I grew up in  very small town.  So small, that I knew every first, middle and last name of every student in my graduating class.  Mostly because I had grown up with the same classmates since kindergarten.  It was a sort of community where change rarely happened, and when it did, an opinionated wave of uproar and rabble spread, regardless of the change's origin or intent.  

In the retail and Consumer Product Goods (CPG) world, we take for granted the success of what flies off the shelves and what gets lost in the shuffle of ever-changing trends. With constant movement and consumer shopping habits, it is easy for products and procedures to fall through the cracks. This is also true for promotional displays throughout stores. The only way to combat this is with top employees equipped with the necessary tools to not only get the job done, but get it done right.

As the Holiday Season approaches, we reflect on the previous year and our accomplishments, memories and events which influence next year’s direction and goals. At SAS Retail Services, 2019 is a year influenced by change. Change which began by the formation of a completely new company focused on bringing growth to retail via product movement.  As we cross the threshold into 2020, we bring with us not only a new mission, but an important focus which will make 2020 our most important year yet: Our people.

Ever wonder why supermarkets look the same, or how and why product location is universal to certain retail chains?

SAS Retail Services is one of the top experts when it comes to inputting merchandising plans and executing Planograms, or as the industry gurus would say, POGs. POGs are used in the merchandising industry as an organizational tool for stores to take their visual standards and make them come to life!

It’s why you as a consumer can walk into chains across America and know your way around without too many interruptions. Sometimes you’ll see a POG in action with empty shelves, or aisles temporarily denying access. We as consumers may find it troublesome and scoff at the ‘Please excuse our mess’ signs, but what we don’t see are the many people who make these ‘disaster zones’ turnaround in a matter of hours. What we see as inconvenient, they see as a puzzle, a plan, and then a well-executed, team-oriented work-of-art.

As with so many things, Millennials are making changes and redefining how we think about customer experience. Shopper types have changed and continue to evolve. The relentless rise of on-line continues to shape expectations at store level also. Shoppers and consumers are certainly more educated today and peer reviews play into expectations as well creating fluidity of loyalty. No doubt, exceeding expectations at the point of purchase is key in gaining market share, across all industries. For grocers, the opportunities to continue capture this demographic are rife. Most especially, the HBC (health and beauty care) and GM (general merchandise) categories have so much potential to introduce unique products that appeal.