Dedicated Services

At Ultimate Merchandising Solutions we understand that most FMCG clients require field assistance in selected outlets to ensure planogram and distribution compliance.

• Sales Merchandisers

  Solid stock weight, pre-selling of forward promotions and to increase facings where applicable. In addition, our staff will always be asking for the possibility to gain off location display opportunities to ensure you have optimum exposure at store level.

  In-field activity includes:

  Shelf maintenance & stock fill	Distribution maximisation
  Display building	Pre promotional sell-in
  Promotional compliance	Price surveys
  Turn in order drives	Shelf relay implementation
  Product labelling	Product rotation

  Dedicated Field Force:

  Ultimate Merchandising Solutions can set up a field team solely dedicated to your business whereby the team promotes the identity of your company at store level.

  

  We will select and recruit the right team to suit your needs and select a team leader who will control day-to-day operations. This team leader will be your main contact point for any field inquiries.

  Field reports will be customised to best meet your feedback requirements and Ultimate Merchandising Solutions assumes responsibility for payroll expense and administration.

  Our standard merchandising call:

  • Merchandiser signs in visitors' book
  • Announces his/her arrival
  • Checks planogram compliance and tidy section
  • Note any out of stocks and any section issues
  • Address any O.O.S with stock from capping or backroom - ensuring product rotation
  • Locate Department Manager
  • Address damaged stock (ie raise credit)
  • Discuss any outstanding issues from last call
  • If required, have replacement tickets printed
  • Submit suggested order
  • Complete relevant paperwork
  • Sign out of visitors' book

• Store Refit and Refurbishment Teams

  Ultimate Merchandising Solutions (UMS) supplies companies including Coles, IGA, Priceline, Terry White and Amcal with teams of experienced refit/referb merchandisers to totally manage projects or to assist as arms and legs to extend their own field force.

  

  UMS has dedicated Team Leader with strong retail background in planogram, layouts, staff/project management and communication skills to be able to liaise with staff and senior managers alike.

  Areas of expertise include:

  • Team Management
  • Project Management
  • Communication
  • Customer Service
  • Planogram Implementation
  • Fixture removal
  • Fixture assembly
  • Safety requirements

• Onsite Field Audits (Broker Audits)

  Ultimate Merchandising Solutions can tailor your field audit to provide quantitative and/or qualitative feedback. We also specialise in auditing the performance of your broker/agent to ensure you are receiving optimum results. Field audits can be conducted on a periodic basis to track performance or as a blitz activity depending on your needs.

  Key Areas of Research:

  • Product Withdrawal/Recall
  • Promotional Compliance
  • Inventory Levels
  • Shelf Positioning/Share
  • Out of stock levels
  • Pricing Analysis
  • Competitive Intelligence
  • Numeric Distribution

• Mystery Shopping

  Mystery Shopping focuses on evaluating the performance of companies through the assessment of their customer service personnel and the face-to-face environment. The underlying premise of Mystery Shopping is not to conduct a witch-hunt but to gauge operational/strategic effectiveness.

  Key Benefits:

  • Opportunity to benchmark between different outlets of the company;
  • Comparative analysis with competitors;
  • Increase customer satisfaction/confidence/loyalty;
  • Periodic tracking of performance;
  • Interaction enables feedback from an operational level;
  • Using an independent assessor removes certain bias;
  • Assists in identify training needs of company personnel

  Key Areas of Research:

  • Store conditions including cleanliness of premises and displays;
  • Employee product knowledge;
  • Promotional, Price or Merchandising compliance checks;
  • Cash handling procedures;
  • Telephone service standards;
  • Product return procedures

• Relief Field Force Support

  

  In the event of your existing field team requiring temporary assistance, Ultimate Merchandising Solutions will find the best candidate to ensure your operations continue to run smoothly.

  Key Benefits:

  • Ultimate Merchandising Solutions will pinpoint a candidate with the specified skill set that the job requires.
  • Enables territories to be serviced when existing employees take leave or to assist your sales team in peak periods.
  • The placement is temporary but has the opportunity to become permanent.
  • Opportunity to road test potential candidates for future sales roles.
  • Additional manpower without the expense of a full-time salary.