Staying on top of seasonal resets is critical to driving grocery sales, and transitioning from spring is one of the most important periods.
Easter, Mother’s Day, and graduation kick things off, with Memorial Day marking the official lead-in to summer: a season defined by grilling essentials, warm-weather beverages, and high-volume holiday traffic.
To help your team stay ahead, we’ve created a go-to execution checklist designed to set your stores up for success this season. You’ll also find bonus tips and templates to help you get even more out of GoSpotCheck. Whether you’re a long-time user, a retailer exploring ways to digitize your current processes, or considering starting a free trial, this checklist is built for you.
1. Inspect Store Exterior and Outdoor Displays
Ensure the store entrance, sidewalks, and cart areas are clean, welcoming, and seasonal. Restock and refresh outdoor displays like patio sets, plants, garden supplies, and beverage cases.
Sales Driver: Outdoor displays are prime real estate to highlight new or seasonal items— like fresh fruit, flowers, and potted plants—before shoppers even walk in.
Margin Booster: Pair outdoor patio furniture or garden goods with higher-margin accessories like citronella candles or grilling tools.
Time Saver: Use dynamic task management to create specific follow-up tasks by team.
2. Check Seasonal Marketing and Signage
Ensure all promotional materials are updated for key spring and summer events like grilling season, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day. Don’t forget to verify pricing signage for high-velocity or featured promo items.
Sales Driver: Create urgency with limited-time products and seasonal exclusives, and ensure accurate pricing and promo signage will further fuel purchase decisions.
Margin Booster: Promote high-margin seasonal items with signage near entrances or checkout zones.
Time Saver: Use smart photo reporting to capture and segment signage by promotion and location.
3. Track Availability of Popular Spring & Summer SKUs
Monitor on-shelf availability for high-demand items like beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), condiments, meats, picnic supplies, and fresh produce.
Sales Driver: Several emerging brands are taking the place of traditional summer drinks, with functional sodas now taking up a fast-growing 5% of the cooler. Many of these brands offer shelf-stable SKUs, and merchandising multiple packs of seasonal flavors near the register can encourage impulse buys.
Margin Booster: Place premium condiments near featured meats to drive complementary purchases and increase margin per basket.
Time Saver: Use shelf intelligence AI to instantly track empty facings and out-of-stocks to ensure high-demand SKUs are always available. Learn more about image recognition use cases for grocery here.
4. Audit Fresh Produce Quality and Merchandising
Spring and early summer are peak times for fresh produce. Ensure freshness, cleanliness, full displays, and timely seasonal promotions. Review inventory mix across local, organic, and conventional items.
Sales Driver: Cross-merchandise produce with dips, dressings, or smoothie ingredients. RTD juices also perform well here, with the highest median price of any non-alcoholic beverage.
Margin Booster: Highlight local and organic SKUs to drive a higher average item price and better margin performance.
Time Saver: Use photo tasks with reference images to speed up audits and maintain consistent freshness standards.
5. Verify the Setup of Summer-Themed Secondary Displays
Confirm placement of standalone non-food displays with spring and summer essentials like coolers, sunscreen, and pool toys. Prioritize impulse buys and smart cross-merchandising.
Sales Driver: Align displays with trending holidays and summer moments to inspire seasonal basket-building.
Margin Booster: Feature small, high-margin items (higher-end sunscreens, novelty drinkware) on secondary displays for easy impulse add-ons.
Time Saver: Use task management with conditional logic to adjust checklists based on locally relevant merchandising plans.
Seasonal execution can make or break performance during one of grocery’s most important quarters. Use this checklist to streamline operations, drive stronger sales, and boost margins. Get the tools you need to execute faster, smarter, and with more impact this season.
