From Cannes to your shelf: how to create a product staging worthy of the red carpet

Every year, the Cannes Film Festival is a masterful demonstration of mise en scène. Every detail is calibrated to enhance the figures on screen: lighting, framing, décor, rhythm. In retail, this logic also applies to our shelves.
Because a good layout is not just a planning exercise: it's a lever for sales performance. For category managers and trade marketing teams alike, shelf space is a medium in its own right. And as in the cinema, it's the quality of the script that determines the impact.

Visual merchandising: a discipline of strategic orchestration

Maximize visual impact from the very first linear meters

At the point of sale, first impressions are crucial. According to a study published on LinkedIn by Marina Colasuonno, it takes a shopper an average of 3 to 5 seconds to notice one product among hundreds on a shelf and decide whether or not to buy it. This means that zoning, product layout, signage and the general atmosphere of the department must be optimized to capture the shopper's attention from the very first moment.

The physical layout must make it easy to read the offer. The visual path must naturally lead to the strategic products. Here, we work on managing the attractiveness of the shelf: gondola heads, hot zones, breaks in rhythm. Spatial logic becomes a factor of behavioral influence.

Organizing the offer as a narrative architecture

It's not just a question of displaying products. It's about building a logical and commercial framework: from the entry-level block to the premium segment, from the permanent to the seasonal, from the loss leader to the basket builder.

This approach requires mastery not only of segmentation, but also of temporality (highlights, new products, rotation) and targeting (shopper profiles, buying missions). The planogram then becomes a strategic translation tool: it stages the category according to an architecture consistent with business objectives.

Inspired by the codes of cinema to work on perception

Dramatization to enhance perceived value

The world of cinema is built on its ability to arouse emotion. At the point of sale, creating value also involves visual emotion. The activation of a universe, the creation of an atmosphere or the exploitation of a calendar highlight are all levers for reinforcing desirability.

The best-performing trade systems are those that are visually coherent and differentiated. The aim is to move away from a purely functional framework and work on positioning, aspiration and brand preference.

Creating alignment between linear design and brand strategy

The shelf is the physical extension of the marketing strategy. It must reflect the brand's codes, while meeting space, stock and accessibility constraints.
It is this dual challenge - loyalty to brand DNA and operational efficiency - that makes merchandising a hybrid discipline, at the crossroads of strategic marketing, sales and supply.

With this in mind, every detail counts: the homogeneity of facings, the coherence of reading levels, the contrast of visuals, the legibility of the promotional offer, etc.
Nothing should be left to chance, as everything influences the shopper's perception.

From concept to implementation: the power of 3D and collaborative tools

3D as a lever for projection, validation and alignment

It's at this final stage - between concept and execution - that 3D planogramming tools really come into their own. All too often, strategic ideas are distorted at the implementation stage, due to a lack of realistic projection or understanding on the ground.

3D modeling enables us to visualize the exact layout of a store in its actual environment: furniture, lighting, orientation, space constraints. It's not only a decision-making tool, but also a means of convincing retailers and staff alike.

Case study: Nestlé France

At the " Concept to Store: how Nestlé uses 3D to deploy its trade marketing strategies " conference at Shop! Nestlé France presented its use of 3D to steer the merchandising deployment of its categories.

Thanks to the Retail VR platform, teams can design a national concept, then adapt it to local formats (hypermarket, supermarket, convenience store), while integrating the constraints of partner chains.

This 3D approach facilitates internal validation, speeds up collaboration with the sales force, and enables more compliant execution at the point of sale.

The result: better alignment, greater responsiveness, and greater impact in the field.

Facilitate collaboration between head office, the field, partner agencies and distributors

Beyond the visual, a 3D planogram platform orchestrates collaboration between category management, trade teams, sales, marketing and field management.
Adjustments are made in real time, approvals accelerated and briefs simplified. The result: faster, smoother, more consistent go-to-market.

In addition to visualization, a collaborative merchandising platform orchestrates exchanges between head office (cat man, trade, marketing), sales staff, partner agencies and retailers.
Plans are shared clearly, commented on and quickly adjusted. Validations are simplified, briefs are visual, and execution is secure.

In a context where time-to-market is strategic, this ability to align all stakeholders around the same visual representation becomes a real performance gas pedal.

Conclusion: scripting for better performance

Visual merchandising isn't just about organizing products: it's about staging them.
For category management and trade marketing professionals, it's aboutaligning brand discourse, shopper logic and on-the-ground reality in a single linear space.

Relying on proven visual orchestration methods, and projection tools such as 3D, it becomes possible to drive performance on the shelf with the same precision as a cinema director.
And to transform every linear meter into a sales conversion spectacle.