Revlon Builds 'Her Wall'

New York -- It's been in the works for nearly two years, and officials at Revlon now believe extensive testing and feedback from customers has helped them create a new wall merchandiser with more selling power than those before it. Called "Her Wall," the unit is currently being tested in 30 stores in major cities across the country with a national rollout anticipated to begin later this year, the company says."We're trying to become more consumer-focused," says David Russell, senior vice president of business development for North America. This new approach has led Revlon to do more consumer testing of its merchandisers before launching national rollouts. The process involves gathering feedback from focus groups and looking at the sales results of different P-O-P programs.Russell says the new wall merchandiser can hold every product the company sells. The unit doesn't put any single product out front, but graphics call more attention to each product while remaining space-efficient, he notes."The average consumer spends about 90 seconds in front of the cosmetics section. She has a specific idea of what she wants when she goes there. If we can do something at that wall that causes her to touch a product, chances are 50/50 that shell buy it," Russell explains. "One message that we got really loudly is that product has to be the 'hero' and it has to be easy to shop. The Revlon consumer isn't really interested in reading War and Peace' at the wall. She wants sound bites and graphics, and she is much more interested in the product's benefit than the brand name."Upon completion of its initial research for the project, Revlon prepared a brief that defined what consumers expect from the brand. The company gave the brief to nine different design companies, and multifunctional teams were created within Revlon to score the designs based on their ability to match consumer expectations, Russell says. The top three designs were then taken to focus groups."We went to four cities and talked to more consumers. We also brought in industry experts to determine what makes the consumer tick as well as to get an operational perspective of what does and doesn't work." In each phase, Russell says, the company would make changes to the wall based on feedback.The center of the unit features the Revlon logo and a large central graphic that ties into current fashions. Explanatory text for each product is brief and direct. For example, a picture of nail enamel features the text "Sixty seconds" instead of a complete product name and description. "One consumer said that if she doesn't notice graphics as a way to educate and inform her, then she won't notice them at all," Russell says.In creating the unit, Revlon was also trying to alleviate some of the typical problems of merchandising on pegwall. "This unit has a backwall structure that literally allows you to plug in and plug out the Legos. It is completely flexible," Russell explains. "Whether a retailer has 10 feet of Revlon or 16 feet, the merchandiser can accommodate any SKU mix."The company's in-house staff is responsible for the initial setup of the unit, but the retail staffhelps with the resets. Display Producers, New York, produced the plastic-based merchandisers for the test rollout.Following the initial testing stage, the company will make decisions about a national rollout. "We're seeing a positive sales result and we're continuing to make changes and modifications to further enhance the unit," says Russell. "We're slated to be in test through April, but if we see great results sooner, then we'll go sooner. If we decide to roll out, we'll decide how many to go into out of 20,000 to 25,000 doors. Chances are it will be a two- to three-year rollout plan, starting with the highest volume stores in the country as well as new and remodeled stores and then, eventually, nationwide."

Revlon Builds 'Her Wall'

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