Case Studies
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Case Study: Seasonal Department Fix-it Project

“Lawrence Merchandising moves product from PDQ and puts wheels in motion”

Product incorrectly displayed in shipper carton leads to high priority change in directive to prevent recall.


Lawrence Merchandising partnered with a leading global supplier of products for home, garden and outdoors to resolve an issue with in-store presentation at 196 stores of a leading mass merchandiser’s chain. The initial directive was provided for Lawrence Service merchandisers to locate product in 196 stores that was incorrectly displayed in a PDQ shipper and move it to shelves in accordance to the department plan-o-gram.

In executing the initial directive, the client learned that the product, a garden cart, had its wheel axels in the incorrect position for final sale to the consumer. Issue resolution for the incorrect axel position was identified as high priority due to safety concerns that could lead to a product recall; if the axel was left in the incorrect position, the garden cart could become unstable, tip and cause the user to fall forward while sitting on the cart. The service directive quickly changed to accommodate the shift in priority and verify the depth of the issue within all retail locations and correct the problem when necessary. Lawrence was able to quickly dispatch the modified project due to their frequent services within the retailer.


Our Role:

To leverage our ongoing service frequency within a mass retailer to quickly and effectively execute a fix-it project for a supplier. The initial directive consisted of locating product in PDQ packaging on selling floor of seasonal area and moving to the shelf according to plan-o-gram. It was thought that the number of units actually located in the PDQ packaging would be minimal. An issue was identified in one of the first stores serviced that changed the service directive to include checking for the position of the wheel axel and to change it from the shipping position to the in-use position.

The Challenge:

Lawrence Merchandising was called upon to quickly execute a project in order to resolve an issue as reported by an executive employee of the supplier involving merchandise placement on the selling floor. The focus of the initial service call then changed to include a directive to resolve the issue with the incorrect placement of the axel that was beyond the initial scope. Communication needed to be dispersed quickly to the merchandising team assigned to the project.

The Solution:

In the course of rapid project deployment, Lawrence Merchandising teams identified and corrected a potentially hazardous issue which added a crucial step to the overall project instructions. Lawrence Merchandising was able to quickly notify the service merchandisers of the change in directive via the centralized call center that administers all projects. Service instructions were updated in real time to reflect the change in directive and additional communications were immediately sent to the assigned reps to ensure they had access to the changed directive. Due to the regular frequency of services in the retailer, the reps who had already completed their service call were able to quickly return to the store to check on and correct the product per the additional service directive. Lawrence Merchandising’s quick action minimized the impact of a potential hazardous product condition. Completions were tracked daily to ensure timely completion and to identify issues as they occurred, allowing for prompt issue resolution.

The Result:
Rapid response to time sensitive issue resolution was a critical differentiating factor for this service as the additional potential safety hazard surfaced. Initially, the client thought the merchandising issue would be minimal and were unaware of the axel location issue. In evaluating service completions, Lawrence was able to identify that 45% of the stores had the product located on the selling floor inside the PDQ packaging. In addition, the problem with the axel placement was thought to be an isolated issue that turned out to be more global with 97% of the stores requiring the additional step of moving the axel. For the 3% that did not require this step, the actual product could not be located. Lawrence accomplished 78% service completion within the first few days and reached 92% of the project completion within the first week of the service. Overall, the rapid deployment and attention to detail ensured the proper and safe product placement for a seasonal item with limited floor space. The prompt, efficient service enabled the client to maximize sales and prevent a potentially costly product recall and safety hazard while maintaining their plan-o-gram integrity.

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