Brands spend a considerable amount of effort to get their products to retailers and to achieve competitive placement. Once the combination of financial investment and time spent pitching the brand results in a retailer listing the brand in-store, the next step is to keep the product in the right spot. This can be particularly challenging for smaller brands as products sales are just one of the deciding factors as to whether or not a retailer continues to list their product.

Many brands assume that once a retailer agrees to sell their product the job is done and that the employees of the retailer will ensure that their product is stocked and on the shelf for people to buy. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. Obviously, the cost to a brand when its product is not on the shelf is substantial.

Whether you are a small brand or larger more established brand, it makes absolute sense to continue investing in the success of your brand once in-store. Undertrained merchandising personnel costs brands big where retail merchandising is concerned. These personnel are often the reason that products are delayed in making it onto the shelf and they are often responsible for numerous instances of products going out of stock. Faulty retail merchandising is something that can be avoided and is worthy of a brand's consideration.

Compliant retail merchandising begins with competent merchandisers and customized solutions. In Toronto, merchandising companies have been saving brands a lot of money in this regard. Because merchandising companies specialize in retail merchandising, they are able to offer skilled resources that many retailers simply do not have. Their involvement reduces the retailer's impact regarding the success or failure of a product at retail.

Compliance can begin before the product hits the shelf. Merchandising companies offer staff that are skilled and have received retail merchandising training to ensure they understand the impact to your brand if your product goes out of stock or is not on the shelf. The in-store representatives of merchandising companies act as your ambassador and their presence ensures that your inventory is full and current.

The experience of working with a merchandising company is invaluable to a brand. Merchandising companies are able to work with brands to plan for situations that often happen at retail and that retail staff may not have considered. The exercise of working with professional merchandising companies allows brands to learn about challenges they may face while avoiding the impact of the potential issues because they have professional guidance available to them as well as the resources to ensure that their products are always on the shelf.

It is ideal to research merchandising companies and hire one before your brand is in-store. This will help avoid loss of revenue. If your brand is already in-store, you can have a merchandising company perform an audit, which will let you know what needs to be done to better maintain your distribution and ensure that your product is there for purchasers to see and buy. This will not only boost sales but also improve your end customer's perception of the accessibility of your brand.