What C-Stores Get Wrong About Merchandising Resets

The Cost of Getting Resets Wrong

Convenience stores operate in a hyper-competitive, high-turnover environment. When shelves are misaligned with planograms, products sit in backrooms, or displays go up late, shoppers notice. In fact, 67% of shoppers will walk out if they can’t find what they need. Every day a reset is poorly executed means lost revenue and lower shopper loyalty.

Common Mistakes C-Stores Make with Resets

1. Treating Resets Like a One-Off Task

Too often, resets are seen as a one-day “set and forget.” In reality, resets are strategic. They need to align with seasonality, new item launches, and promotional calendars. Without ongoing visibility and compliance checks, planograms drift—and so do sales.

The InStore Standard: We treat resets as part of a bigger retail strategy. With nationwide execution teams and in-house auditors, our resets stay compliant beyond day one. Our reporting platform keeps every planogram on track — season after season.

2. Relying on the Honor System

Some retailers trust field reps to self-report completion. That’s risky. Without independent verification, you don’t actually know if shelves are set correctly. In our experience, unverified execution averages only ~85% completion on a good day—far from what you need to protect revenue.

The InStore Standard: We don’t rely on the honor system. Every project is independently verified through our in-house auditing team and backed by real-time photo documentation. It’s why we can confidently say we achieve a 99.7% verified completion rate — a bar the rest of the industry hasn’t caught up to yet.

3. Underestimating Shopper Impact

It’s not just about product on the shelf—it’s about the shopper experience. A cluttered category or missing promotional set communicates disorganization. Shoppers may leave for a competitor who has what they need, costing you repeat visits.

The InStore Standard: We design resets with the shopper in mind. Our execution keeps categories clean, planograms compliant, and displays ready on time — so shoppers find what they need, and come back again.

4. Moving Too Slowly

Speed matters. New SKUs lose momentum every day they sit in the backroom. The best CPGs see 1.7x higher year-two sales when they capture early shelf presence. Convenience stores that drag out resets miss that critical early window.

5. Ignoring Real-Time Data

Resets shouldn’t be a blind spot. Yet many stores have little or no visibility into compliance until weeks later. Without live reporting, you can’t course-correct quickly—and you may be bleeding sales without realizing it.

The InStore Standard: With our Speed to Shelf program, New item cut-ins are completed in the time projected — verified with photo proof. That means products hit shelves faster, brands capture early momentum, and retailers never miss a launch window.

What the Best-in-Class Do Different

The most successful retailers don’t leave resets to chance. They:

• Verify execution with independent auditors, not self-reports
• Insist on real-time photo documentation to spot issues instantly
• Prioritize speed-to-shelf so shoppers never see gaps
• Hold partners accountable by only paying for completed, verified work
  
  

This shift—from hoping resets are done right to proving they are—protects revenue and builds long-term shopper trust.

How InStore Group Solves the Reset Problem

At InStore Group, we’ve redefined what reset execution looks like for convenience retailers:

• 99.7% verified completion rate (2024)
• In-house auditing team to confirm accuracy
• Real-time dashboards and photo reports via InStore Reporter
• Nationwide coverage with scalable reset teams
• Speed-to-shelf execution that gets products set in days, not weeks
  
  

We don’t just promise resets will be done—we prove it.

Ready to Stop Losing Sales to Poor Resets?

If your convenience store resets are still running on the honor system or taking too long, you’re leaving money on the table. Let’s talk about how verified execution can protect your sales, speed up your launches, and make every reset a revenue driver.

Headed to NACS SHOW 2025?

If you’re attending the NACS Show 2025 in Chicago this October, let’s talk in person about how verified execution can transform your reset strategy.

We’re booking a limited number of one-on-one meetings with convenience retailers and CPGs — and qualified attendees who schedule in advance will also receive a $40 Amazon gift card as a thank-you.

Book your meeting below to make sure your spot is secured before the show.