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CHAPTER 12. EVALUATING RETAIL PRODUCT MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE. LEARNING OBJECTIVES. Become familiar with terminology and principles associated with RPM performance evaluation Understand that performance analysis approaches will vary between retailers
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CHAPTER 12 EVALUATING RETAIL PRODUCT MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Become familiar with terminology and principles associated with RPM performance evaluation • Understand that performance analysis approaches will vary between retailers • Appreciate the contribution that cost control and shrinkage control can make to financial performance • Understand how customers evaluate a retailer’s product range, including qualitative measures
PRODUCT PROFIT • The profit margin a product earns is a well established performance measure • Gross margin (mark-up) • The difference between cost and selling price • A mark-down is a price reduction that reduces the gross margin
SALES • Another well established performance measure • High sales generates cash flow, but not necessarily high profits • High sales means high stock turnover, prevents obsolescence and allows retailer to change ranges according to seasonal demand • Price sensitivity should be considered when setting retail prices
PROFITABILITY • The profit a product generates depends on: • gross margin • rate of sales • GMROI (Gross margin return on investment) allows a retailer to compare the performance of products with different % profit margins and different sales turnover • GMROI calculations can be made at SKU, category and department level • GMROI does not consider the variation in costs of selling
Illustration of GMROI • Insert table 12.1
DIRECT PRODUCT PROFITABILITY (DPP) • Considers the costs associated with stocking a product in order to obtain a more sophisticated measure of product profit • selling costs (e.g. chilled fixtures, high levels of personal contact) • supply chain costs (e.g. transportation, handling) • also considers any revenue a product generates, such as promotional allowance
ACTIVITY BASED COSTING (ABC) • Takes DPP a stage further • Includes allocations for indirect as well as direct costs such as • product development costs • overseas sourcing costs • ABC has been recommended as measure of efficiency in ECR systems
THE IMPACT OF MARKDOWNS • Mark-downs are used to stimulate demand for non-staple items, especially • fashion • seasonal • Mark-down analysis by SKU is a good way to evaluate buying decision-making • High total mark down values (deep price cut x number of SKUs) indicate poor buying decisions
PRODUCTIVITY • Sales and profits are often expressed in terms of the productivity of space (e.g. sales per square foot of floor space) • Product management decisions may be required in response to productivity performance (see chapter 8) • allocate better quality space • improve profit margin • introduce more variation of product in category
SHRINKAGE • The term applied to stock that is removed from outlet without payment • Shrinkage control includes: • reducing mark-downs • reducing retail crime • better store management (reduction in damages and shop soiling) • good stock rotation
COST REDUCTION • Efficiency gains (see ECR chapter 3) can be achieved by reducing costs associated with • product development • undertaking promotional activity • poor replenishment • having the wrong assortment • Negotiating better prices from suppliers
NEGOTIATION • Negotiation implies a mutuality of wants, resolved by exchange, not necessarily focused on achieving the lowest possible price • Preparation stage • Meeting stage • Implementation of agreement stage • Negotiation takes place within the framework of the retailer’s price positioning strategy (e.g. premium, discount, EDLP – see Box 12.3)
AVAILABIITY • Availability performance indicators are growing in importance because they are customer-focused • the availability of the total (ideal) product assortment to customer • stock cover (how long the retailer will remain in stock) • Poor availability will damage a retailer’s image
QUALITATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES • Many measures of customer satisfaction are qualitative including: • retailer’s image • retailer’s reputation • retailer’s brand value (equity) • These measures are all multi-attribute evaluations • Attributes that are directly under RPM control • prices • merchandise quality • range of merchandise
BLENDING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE MEASURES • Interpreting various performance indicators is a challenge for retail product managers • Analytical powers and objectivity are needed to optimise product ranges so that both short- and long-term performance objectives are achieved • This supports the argument (see chapter 2) for considerable training period in which experience, knowledge and understanding can be accumulated about the product market and the retailer’s strategic objectives