So you have been tasked with creating or improving a retail space planning team, and you assume you are alone and no one else understands the unique intricacies of your challenge. Since retail space planning is such a behind-the-scene art form that most people haven't even heard of before - it's understandable that you would feel this way.
The truth though is that retail space planning is a fundamental part of the retail industry, and retailers are working tirelessly to build and develop their space planning capabilities, so you're certainly not alone.
It's not just retailers getting on board with space planning. Suppliers are too. Multinational companies such as DotActiv offer retail space planning software and services.
So without further ado here are six things you can do to build a high-performance space planning team (or to take your existing space planning team to the next level).
Of course, you should hire for experience. But just because someone has the skills and experience to do a particular job, it does not mean they have the personality and characteristics to do it well and contribute to your business.
We prefer a balanced approach when building space planning teams for ourselves and our customers. You need a mix of people with substantial experience, and those with the right characteristics to succeed. They must also be eager to learn and apply their knowledge.
Here are some personality traits to look out for when searching for space planners with potential:
A) Meticulousness - everyone on your team must have an eye for detail. If this isn't the case, you might find that work will often have to be redone to be of any value.
B) Coachability - people with potential are people with potential. They must be coachable if you want them to live up to their potential.
C) Creative flair - you want your planograms and floor plans to be data-driven, but you also want them to be aesthetically pleasing while incorporating tactical strategies. Having people on your team with creative flair will help.
D) Passion for data analysis - here's where potential gets tough to find. Your high-potential candidates should have a passion for data analysis. Yes, they need to have a mix of creative flair and passion for data analysis.
E) Sincere interest in retail - if someone is going to work in an industry as tough as retail, they must have a passion for the industry from the beginning.
There's a quote by Tom Peters, which reads as follows:
"Leaders don't create followers, leaders create more leaders."
If you are going to lead a team of high-performing space planners, then you need to understand that you are leading a group of smart creatives who are likely craving leadership themselves. These people are going to expect authentic leadership from you.
Here are some things you can do to be an authentic leader of your team:
A) Speak to your staff with dignity and respect - the retail industry is packed with big personalities, so don't fall into this trap.
B) Expose them to meetings with various stakeholders - don't expect your space planners to sit in a corner and create planograms, floor plans, and other outputs without ever having an opportunity to interact with Key Account Managers, Buyers, Merchandise Managers, and Category Managers, etc.
C) Listen to your team - listen to your team's challenges and find ways to improve their process.
D) Give them clear direction - make sure your team gets clear direction from you regarding projects, timelines, and expectations.
This may sound simple, but it's often overlooked. A team that understands the importance and purpose of their work is always more engaged. Make sure your team has a clear understanding of the impact that great space planning outputs have on inventory levels and category performance.
Invest in providing each person on your team with the training, support, and mentorship they need to succeed. You can farm some of this off to more experienced team members, but at the end of the day, you will also need to invest your own time and effort into the team.
Spice things up for your team by letting each person swap categories from time to time. Don't leave people to work in the same category for longer than a year!
A host of task types make up a space planning capability. Create job roles for these task types and match the right person to the right role. For example:
A) Data Administrator - creates realograms, maintains product image libraries, and classifies products according to the consumer decision tree.
B) Space Planner (Micro space) - creates data-driven planograms, optimizes existing planograms, and reports on results post planogram implementation.
C) Floor Planner (Macro space) - creates data-driven floor plans, optimizes existing floor plans, and reports on high-level category performance.
D) Assortment Planner - identifies and removes slow movers with low levels of transferable demand, optimizes assortments, and introduces new products performing in the market.
Don't force your team to use outdated space planning software that doesn't integrate with your POS/ ERP or data warehouse. It's difficult for any team to perform when they don't have the right tools. This is the same regardless of what type of team you are trying to build but it is especially true for space planning teams because category management is extremely data intensive.
Want to take our space planning software for a test drive? Download and try out any DotActiv software edition for free for 14 days.