Flexible planograms: how to respond quickly to changes in demand
Modern retail increasingly resembles a system of variables, where demand shifts faster than shelf displays can be updated. New products are launched rapidly, seasonality is intensifying, and stock levels and deliveries are becoming less predictable. Yet customer expectations remain the same: products must be available, clearly visible, and conveniently placed.
For most retail chains, this means one thing — standard, fixed planograms are no longer effective. They fail to reflect the actual situation on the shelf, ignore differences between stores, and don’t account for real-time sales turnover. The result? Lost sales, out-of-stocks, frozen inventory, and missed targets.
The solution lies in shifting to flexible, adaptive planograms. These are more than just visual merchandising tools — they are digital systems that respond to changing realities in near real time. In this article, we’ll explore the thinking behind this approach, how it transforms shelf management, and why it's essential for effective assortment control in 2025.
For a long time, retail operated under the paradigm of rigid planograms. A single display scheme was created and applied across all stores, remaining in force until the next review — often quarterly or even semi-annually. This approach was convenient for centralised control, but it failed to reflect the real picture of demand and stock levels at store level.
Why fixed planograms no longer work
Today, that model is beginning to break down. The reasons lie in the very dynamics of the market:
- Product ranges are changing faster: item rotation has accelerated, particularly in categories with high levels of new launches.
- Customer behaviour has become less predictable: everything from weather to spikes in influencer marketing can affect demand.
- Stores within the same chain vary in format, location, and target audience — but still operate under a single planogram.
As a result, retailers often face a difficult choice: either break the rules to adapt to reality, or follow the plan formally and risk losing sales. Neither option is truly effective.
To align displays with current conditions, retailers need a system that recognises differences between stores and adapts to constant change on the shelf. That’s exactly what flexible planograms are designed to do.
What is a flexible planogram
A flexible planogram is a dynamic display format that is not rigidly tied to a universal layout. Instead, it is shaped by the specific conditions of each individual store — from equipment format to current stock levels and local demand.
Unlike the traditional approach, a flexible planogram is not a template, but a tool for real-time decision-making. It can adapt as new data becomes available. For example, when an SKU runs out, the system suggests rearranging the display without breaking the logic of the category. Or when a promotion is launched, the updated planogram instantly reflects the change and adjusts the facing accordingly.
Flexibility doesn’t mean chaos. On the contrary, it operates on the basis of clear rules, scenarios, and analytics. The goal isn’t simply to “do what’s convenient,” but to implement a display that aligns with business objectives: increasing the visibility of key products, ensuring turnover, reducing out-of-stocks, and launching new items on time.
Digital tools such as Greenshelf make it possible to apply this logic at scale. Planograms automatically adapt to the architecture of each store and update based on live data. This not only speeds up the process but also ensures alignment between the head office and points of sale.
Flexible planograms are more than just a buzzword — they are a practical tool that transforms the way retailers manage their shelves. At their core, they rely on automatic adjustments based on several key factors: stock levels, sales performance, seasonality, store format, and shelving architecture. This approach turns the planogram into a 'living organism' — one that adapts dynamically to the real conditions of the retail environment.
How the adaptive model works
Up-to-date data is uploaded into the system: current stock levels in a specific store, sales figures per SKU, ABC analysis by category, as well as the dimensions and configuration of shelving units. Based on this information, an adaptive shelf layout is generated — one that aligns with category goals and the store’s current situation.
If a particular item runs out of stock, the planogram automatically reallocates space, increasing visibility for key focus products. If demand for a certain brand rises, the layout adjusts to reflect the new performance metrics.
If a particular item runs out of stock, the planogram automatically reallocates space, increasing visibility for key focus products. If demand for a certain brand rises, the layout adjusts to reflect the new performance metrics.
The main advantage of this approach is its speed and structure. Planograms no longer require manual editing or urgent instructions sent via messaging apps. Updates are rolled out centrally, based on business logic and analytics. Managers are equipped with a tool that not only keeps shelf layouts up to date, but also supports data-driven growth strategies — replacing subjective assumptions with clear insights.
How does it work in practice?
To make this possible, a platform is needed that can collect, analyse, and process data across the entire retail network. This is exactly the role that Greenshelf fulfils. Without focusing on promotion, but with clear professionalism: what matters here is not just flexibility, but predictability and control at every moment. It’s not about chaotic reactions to change, but about systematic process transformation.
The adaptive model represents a natural evolution of retail operations — where strategy and execution are connected within a single digital loop, from the office to the shop floor. And the faster a company adopts this model, the more resilient it becomes in an unstable market.
Internal barriers: what prevents companies from adopting a flexible approach
Switching to flexible planograms may seem like a logical move in times of unstable demand. However, in practice, companies often face a number of internal obstacles. These challenges are not always technological — more frequently, they stem from outdated processes, habits, and organisational structures.
First , many teams still rely on manual planogram updates. This is an inherently fragile system: it depends on specific individuals, becomes outdated during the approval process, and cannot scale without distortion. As a result, stores end up operating based on outdated layouts that no longer reflect actual demand.
Second , a unified merchandising methodology is often missing within companies. Different departments use their own data sources, work within separate spreadsheets, and final shelf layouts become a compromise between logistics, marketing, and procurement. Without a shared digital framework and centralised management, planograms become a source of conflict rather than a tool for growth.
Third , human factors play a significant role in implementation challenges. The habit of "doing things the way we always have" is a serious barrier to adopting a flexible model. Changes to interfaces, new rules, or automatic adjustments can cause resistance among staff — especially in retail environments already dealing with high workloads and staff turnover.
Finally , fragmented IT systems also hinder progress. When stock levels are stored in one system, sales data in another, and planograms in a third, it becomes impossible to get a complete picture. Processes become disjointed, response times increase, and errors multiply.
But these are all surmountable obstacles. Modern digital solutions like Greenshelf don’t just automate shelf planning — they help build an end-to-end managed workflow, from data collection to visualising the planogram in a specific store. This reduces unnecessary workload, streamlines approvals, eliminates duplicate efforts, and gives the entire team a single, shared tool.
It’s important to remember: transitioning to a flexible approach isn’t a sudden revolution. It's a step-by-step shift in operational logic that starts small — with standardisation, a single source of truth, and the first steps toward automation.
Transitioning to a flexible planning model doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your entire system — rather, it starts with fine-tuning existing processes and introducing changes gradually. The key is to understand that this isn’t just about adding "another IT system", but about transforming the very approach to shelf layout and product matrix management.
How to transition to flexible planograms
The first step is to take an honest look at how your current shelf layout is structured: is there a clear logic behind it, how SKUs are distributed, which areas are overcrowded, and which ones are underperforming. At this stage, recurring issues often become apparent — distortions in planogram implementation, mismatches between the central model and the real situation on the shop floor.
Step 1. Visual audit and diagnosis of current processes
Before implementing any digital system, it’s essential to reduce chaos by structuring the assortment, aligning equipment layouts into a consistent format, and defining clear rules for product grouping. Even agreeing on basic shelf layout standards can deliver meaningful results — and lays the groundwork for automation.
Step 2. Simplification and standardisation
This is where Greenshelf demonstrates its value: it brings together visual and numerical data, supports multiple shelving formats, and enables seamless collaboration across all departments.
This stage marks the beginning of moving planograms, assortment data, and analytics into a digital environment. This can be done using an internal solution, but in most cases, it’s more effective to use a ready-made tool designed specifically for merchandising needs.
Step 3. Digitisation and migration to a single environment
This creates a continuous loop that ensures your shelf planning remains responsive, accurate, and aligned with real-time business needs.
Once the digital foundation is in place, it’s important to start applying adaptive principles. This could include dynamic adjustments to shelf layouts based on ABC analysis, customisation for specific store formats, or seasonal modifications. The key is to establish a cycle: data → analysis → updated planogram → visualisation and control.
Step 4. Implementing flexibility logic
Without a trained team, even the most advanced system will not work. Therefore, it is important to organise training, define roles and areas of responsibility, and integrate planograms into the routine of category management, the operations unit, and in-store staff.
Step 5. Working with the team
Transitioning to a flexible system is not a one-time project — it's a path of continuous development. After launch, it's important to collect feedback, track KPIs, make adjustments, and scale the approach to new categories and formats.
Step 6. Refinement, scaling, and improvement
This approach enables not just the implementation of new technology, but the creation of a living shelf management system — one where decisions are data-driven, changes are implemented quickly, and the business gains a transparent tool for growth.
Flexible planograms are not a buzzword or an unnecessary complication — they are a logical response to the new reality of retail, where demand changes daily, shoppers become more unpredictable, and shelf space must be not just visually appealing, but effective and manageable.
Conclusion
In a world of constant change, success no longer goes to those who simply "stock shelves first", but to those who can adapt quickly. This is why static layouts are becoming obsolete. In their place comes a system that learns, responds to data, accounts for the unique characteristics of each store — and remains fully under control.
It’s important to understand: flexibility is not about chaos. It’s about resilience. It’s the ability to see and anticipate demand fluctuations, adjust product assortments, minimise losses, and boost sales. It’s about transparent processes in which every player — from procurement to the shop floor — works in sync.
Greenshelf is built precisely for this kind of flexibility. It enables retailers to build an adaptive merchandising model — from visualising shelf layouts to automatically generating planograms based on up-to-date data. This is not magic — it's the result of a systematic approach and digital solutions that are already helping retail chains grow faster — today.
Getting started is simple. All it takes is one pilot project — a single category or section — where flexibility can prove its value. After that comes scaling, and with it, steady, sustainable growth.
Tilda Publishing