Why Trade Promotions Depend on a Strong Merchandising Solution
A merchandising solution although acting behind-the-scenes, is the real powerhouse ensuring your promotional strategies translate into sales results.
Trade promotions are a significant investment for FMCG and CPG brands—often accounting for 20–30% of gross sales. But while discounts, special displays, and in-store campaigns may be crafted with precision, their success is ultimately determined by one thing: retail execution. Without proper implementation at the store level, even the best-designed trade promotions can fall flat.
Trade promotion success hinges on execution, for that a merchandising solution is essential, read on to explore how tools like Shelvz are transforming the way brands activate their campaigns on the shelf.
Merchandising Solution: Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Execution
Trade promotion strategies are typically developed at HQ with clear objectives: boost sales, increase market share, launch new products, or clear out inventory. However, when these strategies hit the field, there’s often a disconnect:
- Promotions may not be implemented on time
- Displays may be missing or incorrectly placed
- Discounted products may be out of stock
- Field reps may lack visibility into what’s actually happening in-store
This gap between strategy and shelf is where trade promotions often fail—and where field sales management and retail shelf management must step in to close the loop. Needless to say this comes in the form of Merchandising solutions.
The Role of a Merchandising Solution in Trade Promotion Execution
A merchandising solution enables brands to bridge that critical execution gap by offering real-time visibility, accountability, and control over what happens in-store during a promotion. Here’s how:
- Promotion Compliance Tracking
A merchandising solution empowers field reps to verify that promotional displays are set up correctly, signage is visible, and pricing is in line with campaign requirements. Through mobile apps and image capture, reps can document and validate compliance instantly—reducing ambiguity and giving HQ a clear window into campaign rollout.
- Real-Time Stock Monitoring
Out-of-stock products are a death sentence for trade promotions. With live stock reporting and automated alerts, merchandising solutions allow field teams to detect and address availability issues before they hurt sales.
- Display & Planogram Validation
Promotional campaigns often rely on strategic placement—end caps, gondolas, or window displays. Using photo recognition and planogram validation features, reps can ensure products are displayed where they should be, maximizing impact and ROI.
- Performance Insights and Dashboards
Merchandising platforms consolidate in-store execution data into digestible dashboards, helping managers analyze what’s working and what’s not—by region, SKU, or retail partner. This empowers brands to make fast adjustments mid-campaign rather than waiting for post-mortem reports.
- Field Team Coordination and Scheduling
Trade promotions often involve tight timelines and synchronized rollouts. A merchandising solution helps manage field visit scheduling, optimize routes, and ensure no store is left uncovered during critical promotion windows.
Merchandising Solution to Fight off Poor Execution
Let’s be clear: a promotion not executed correctly is money lost. Studies show that up to 50% of trade promotions underperform, not because of poor strategy—but due to poor in-store execution. When products are not available, promotions aren’t displayed, or the field team is working blind, brands miss their opportunity to convert traffic into sales.
In contrast, brands that pair trade promotions with strong merchandising solutions and retail execution platforms consistently report higher compliance rates, faster issue resolution, and better ROI. It’s not the promotion that needs changing—it’s how it’s managed in the field.
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Why Shelvz Leads in Trade Promotion Execution
Among the merchandising tools on the market, Shelvz stands out for its ability to support trade promotion execution with precision, scalability, and actionable data.
Here’s why leading FMCG and CPG brands trust Shelvz to drive their promotional success:
- Smart Visit Management – Ensure reps are in the right stores at the right time to execute and validate campaigns
- Photo-Based Compliance – Reps capture store displays in real time, and Shelvz uses AI to verify planogram and promotional accuracy
- Stock Checks and Expiry Monitoring – Avoid lost sales due to empty shelves or expired products during high-traffic campaigns
- Custom Forms and Surveys – Gather real feedback from the field on how promotions are being received and displayed
- Performance Dashboards – Get full campaign visibility by store, region, team, or SKU—empowering mid-flight course correction
With Shelvz, promotions are no longer a gamble—they’re a science. It enables both field and HQ teams to act with agility, ensuring that every campaign hits the mark.
50% of trade promotions underperform
What to Look for in a Merchandising Solution for Promotions
When selecting a merchandising platform to support your trade promotion strategy, consider the following must-haves:
- Ease of Use for Field Teams – Mobile-first design with offline functionality
- Image Recognition – AI-driven photo validation of displays and shelf presence
- Customizable Workflows – Adapt forms, reports, and checklists to specific campaign goals
- Real-Time Syncing – Immediate updates for time-sensitive promotion tracking
- Integrated Analytics – Dashboards that provide both snapshot and trend views across campaigns
These features are essential not only for monitoring execution but also for improving future campaign planning based on data and insight—not assumptions.
Conclusion: Promotions Are Only As Strong As Their Execution
A great trade promotion strategy can’t succeed in isolation. In-store execution is where the magic happens—or doesn’t. With so much at stake, brands can no longer afford to leave retail execution to chance.
A powerful merchandising solution is the missing link between trade promotion strategy and shelf-level success. Platforms like Shelvz ensure that promotions are executed flawlessly, monitored in real time, and continuously optimized based on on-ground feedback.
In a retail world where execution defines success, a merchandising solution is not a “nice-to-have”—it’s a competitive necessity.
Power your next promotion with Shelvz—and make every campaign count.
Shelvz: A Powerful Field Team Management and Data Collection Tool
A great trade promotion strategy can’t succeed in isolation. In-store execution is where the magic happens—or doesn’t. With so much at stake, brands can no longer afford to leave retail execution to chance.
A powerful merchandising solution is the missing link between trade promotion strategy and shelf-level success. Platforms like Shelvz ensure that promotions are executed flawlessly, monitored in real time, and continuously optimized based on on-ground feedback.
In a retail world where execution defines success, a merchandising solution is not a “nice-to-have”—it’s a competitive necessity.
Power your next promotion with Shelvz—and make every campaign count.
