The Question: How does a big-box retailer create a consistent merchandising voice in more than 2,200 stores?

The Atlanta-based Home Depot is the world's largest home-improvement retailer, and operates 2,245 stores, nearly 2,000 of which are located in the U.S. The Home Depot presented us with a sizable challenge of establishing consistent visual merchandising standards across their North American footprint.

First, we needed to understand the core requirements of compliance for the individual stores to implement a consistent visual merchandising strategy. We found that establishing a strategic visual merchandising standard will help with the core selling proposition, emphasizing “products” and “customer solutions” which supports the alignment of the retailer’s brand with the needs of their customers in all of their local markets.

The second key to implementing an effective strategy was providing hands-on training to educate associates and vendors on implementing visual merchandising standards. This led to the design, development, and publication of The Home Depot Visual Merchandising Standards Manual, including planogram, product packaging, and off-shelf and end cap standards. The manual was launched in conjunction with a 750 sq. ft. training facility in The Home Depot’s Innovation Center.

We then generated online tools and easy-access manuals for a simplified interactive exchange of information to teach sales associates how to successfully implement the new store standards across all departments.

The Question: How does a big-box retailer create a consistent merchandising voice in more than 2,200 stores?

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