Some of you might be familiar with the five easies of RRP, but you might not be aware that there are a few other principles to follow in order to keep consumers and retails on-side. By James Tupper.
It is hard to imagine that the Five Easies of Retail Ready Packaging (RRP) will be 10 years old next year and that they have been adopted in many parts of the world, including Australia. The Five Easies are designed for retailers and suppliers to focus on the functional requirements of RRP to avoid the pitfalls of prescribed technical specifications and solutions. They feature in all three editions of the Efficient Consumer Response Australasia guidelines for Retail Ready Packaging which includes Shelf Friendly Packaging and merchandising units, and were the basis of the AIP and IGD Shelf Friendly Packaging training in March across Woolworths stores and Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs).
Five years ago IGD developed a set of Eleven Easies, identifying how manufacturers can get RRP right.
Eleven?
Two of the easies are from the supplier perspective: Easy Pack and Easy Transit. One extra easy comes from the shopper’s perspective – Easy Find and Easy Pick are distinct components of Easy Shop; signposting is one thing while removability is another.
Other easies are from the store colleague’s perspective. Easy Rotate reflects the fact that RRP can add much value in short shelf life product categories by making it practical to replenish new stock behind older stock, achieve First In First Out, cut code rotation routines, reduce waste and increase sales.
Easy Fill and Easy Stock are distinct components of Easy Shelf. Easy Fill is about utilising the display cube with RRP that, for example, is a unit fraction of the display depth, displays several layer of product, or can be stacked. Easy Stock is about quick and reliable placement on display in only a few simple movements – ideally ‘one-touch’.
Easy Recognise and Easy Identify are distinct components of the original Easy Identify. Easy Recognise is about being able to determine at a distance of say two metres, what type of product is in the RRP and therefore in which aisle and module it should go. Ease Identify is about using information on the shelf label and on the RRP, before you open it, to ensure that the product is right for the display space to be replenished. The product description on both the RRP and shelf label need to match.
When designing successful Retail Ready Packaging, it is paramount to ensure that your packaging designs achieve as many of these easies as possible. Test, trial, review and ensure that it truly is fit-for-purpose before you send it in-store.
James Tupper is ECR Learning & Change Manager at IGD in the United Kingdom. IGD is a research and training charity that helps the food and consumer goods industry deliver the needs of the public.