Which practice supports effective merchandising and planogram compliance?

• A. Regularly compare shelf layouts to the planogram, ensure stocked items are faced, and correct misplacements promptly.
• B. Keep items randomly stocked without checks.
• C. Update planograms only quarterly.
• D. Rely on promotions alone without checking planograms.

Answer: (A)

Maintaining shelf presentation that matches the planogram, with items faced and misplacements corrected promptly, is the practice that keeps merchandising accurate and effective. Regularly comparing what’s on the shelves to the planogram helps catch and fix deviations early, so products appear in the intended locations, at the right quantity, and with the proper front-facing. This directly supports planogram compliance by preventing drift in shelf layout, ensuring correct product adjacencies, spacing, and visibility, which in turn helps customers find what they expect and keeps sales opportunities intact.

Why the other approaches don’t fit: stocking randomly without checks allows misplacements to accumulate and facings to deteriorate, harming appearance and placement accuracy; updating planograms only quarterly is too slow to respond to changes in inventory or promotions and can lead to widespread noncompliance; relying on promotions alone without verifying planograms ignores how items should be positioned and presented, undermining consistency and planogram goals.