Behind the merch: 10 Questions with Timothé, Naturalia's Merchandising Manager

French version

As a key player of the Merchandising team, Timothé Lesueur provides us with valuable insights into his daily work that shapes the customer experience in Naturalia stores. Let's go behind the scenes and discover his crucial influence on the brand's success:

1. What are your responsibilities at Naturalia? Who are your collaborators?

At Naturalia, I am tasked with two essential aspects: Micro Planning and Macro Planning. In other words, I am responsible for determining not only the optimal product layout on shelves in terms of height and visibility but also for designing the customer journey strategy. To accomplish this, I collaborate closely with various departments. In the realm of Micro Planning, which includes product line analysis and planogram design, I work closely with the Purchasing department to jointly define the optimal assortment. As for the Macro Planning, including overall store planning, signage, and development strategy, I work hand in hand with the Marketing team.

2. I'm delighted to hear that the Merchandising TEAM is involved from start to finish. Has this always been the case?

No. Typically, merchandising is the neglected child of Marketing that's given limited resources, yet is expected to yield significant returns. The Merchandising team often comes last in the chain. However, this trend is evolving; our Merchandisers are gaining importance and recognition. At Naturalia, we are even involved at the start when developing of new concepts!

3. How do you maintain brand consistency when managing Merch in both the beauty/perfume aisle and the quinoa aisle?

It's mental gymnastics. Our approaches to beauty/health versus food have absolutely nothing in common. For instance, with cooking oils, we adopt an approach by oil type, whereas for the City Health product category, we often prioritize grouping by brand, as revealed by our field tests.

Our objective is to provide a clear and understandable experience to new customers, who can sometimes be bewildered by the diversity of our offerings. To achieve this, we collaborate closely with buyers to understand each product and anticipate the best integration strategies.

Therefore, we systematically conduct store tests. I now have a person in my team, Coline, who is responsible for conducting tests, providing field feedback, and above all, plays a significant role in supporting the teams.

4. How do store tests and FRONTLINE feedback work?

We don't have a showroom or a pilot store. We develop a planogram, select a test store, and then assess the clarity of our offering with customers and store staff. A few weeks later, we analyze the results of this new proposal and make necessary adjustments. Once the planogram is finalized, we roll it out across the network.

5. Coming from sales as a former Store Manager, how does that experience help you in your current role?

It helps a lot. All my past experiences allow me to have a voice headquarters listens to, especially regarding product line studies and assortments. Additionally, my knowledge of the challenges encountered in stores, particularly in stock management, enables me to better anticipate operational challenges. It's important to understand that adding 10 more products doesn't necessarily mean making 10 times more sales! A planogram may look great on paper for a buyer but impractical in practice, risking long-term negative consequences on merchandising.

6. How are stores informed of new merchandising directives?

We share our planograms with store managers and co-managers via dedicated software. Subsequently, they organize themselves for implementation. To support them, we provide brand books or videos showcasing the main merchandising guidelines answers such as how to properly implement or adapt a planogram, what are the right reflexes to have, etc.

We have a dedicated person in the field who will engage the community of Store Managers on the topic. Their primary objective is to provide context and insights to the teams on the ground. Specifically, they explain the motivations and objectives behind each merchandising initiative, discuss market trends, and Naturalia's strategic decisions. By providing these detailed explanations, they facilitate team buy-in and encourage communication with customers about the brand's strategic choices.

7. What role does digital play in your work?

• We create our planograms in 2D and aim to create our store plans in 3D.
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  8. Can you share a recent example of a memorable project/concept?
  

  • The Farm Concept. From the start, I was involved in designing the new Naturalia store. We redesigned all aspects, from paint to POS displays, and of course, layout, focusing on clarity and simplicity. I was particularly convinced that breaking down the offer would be beneficial. For example, instead of having a gluten-free aisle and a separate bulk aisle, each bulk bin would be placed in its dedicated aisle next to the packaged product. The result was promising, because despite having approximately half the products in bulk, we generated more sales than before. We assume that the ease of price comparison and product presentation contributed to this success.
    
    
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• 9. What are your daily sources of inspiration?
  

  • Discussions with different departments and suppliers greatly help me in my daily thinking. Whether it's for the offer, layout, or aisle explanation, I also strive to draw inspiration from best practices observed in other sectors, whether it's large retail or ultra-specialized stores. I constantly seek to enrich my thinking and find creative solutions to improve the customer experience.
    
    
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  • 10. If you had 2 pieces of advice for a beginner in Visual Merchandising, what would they be?
    

    • Do not hesitate to dare, test, and think outside the box. Secondly, I would recommend prioritizing communication. Being interested in everything around us to create our own merchandising rules. This enriches our vision and helps find innovative solutions to challenges. These values of openness and collaboration are at the heart of our approach at Naturalia.
      
      Thank you and see you soon in-store, of course.

📸 Cover: Naturalia

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