How to Create Innovative Merchandising Solutions for CPGs and Retail

In November of 2021, Therabody earned a No. 61 ranking on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™, and a big reason for its 2,742% growth was increased retail distribution.

So how does a CPG attain such an enviable trajectory?

Offering a great product that inspires customer loyalty is a good start. But optimized shopper engagement requires a subtle mixture of strategy, expertise, innovation, efficiency and a precise understanding of branding, retail environments and customer experience.

Back to Therabody. In 2020, it was rebranding and had been awarded space inside Walmart. Great product. Great opportunity. So... what’s next?

Miller Zell had created an end cap style guide and signage template for CPGs entering Walmart. Therabody partnered with Miller Zell and our Retail Marketing Solutions (RMS) team to design displays and shelving for the Theragun deep muscle treatment and other wellness products inside the world’s largest retailer. Impressed with the designs and our end-to-end services, Therabody asked Miller Zell to create end caps and shelving for other retailers, such as Target, Walgreens, Bed Bath & Beyond and Best Buy.

Increased retail distribution, sales growth

Therabody increased its retailer distribution from 40 stores in the U.S. to more than 17,000 retailers globally. Helping to manage this rapid growth, Miller Zell provides Therabody logistics and inventory management, while our design development and procurement teams continue to value-engineer displays to save them money. We also developed a customized website that uses our proprietary technology, REACH™, so sales reps can order from a full catalogue of fixtures, displays, graphics, etc., for any retail location.

This successful partnership — and others like it — are about connecting the dots between vision and execution, great products and loyal customers. CPGs need compelling and efficiently produced merchandising and POP materials that optimize their products’ presentation and differentiate them amid myriad competitive choices.

Innovation and execution, then business intelligence and evolution

But rollout and installation of a new merchandising display aren’t the finish line.

What’s the evolving omnichannel plan, considering two-thirds of shoppers prefer a hybrid, online/smartphone, in-store experience? After initial engagement, how do you personalize your brand experience and deepen the connection? And what about data collection, from dwell time to demographics to traffic flow? Retailers collect these KPIs, and CPGs need to understand and act upon their value.

Miller Zell’s RMS and end-to-end services can provide CPGs with purposeful design and efficient procurement, production and installation that are then supported by meaningful data around a branded experience’s performance. Further, on the practical side, we can ensure compliance to retailers’ brand standards, minimizing execution inefficiencies, market launch hiccups and lost sales gaps.

Consumers have more choices than ever before, and they seek brands that stand out and put them at the center of the product experience. Research from McKinsey found that “71 percent of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. And 76 percent get frustrated when this doesn’t happen.”

But while almost all marketing professionals say they’re investing in personalizing the customer experience, only a small percentage of consumers believe their experience is effectively customized for their wants and needs.

The in-store experience with your product should seamlessly blend with online and social engagement. This starts with product information — research online, buy offline — but continues with social content that attracts younger customers who are creating User Generated Content (UGC) among family and friends or even to a larger influencer audience.

Many shoppers use their smartphones in-store to look at price comparisons, read product reviews, seek advice from friends/family and/or watch product demonstrations.

Not only will these interactions continue to increase, new behaviors will also enter the equation.

Miller Zell has developed a holistic approach to retail and CPGs after nearly 60 years developing diverse branded environments. We own a deep understanding of how merchandising is critical to driving CPG sales and the evolving omnichannel intersections.

Miller Zell’s RMS edge

Miller Zell offers end-to-end solutions for CPGs that include expertise in:

• Designing high-performing merchandising and POP materials and solutions
• Printing/producing these solutions
• Kit packing, shipping and installing these solutions to match retailer expectations and lessen friction in the process
• Providing technology that supports our work along with a transparent and intuitive cost operating model

In collaboration with you, we can create engaging and personalized experiences that optimize your space, from end caps and shelving displays to labels and shelf signage.

We know retailers and retail and understand ever-evolving customer wants and needs.