Has anyone taken a course that teaches buyers to build assortments that merchandise — e.g., a 12‑SKU capsule that fills an 8‑foot bay with clean color flow, height tiers, and packaging that reads from 10 feet? I’m the visual merchandiser partnering with our buyers and I’m hunting for practical classes or certificates on planogram thinking, sightlines, and fixture constraints from the product side.
Try DotActiv Academy’s Planogramming Fundamentals paired with CMA’s CPCA space-planning module; they push buyers to “think in bays” with color flow, sightlines, and fixture limits. If you don’t have software, DotActiv’s free trial is enough to mock a 12‑SKU/8‑ft bay: https://www.dotactiv.com/academy. Do your buyers use Blue Yonder or NielsenIQ Spaceman, or should the training be vendor‑agnostic?
I’ve found that actively involving buyers in reviewing past planograms while discussing new ones can really enhance their instincts for color flow and product placement. It’s vital they understand how a well-curated assortment impacts customer perception. Do your buyers get hands-on experience with existing layouts?