A planogram is a visual plan of how products are arranged on a shelf, rack or fixture. It shows the position, number of facings and sometimes the depth of each product, so every store can set up its display the same way.
Planograms are built by merchandising or category teams using space-planning software or simple templates. They consider product size, sales performance, margin, seasonality and the supplier agreement. The plan is sent to stores, which reset their shelves to match and may photograph the result for checking.
Supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience and specialty retailers use planograms to keep layouts consistent across a chain, make best-sellers easy to find and give promotional space where it earns the most. Linking a planogram to sales data shows whether a position is working.
Pitfalls are plans that ignore the realities of an individual store, resets that are not completed, and products shelved in the wrong place. Compliance is the usual weakness, which is why stores check shelves against the plan. Electronic shelf labels can help by tying a price and product to a shelf position.
A good planogram improves availability and sales per metre of shelf, and reduces the time staff spend deciding where things go.