A planogram is the map of a shelf section: which product sits on which shelf, where, and with how many facings, the units you see side by side at the front. Big chains use it to make every store look the same; a small store uses it for something more useful, giving each product space in proportion to what it sells. A product's shelf capacity is its facings times how many units fit behind each one, and its days on the shelf is that capacity divided by what it sells in a day. Too few days and the shelf empties before anyone restocks it, which loses sales; too many and slow sellers take space the fast ones need. The fix is moving facings: one off the slow seller, one onto the fast one. Put the best sellers at eye level, keep a maker's products together so shoppers find them, and redo the section when sales change. Below are how to build one, an example from a corner store's local section, and a free template that works out capacity and days of supply and flags the shelves that need more or less space.
The short version
- A planogram maps each product's shelf, position and facings.
- Shelf capacity = facings × units deep.
- Days on the shelf = capacity ÷ (units sold a week ÷ 7).
- Too few days: the shelf empties before it's restocked.
- Too many days: slow sellers hold space fast sellers need.
- Move facings from slow sellers to fast ones.
- Best sellers at eye level; a maker's products kept together.
- TaroStack keeps the sales and stock that size the facings. More below.
How to build one
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Measure the section | Shelves, their width and depth |
| List the products | With what each sells a week |
| Set facings | Roughly in proportion to sales |
| Work out capacity | Facings × units deep |
| Check days on the shelf | More than the days between restocks, less than about three weeks |
| Place it | Best sellers at eye level; makers' lines together |
| Review | When sales change, or each season |
What to stock in the first place is in convenience store inventory spreadsheet, and which items matter most in ABC analysis inventory example.
An example: a corner store's local section
Bluff City Market, the made-up neighborhood store in Memphis, Tennessee, I use in these examples, gives one four-shelf section to Memphis makers and restocks it from the back room every three days:
| Shelf | Product | Facings | Deep | Capacity | Sold a week | Days on the shelf | Check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot sauce, 5 oz | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 5.6 | OK |
| 1 | Barbecue sauce, 16 oz | 2 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 3.5 | OK |
| 2 | Coffee, 12 oz bag | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 5.2 | OK |
| 2 | Honey, 12 oz | 2 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 9.3 | OK |
| 3 | Cookies, 6-pack | 3 | 4 | 12 | 24 | 3.5 | OK |
| 3 | Granola, 12 oz | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5.6 | OK |
| 4 | Potato chips | 4 | 3 | 12 | 30 | 2.8 | Runs out before restock |
| 4 | Pretzels | 4 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 28.0 | Too much space |
Two facings move from the pretzels to the chips: the chips go to 18 units, 4.2 days, and the pretzels to 6, 14 days. The cookies and barbecue sauce are close to the line and get watched after the next reset. The store's agreements with these makers are in vendor agreement template.
Get the template
Download the planogram template. One sheet: each product's shelf and position, facings and depth, the shelf capacity, weekly sales and days on the shelf, with a box for how often you restock; a shelf that runs out before the restock turns red and one holding more than three weeks turns amber. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The facings come from what sold last month. Sales move with the season, a new product, a price change, and a planogram built in spring is wrong by fall unless someone re-reads the sales.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps the sales and stock that size the facings.
Sales by product. Sales are kept by product and date, so each item's weekly sales are a report, not a guess.
Stock and days of cover. Each item's stock is counted on a phone by barcode, and the reorder list works in days of cover at the rate items really move, so the back room is ordered for the shelf it feeds.
Losses with reasons. Products that date out on a crowded shelf are written off with their reason, so too much space shows up as waste.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| What each item sells a week | Tally the receipts | Sales by product |
| Back room stock for the shelf | Go and look | Counts and days of cover |
| Slow sellers dating out | Found on the shelf | Losses by reason and item |
Counts, the reorder list, sales and losses with reasons are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.