How a leading water brand optimized merchandising strategy with Signal-Based Merchandising
Targeted execution and real-time insights helped boost sales and product availability in CVS test stores.
The Challenge
CVS locations were experiencing consistent execution challenges with a national water brand’s key SKUs. Warehouse replenishment methods weren’t aligned with store-level demand, resulting in frequent out-of-stocks (OOS) across physical stores. Additionally, inconsistent planogram execution was limiting shelf visibility and reducing shopper conversion through their product lines.
The brand needed a more responsive and granular approach to ensure availability where it mattered most — and drive measurable improvement in performance alongside improving their customer experience with visual merchandising.
The Survey Solution
To address the issues, Survey deployed its Signal-Based Merchandising (SBM) program across a select group of CVS stores.
Key elements of the strategy included:
• Real-
time detection of SKU-level OOS issues and planogram gaps
• Dynamic tasking of field reps to address OOS hotspots as they emerged
• Focused attention on store operations with recurring execution gaps
• Tracking improvement over time to assess program impact and scale the solution
The goal wasn’t just data analytics and fixing availability or pricing in the moment — it was about building smarter, more adaptive store-level operations for long-term success.
The Results
With continued monitoring and optimization, the brand saw consistent improvements that translated to stronger shelf presence and higher shopper satisfaction.
