Some planograms require a more complex display that is not entirely easy to plan through a classic planogram template. In these situations, it helps to use the Free Style planogram mode, which allows you to insert products directly into the planogram and simply specify exactly where the product should be placed.

 

You can use the free style planogram for more complex displays such as hanging systems or generally where a template planogram doesn't make sense.

The planogram template is certainly very efficient way to create a planogram due to the ability to share across multiple stores. You can create hundreds or thousands of planograms from a single template, and if you use the added benefit of optimization based on individual store's sales data, each planogram is unique and tailored to every store based on the sales data and the size of the fixture in each store.

In some cases, however, you need to create a single planogram that contains products with a very irregular shape, where a template would only complicate the preparation of the planogram. In these situations, the Free Style planogram is very useful, allowing you to create the display you need very quickly and easily.

Basically, you can create any kind of planogram through Free Style. Always consider the pros and cons when choosing the appropriate mode. Usually Free Style planograms are used a lot as so-called standalone planograms in the Planogram Editor. Classic shelf displays can of course also be planned via template for standalone planograms, but more complex displays are better planned via free style. In standalone planograms, one specific display is often created without optimization based on sales data. In Project Editor, on the other hand, templates are more often used to generate different planograms for different stores, taking into account specifics such as different shelf dimensions or sales data. Free style planograms can also be shared between different stores in a project, but if the stores are not very uniform and the shelf dimensions for the same category vary a lot, it is better to use a planogram template. Of course it always depends also on the products you are displaying and how easy/complex the display is.

If necessary, you can also use a combination of free style planogram and template (e.g. a combination of hook system and normal shelves).

However, we recommend that you always select either the template or free style for one shelf of a given fixture and not combine the two options.

Template and Free Style combination

How do you turn on Free Style mode?

Free Style

How do you insert a product into the planogram?

1. Select a product in the product table below.
2. Click on the Insert Products to Planogram tool (or press P on your keyboard).
3. Click on the spot in the planogram where you want to place the product.

Inserting Product to a Planogram

You can also select multiple products in the table at once by Ctrl+click (Cmd+click) on a product and insert them into the planogram at once.

If you are inserting multiple products at once, you may find the settings in the Tool tab useful, where you can choose whether to insert products horizontally or vertically. This is the Insert Vertically checkbox. You can also change the settings using the space bar.

Insert Horizontally

Insert Vertically

Component

After inserting a product into the planogram, you can edit its property in the Component tab.

The following properties are most commonly set:

• Package: You can select a different product package if the product is displayed in different packages (e.g. yoghurt as a single piece or yoghurt in a family package of 4).
• Package Position: Here you can set a different package position - e.g. front, side or top. The package is rotated to display the correct position.
• Package Rotation: The package is rotated in the planogram according to the selected angle.

Rotation

• Min Packages and Max Packages: here you set the number of pieces to be displayed in the planogram. In the Min Packages section you select the minimum possible number of displayed pieces in width, height or depth and in the Max Packages section you select the maximum possible number of displayed pieces.

Max Planned Width Packages

For a more detailed description of setting the properties of the inserted product on the Component tab, see the Block Editation manual.

Tools in the toolbar

Insert

In this section you can find tools that are used to insert different components into the planogram (product, text, image...).

Tools in the Insert section

Product

Here you will find the most commonly used tools for changing product settings (changing the number of faces, changing the package or rotation and position of the package). Some of them are also found in the Component tab, so it's up to you which way suits you better.

Tools in the Product section

For product rotation in the planogram, use the tool here in the Product section, or the rotation in the Component tab. The rotation in the Modify section is only used to rotate with components such as PDF, image, etc.

Modify

In this section you will find tools that you can use to change the layout of inserted products or components. These are tools for copying, pasting, moving, rotating, aligning, centering or other more advanced tools.

 

All these tools are described in detail in the Free Style Planogram Layout Changes manual.