Delivering results for clients | Addressing urgent needs at stores

During the fierce competition of fourth quarter, capturing market share and creating an outstanding customer experience often boils down to product availability on the shelf. And Black Friday is the event that commands the most attention and creates the most anxiety for retailers.

Last year, Lawrence Merchandising Services was able to save the day for one of their retail partners. Because we are in one of the largest mass retailers every day, our field representatives discovered that several key items had been incorrectly processed through receiving channels, just before the retailer’s Black Friday ad appeared. Without immediate intervention, the product would remain stuck in the backroom, leading to empty shelves, lost sales, and disappointed customers, during one of the most important weekends of the year.

The retail partner was not surprised that the LMS field representatives identified the execution issue so quickly and with such a high sense of urgency. The team in the field consistently demonstrates powerful sense of pride and responsibility when it comes to achieving results. It is not uncommon to hear the field representatives talk about ‘my store’ or ‘my product.’ This situation was not different: they weren’t going to let anything prevent them from achieving their best possible Black Friday event.

Within hours, the LMS client team quickly stepped up to the challenge and took action. Working with buyers, planning teams, and store management, we created a solution. We urgently created instructions and through our automatic workforce management system, sent them to the field teams. Armed with their new instructions, the LMS field representatives swiftly tackled the challenge in stores across the United States. Simultaneously, the LMS Client Team Account Managers monitored the results in real time and reported frequent status updates to the retailer, providing them with clear visibility and reassurance.

The Black Friday ad was saved! In stores, items were located, processed correctly and moved to the correct locations right before Black Friday. The retailer was able to achieve their best ad ever and deliver a significant sales increase. In an unprecedented move, LMS was the recipient of a division award usually reserved for the retailer’s internal teams for their dedication and outstanding results.

Over 1,500 representatives sprang into action to urgently fix the issue in nearly 1,800 stores. That’s performance.