally agreed set of principles that together constitute retail execution for consumer products companies.

1. Make sure the right products are in the right place at the right time and price
2. Empower sales reps in the field to ensure customers have a positive brand experience
3. Use data collected in the field to improve store performance and promotional planning

All of these are aspects of execution that remain critical. But there are also some fundamental shifts in behavior that CPG merchandisers and field service reps will need to account for as they gear up for the return of in-store shopping.

New brick-and-mortar shopping habits

For one thing, many shoppers will be trying to limit the amount of time they spend in the store. A Deloitte study found that many consumers remain concerned about their health despite increased vaccinations.

Prior to the pandemic, stores were typically designed to maximize the amount of time each shopper would spend in the store. This could mean anything from comfortable seating for accompanying spouses in apparel stores, to placing staple grocery items like milk and eggs at the rear of the store.

Now merchandisers and field service reps, in partnership with retailers, must think creatively about store layout and product placement to speed up the shopping experience for people who don’t want to linger in the store. They want to find what they need quickly and easily.

Adjusting in-store execution

As they tackle these issues, high-performing CPG sales reps will draw on cloud-based tools that enable them to gather key performance metrics for ongoing optimization.

There’s a wealth of insight to be gleaned from state-of-the-art technologies like image intelligence, which allows them to audit product placements for planogram compliance so that the right items and promotions show up at the right locations and time.

This also helps avoid out-of-stocks situations and empty shelves – a must for the many shoppers who will employ a “get in, get out” shopping approach.

By equipping field sales reps with advanced tools, CPG companies enable them to work effectively to ensure the best experience possible at each and every store.

Positioned for growth

Of course, there is much we still don’t know about how buyer behavior will change coming out of the pandemic lockdown period. Without a doubt, trends that took off during COVID such as curbside pickup, BOPIS, and contactless payment aren’t going away.

At the same time, nothing beats the convenience and immediate gratification of buying off the shelf. CPG companies that are agile and make the right adjustments for today’s COVID-conscious consumer can put themselves on a growth path for years to come.