DotAciv’s Data Collection Toolkit is used as a guide to ensure that all prerequisite data is collected for each respective function, namely Floor Plan Optimisation, Cluster Optimisation, Assortment Optimisation, and Planogram Development.
With assistance from this toolkit, you will be able to identify and provide all the required information to DotActiv without the constant back and forth of sharing information/data.
A checklist has been developed to ensure that all necessary information can be provided to ensure a successful process roll-out. All documentation is stored in a shared drive folder. Separate folders will exist for each below-discussed function for ease of navigation.
Floor Plan Optimisation
Floor planning describes the entire layout of your store at a macro level. It’s a visual representation or retail blueprint of where and how to position your categories in your store. As a retailer, you want to create data-driven floor plans to optimize on your store layouts as much as possible.
In order to get started data requirements are needed in order for us to create new floor plans.
- Does a current floor plan/blueprint of the store exist?
- If there is an existing floor plan or a suggested floor plan, we request this be shared in excel format as this gives us insight into the store layout beforehand.
- Provide the floor planning team with the LSM of the store as this will ensure that the planograms created are most suitable and appropriate for the store.
- Reference store(s) should be provided as this will aid in the creation and compilation of a store sales analysis.
- These stores should have similar LSM, store size, and customer profile as well as a similar area/region as the new store that will be built, as the sales and contribution data will be used to determine how much space will be allocated to the different departments as categories.
- Insights into the current store’s shopper/consumer profiles. This includes demographics of the consumer, behavior, lifestyle, etc.
- CAD Drawings in the format of a DXK file. This also includes the PDF version of the DXF file as the PDF version consists of factual information about the physical floor layout and it indicates the designated (and often non-negotiable) space allocation of main departments on the floor.
- Provide information with regard to specific roles allocated to departments.
- This information will allow us to determine the departments that will be in your store and their relevant role is (A category role is allocated by the customer and in turn, this defines the % market coverage the category will need to be given for the role to be achieved)
Cluster Optimisation
Clustering is the process of grouping stores together based on certain similarities, whether it be LSM, store size, or consumer shopping behavior.
This then means that stores in the same cluster will get the same/ very similar planograms as the consumers that shop in these stores, and have the same/ very similar shopping patterns. As a retailer/supplier, you want to optimize clustering in order to create planograms that make sense for your store profile.
In order to best optimize your clusters, the first thing that needs to be determined is the store’s profile. The following information is needed:
- Store Code (used throughout the process to link store information where necessary and provide access to ProPlan)
- Store Name (Naming Convention of the store i.e Company name_area- Dis-chem_Woodmead)
- Geographic location (Province)
- Regional Location (Area)
- LSM
- Regional Manager Information (Name, Number, and Email)
- Store Manager Information (Name, Number, and Email)
- Number of Drops (NOD) (Name, Code, Category, Number of Drops)
Secondly, obtaining all relevant category and product information will be needed.
- Product information (barcode, product code, description, display structure classifications, fact fields (sales, units, GP) with historical data.
- Category information needed would include primary/secondary display structure. Brand Profiles (Size and OUM) , target/specific number of clusters, and integrated database.
Assortment Optimisation
This function does not form part of the data collection process as this will be collected during the integration process conducted by IT.
Planogram Development
Planograms are typically a blueprint for visual merchandising and product displays. DotActiv creates planograms based on the signed-off ranges for every cluster.
There are three important data areas that will need to be collected in order to create data-driven planograms.
- Realograms: Does an existing realogram exist?
- Provide DotActiv with the files you have of all the realograms in your stores. It is recommended to separate the realograms on the Google shared drive by the store.
- If you do not have access to existing realogram files, you can create your own by making use of the articles provided and supplying DotActiv with a PDF version of all the realograms per store.
- Product Information
- Images (Front, Back, and Top views) and Dimensions are required.
- The naming conventions of the images need to be the barcodes of the products.
- Dimensions can be received in Inches and/or CM. This can be selected on the checklist items on the data collection template.
- Fixture Information
- Fixture images: provide DotActiv with images of all different fixture types within the stores (Gondola, shelving, etc.) along with the dimensions of the fixtures.
To ensure fixtures and product information is accurate it would be requested to provide the team with access (in email format) to the store in order for the scanning team to source all images, dimensions of products, and fixtures for the planograms.
Making use of DotAciv’s Data Collection Toolkit will ensure that accurate information/data will be collected for each function in order to create data-driven floor plans and planograms.
In order for all information to be correctly captured and stored, a Google Drive folder will be created for ease of use and navigation.