How to Execute Merchandising Visits
As a merchandising sales representative, here's how you can use the mobile application to manage your typical day with a step-by-step guide to execute the merchandising visits with the help of an example.
Lisa works as a sales representative at Vision Beverages Ltd. As a part of her work, she goes to multiple retail stores and carries out various merchandising tasks assigned to her. See the list of activities that Lisa performs on any typical day.
Review the Route Information and Start the Route
If the sales administrator has enabled route auto-download, Lisa is prompted to start the route when she signs in. If the route auto-download isn't enabled, the administrator must download the route on Lisa's device. In this case, when she signs in, she's prompted to accept the route first. Before she starts the route, she can review the route summary information, for instance, the profile of the account associated with the route. For more information, see the Route Management and Accounts and Appointments sections.
Prepare for the Store Visits
After starting the route, Lisa reviews the appointments for the day with the help of the information available on the appointments tab. For instance, she can find out driving directions to the store using the map view of the appointments. She reviews store binders related to the account for any associated marketing content. She checks the store visit history and notes from previous visits. She can edit existing appointments or create follow-up appointments as required. She can prepare better for her store visits. To understand how to review appointment information as well as create new or follow-up appointments, see the Accounts and Appointments sections.
Start Your Store Visit
Lisa has now reviewed all the information about the route and associated store visits. She arrives at the first store based on her appointments list. She checks in to the store to start performing the in-store activities that are automatically populated based on the store visit type. For more information, see Store Visits.
Perform Store Inventory Audit and Surveys
At the store, Lisa starts taking stock of the store inventory, to update details such as shelf stock, facing, display locations, and so on. She also updates the item display locations, take notes, and takes photos while auditing the store inventory. Lisa then begins conducting account and promotion compliance surveys to get more information about product performance and customer feedback. These surveys help in ensuring effective promotion execution and compliance at the store.
Present Promotions and Create Orders
Lisa uses marketing content from the account store binders to present discounts and offers made available to the select products as promotions to the store manager. Based on store manager's requirements, she adds some of these promotions to the shopping cart. She adds products to the shopping cart per her conversations with the store manager. Based on her audit of store inventory and interactions with store managers, she adds out-of-stock and low inventory products to the cart as well. Lisa then submits the cart to place orders and captures store manager's signature. For more information about presenting promotions, see the Promotions section.
Complete Store Visit
After finishing all the required store visit tasks, Lisa marks these tasks as complete and checks out of the store visit appointment. At this point, if Lisa is assigned another appointment for order delivery for the same store, she can check in to that appointment to deliver shipments using the direct store delivery features offered by the application. Lisa then proceeds to complete all other store visits that are allocated to her for the day as a part of her route assignment. For more information about shipment delivery, see Direct Store Delivery Tasks section.
Mark the Route as Finished
After checking out of all the appointments, Lisa returns to the distribution center and marks the route as finished.