By Dawie du Toit

In FMCG, every merchandising decision represents an investment. Without clear insight into the results of these efforts, brands are effectively operating in the dark.

This means understanding how merchandising activities impact sales allows brands to make informed decisions, optimise strategies, and ensure that every rand spent contributes to tangible growth.

In this article, I dive into why this matters and how it can impact your merchandising strategies if you want to become a brand that thrives.

Why Sales Data Transparency Matters

Modern merchandising partnerships are about more than compliance and operational tasks. Brands need partners who share data openly and work collaboratively to drive results.

Sales data transparency builds trust, accountability, and alignment between FMCG brands and their merchandising teams. When both parties have access to the same insights, decisions can be made quickly, and strategies can be adjusted proactively.

Visibility into sales data transforms merchandising from a cost centre into a measurable growth driver.

By tracking product performance, promotional effectiveness, and sales trends, brands can identify which investments deliver the highest return and which require adjustment. This level of insight ensures that merchandising budgets are allocated strategically, minimising waste while maximising impact.

This allows you to see the ROI of every activity, helping brands continuously refine their merchandising strategies and strengthen their in-store presence.

The Limitations of Traditional Merchandising Metrics

Operational metrics don’t tell the whole story

For years, merchandising success was measured through operational compliance, like stock levels, facings, and whether promotional displays were executed correctly.

But these metrics actually offer little insight into actual sales performance and relying solely on operational metrics creates blind spots.

Brands may assume a product is performing well simply because it’s visible, while in reality, sales may be underwhelming due to factors like pricing, placement, or demand.

Without access to sales data, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish between investments that truly drive growth and those that fall flat.

Missed opportunities without data-driven insights

Traditional metrics also limit a brand’s ability to respond quickly to market trends.

For example, if a product underperforms, brands can only make adjustments after the next audit. This means high-performing items might not receive the extra visibility or promotional support to help maximise their potential.

Without timely data, brands risk missing opportunities to optimise inventory, promotions, and shelf strategies.

How Access to Sales Data Drives Smarter Investments

Informing product placement

Real-time sales data provides brands with a clear picture of products’ in-store performance.

By analysing which items are driving sales and which are lagging, brands can make informed decisions about product placement. This helps them ensure high-demand items keep occupying prime shelf space.

Identifying high-performing and underperforming SKUs

Access to sales data enables brands to quickly identify top-performing products that would benefit from additional visibility or promotional support.

At the same time, it highlights underperforming SKUs, enabling proactive changes, such as promotional pushes, repositioning, or reallocation of shelf space.

This ensures that merchandising efforts are focused on products that actually drive sales, rather than just spreading resources evenly across the board.

Maximising ROI through data-driven decisions

Visibility into sales data turns merchandising from a cost-focused activity to an investment with measurable returns.

Every Rand spent on product displays, promotions, and inventory management can be tracked against actual sales performance, giving brands a clear picture of ROI.

By understanding which initiatives are driving sales, brands can better allocate resources, improve efficiency, and remain as contending challengers in the FMCG space.

Make Every Merchandising Investment Count with Meridian

Sales data transparency turns merchandising from a routine task into a strategic investment. By gaining clear visibility into product performance, brands can make informed decisions, optimise ROI, and drive measurable growth.

Meridian helps FMCG brands leverage sales insights to make every merchandising investment count. Partner with us and become a brand that thrives!