Should photos be taken at every store visit? And why.

As a field sales representative, you are asked to take photos: of your shelves, your product placements, your displays, your promotions...

But over time, you might ask yourself why take so many photos? And above all, is it always necessary?

I won't keep you in suspense any longer: taking photos during every visit is relevant, provided they are well-taken, well-targeted, and well-organized. And above all, they must serve you, either to document your work, prepare for a discussion with a department manager, strengthen an argument, follow progress over time, or show a before-and-after. Without that, they are useless.

In this article, we look into the subject to understand the value of photos taken in the field, when and for what sales action you should take photos, and above all, are they always necessary?

Why take photos in store?

Given the number of tasks and visits you have to perform each day, you don't have time to take photos for fun. However, taking them is not a waste of time. Photos are valuable proof of your work and a tool to structure your actions.

Words are no (longer) enough. A photo is indisputable visual proof, which will strengthen your pitch with your contacts in-store and reinforce how your head office (or your sales director) perceives your work.

Taking photos helps you:

• Negotiate or make corrections more easily with the department manager.

• Send information from the field back to the head office and/or marketing team.

• Prepare for your next visits.

In addition, photos allow you to track the evolution of your store layouts and sales actions: compare the last display with the new one, compare the condition of a shelf before and after your visit...

Finally: you can't be everywhere and remember everything. Honestly, we wouldn't wish that on you. You have a CRM: rely on it.

When to take photos?

When it proves your work.

→ During shelf restocking, to show the layout before and after.

→ During a visit, to prove an action or report a field anomaly.

→ During the setup of a promotion, to justify its presence and/or compare execution between stores or chains...

I think you get the idea.

Which photo to take based on your visit objectives?

Photos: yes, but not just any how. Depending on your visit objective, you won't necessarily need the same justifications, and therefore, the same photos to take.

Tidying shelves

If, during your visit, you had to tidy up a shelf, fill gaps, realign products... take a photo of the shelf to show your added value in the field.

To do this, take two photos:

1. “before” with out-of-stocks, misplaced products, messy facings

2. “after” your intervention: clean, tidy shelf, aligned facings

This helps prove your visit and illustrate the work you did.

Selling a new reference

The goal is to demonstrate that there is a real loss of earnings for the department manager, and therefore the store.

To do this, a photo can strengthen your pitch:

• an empty shelf where your range is present and sold out, proving a good turnover of your product and justifying the addition of an extra facing;

• a competitor's reference that is not selling, justifying its replacement with one of your products;

• A shot taken during peak hours to prove that your products rotate faster than those already on the shelf;

• Etc.

These visual elements make your proposal highly credible.

Selling a display unit or an endcap

You need to convince them that the space you have on the shelf is no (longer) enough and that a dedicated space for your brand is justified.

To do this, you can present figures and photos of installations in a similar store. Also, take photos of the display unit you want to replace, at different times, to demonstrate its lack of efficiency.

Monitoring a display unit

The goal is to ensure that the display unit is properly set up and complies with negotiated agreements. To do this, take photos of it regularly, either to show your management that everything is fine (stocked, clean, functional, well-positioned...) or to discuss with the department manager and report issues (empty, poorly maintained, broken, moved...).

If your CRM allows you to track display units, link your photos to your assessment to centralize your actions and save time.

Setting up POS materials

Through your photos, you will be able to prove the visibility and condition of your POS materials. To do this:

• Take a close-up photo of the POS material to show its good condition;

• Take a wider shot to show its location on the shelf.

You can then confirm proper installation and showcase your work to head office or marketing.

Tracking POS materials over time

The goal is to verify if the POS material is still in place and properly positioned, or if it was stored away after you left. To do this, take comparable photos over time and from the same angle as the initial setup.

Take close-up photos of details if it is damaged. If it is moved or removed, ask the store why, correct its location, and report the information to your head office.

Use the same logic for your promotions. Take photos of them to verify they are in place, visible, and at the correct price.

Setting up a product display

A beautiful display drives sales and pleases the marketing teams who designed it. Taking a photo of it validates its proper execution and provides content for the marketing teams (who will appreciate it). This also showcases your work and creates a database of use cases for other stores.

By taking photos of competitors' displays, you can also build a monitoring library, useful for future benchmarking.

Meeting with a department manager

The goal is not to take a photo of your favorite contact, but rather to note and remember the agreement made on site. If you have validated an endcap or a planogram, take photos of any agreements signed on paper or handwritten notes. These informal documents are easily lost; a photo will always allow you to prove the agreement.

To summarize

You take photos because they justify your work, prove that it is done correctly, but also help you correct issues and make sales.