Black Friday isn’t just one day out of the year. It has tons of buildup beforehand and sometimes can extend into the weekend after. This planned retail event, if done right, can help retailers everywhere with their profits. It’s just a matter of making sure you have a sophisticated strategy in place. This means your fixtures, point-of-purchase displays, and more are all thought about in extreme detail to help guide your shoppers. Read more on how S-Cube Fixtures can help you attack this peak shopping season in stride.
The Seasonal Planning Timeline for Retailers
The best strategy in getting your store prepared for Black Friday actually begins months in advance. You may think this is too early but it’s actually way more helpful to start a timeline then so everything as far as store operations goes, is perfectly synchronized. Here is what we suggest:
90-120 Days Out
- Finalize Assortments: Lock in doorbusters, key value items (KVIs), and complementary product bundles.
- Fixture & POP Design: Develop modular display concepts that are versatile, easy to assemble, and cost-effective to ship. Finalize all signage creative, ensuring it aligns with the campaign's messaging hierarchy.
- Vendor Negotiation: Place orders for all temporary fixtures, POP kits, and signage. Build in buffer time for production and shipping, anticipating potential supply chain disruptions.
60-90 Days Out
- Planogram (POG) Governance: Create detailed, visually rich planograms for all key merchandising zones: endcaps, power aisles, and checkout queues.
- Logistics Coordination: Finalize the distribution plan. Consolidate POP kits for each store to simplify receiving and reduce shipping costs. Confirm delivery windows with distribution centers and individual stores.
- Store Ops Communication: Distribute preliminary execution guides and training materials to regional and store-level management.
30 Days Out
- Kit Distribution: Ship complete, labeled POP kits to all locations.
- Labor Planning: Finalize staffing schedules for overnight merchandising resets. Ensure teams are trained on POGs and fixture assembly.
- Contingency Check: Verify that a small surplus of key POP elements is available at regional hubs to address any in-transit damage or loss.
Bettering Your Traffic Flow With Aisles, Endcaps, and More
Take advantage of the fixtures you do have in your store and have them manage your traffic flow. Start by mapping the customer journey from the entrance. Place your most compelling doorbusters in the back of the store. This strategy pulls traffic through major aisles, forcing exposure to other product categories. Along this path, use adjacencies to your advantage. For example, position high-margin accessories like charging cables and headphones next to discounted electronics, or place cozy socks and slippers near discounted pajamas in an apparel setting.
Using Your Aisles to Capture Attention
Your aisles can be more than just shelves for product. Have them be your main stage or main attraction to where you can capture the attention of your shoppers instantly. Try using a "speed bump" strategy with pallet displays or large dump bins to feature lower priced items. These displays should be low-cost and focus on volume. Think cases of beverages in a grocery store or bins of $5 movies in a mass-market setting. This breaks up the customer's journey and encourages them to pause and browse, increasing the likelihood of adding unplanned items to their cart.
Related Article: Why Execution Can Create Excellence in Retail Fixtures
Summary
Black Friday isn’t something to stress about. If you have a strategy in mind or in motion early, you’ll be able to tackle the obstacles seamlessly as well as potentially increasing your sales. Don’t forget to focus on a strategic timeline, optimizing traffic flow, and using high-impact fixtures and POP to your advantage. If you need help starting fresh on new fixtures, displays, or more, visit S-Cube Fixtures. We can help make sure this Black Friday will be your most profitable one yet!
