However, where categories vary more (fitness, pain management, daily living) then a provider should be creating merchandising plans using multiple manufacturers or products to get a healthy mix of product to satisfy the market or customer base.
HMEB: How important are planograms in terms of retail strategy? How can this help an HME provider?īaumhover: Planograms are great for certain categories (incontinence, wound care, compression and bracing) or categories where a provider uses only one manufacturer per section or category. Now there are very photorealistic, three-dimensional computer designs that give providers very clear ideas of how DME could look on a shelf. Planograms have come a long way from the very simple, two-dimensional line drawing diagrams of how providers should organize products on a shelf. HMEB sat down with a couple retail experts, Mike Scarsella, national sales director for Compass Health, and Rob Baumhover, director of VGM Retail and Vendor Programs, to get their take on how providers can use planograms strategically. Over the past several years, vendors and distributors of HME have been supplying planograms to their provider customers in hopes of helping them excel and retail sales. Long an asset of other retail industries, planograms help retailers organize what’s on their shelves to help promote and sell their wares. A provider can employ only so many people, so it is essential that the store is organized and goods are presented in such a way that shoppers can find what they want, are enticed by other items, and can make an informed selection in instances when staff members are already helping other customers. And a key element a smart retail strategy is having a showroom that does the selling. Retail is a critical component of HME provider revenues these days, and because of that, providers are becoming far more strategic in how they approach retail sales. What makes a effective planogram and how can providers use them strategically? Business Solutions Retail: Having the Right PlanĪs providers increasingly add retail sales to their revenue mix, planograms become an essential tool.