Merchandising

Merchandising in FMCG is the hands on work that makes products show up, stay shoppable, and look like they belong on the shelf. It is where plans become reality, or get exposed fast.

Also known as: retail merchandising, in-store merchandising, shelf work.

What merchandising actually is

Merchandising is execution in store, it is the practical work of getting the right products in the right place, in the right condition, at the right time. It is making the shelf match the plan, keeping availability steady, and making sure the brand is actually visible when shoppers decide in three seconds.

In the real world, it is a constant fight against small chaos. Cases arrive late, labels go missing, facings drift, someone else expands into your space, and a “temporary” display becomes permanent until somebody fixes it.

Merchandising is not glamorous, but it is decisive. If the product is out of stock, hidden, expired, or misplaced, the best campaign in the world does nothing.

What merchandising typically includes

• Restocking

• Rotating stock

• Checking dates (where relevant)

• Facing up

• Fixing shelf labels

• Cleaning shelf area (lightly)

• Implementing planograms

• Building/maintaining displays

• Placing POSM

• Reporting issues back

Merchandising vs sales

Merchandising is what happens after the agreement, it is the in-store reality of making the shelf and displays match what was sold in. Sales is the relationship and the commercial agreement, listings, pricing, promo terms, space commitments, and the “yes” from the customer.

They need each other. Sales can win the placement, merchandising keeps it alive week after week, and sends back the proof and problems that sales needs to protect the next deal.

What changes by channel

In retail / off-trade, the work is shelf first. Availability, shelf placement, planogram compliance, labels, and displays are the daily battleground, because shoppers compare products side by side and the shelf is the store.

In HoReCa / on-trade, the shelf is often a back room, a fridge, or a bar station. The priorities shift to menu presence, bar visibility, correct glassware or serving cues, and making sure staff can actually find and use the product during service, not “somewhere in storage”.

In travel retail, the store is premium, fast paced, and heavily space controlled. Execution is about perfect availability, clean presentation, and strict compliance with the agreed display and assortment, because the environment is managed tightly and changes happen on fixed schedules.

A simple example

A merchandiser has a visit planned during the sales cycle, because a promotion is live and the store should have a display up front. They arrive and see the promoted SKU is on the shelf, but it is pushed to the side and the facings have shrunk. They check the back room and find two unopened cases, so availability is not the problem, execution is. They refill the shelf, rotate the stock, and face everything up so it looks intentional again. Then they rebuild the display, but only after confirming there is enough stock to keep it standing for the week. They quickly align the shelf to the planogram, moving a couple of items back to the correct block so the brand is readable from a distance. They spot a wrong shelf label under one variant and fix it, so the shopper does not get a surprise at checkout. Finally, they send a short internal update with a couple of photos for proof, and they share the latest planogram and display brief as a link so the team knows what “correct” looks like. If the link gets opened, they can see basic engagement, which helps confirm the message reached the right people.

Common mistakes

• Instructions are unclear, so everyone executes a slightly different version in store.

• The wrong products are merchandised, so the shelf or display looks “done” but it is not the agreed assortment.

• Out-of-stocks are ignored or not escalated, so the same gaps repeat on the next visit.

• Displays are built without enough stock to maintain them, so they collapse into empty cardboard after a day or two.

• Maintenance is skipped, so facings drift, labels go missing, and a good setup slowly turns messy.

• There is no feedback loop, so sales, trade marketing, and logistics never hear what is actually breaking execution.