Custom Sales Tracking
 Since GfK Audits & Surveys was founded in 1953, we have conducted custom sales measurement programs for hundreds of clients. Our understanding of the retail environment allows us to design a program that will best fit your needs. Our depth of experience assures you that this design will result in representative, reliable and actionable sales information on your brand(s) and product category.
Having recently become a part of GfK, the fourth-largest global research company, we have even greater resources at our disposal in the U.S. and a vast international capability as well.
Measurements Customized to Your Needs
 If your retail business extends beyond the food, drug and mass merchant channels, our Custom Research team will develop a sales tracking program that will fulfill both your information and budgetary requirements. We at GfK Audits & Surveys understand and employ a variety of data collection methodologies:
- Electronic POS data from retailers’ scanner systems
- Physical audits – combining counts of selling area and backroom inventories with retailer purchase records to derive sell-thru
- Retailer diaries – electronic and/or paper sales records maintained by store personnel
Trade Channel Coverage
Regardless of the trade channels you require, we have the experience and capability to measure them. Through our unique Annual Retail Census , we have up-to-date information on the universe size and geographic locations of most retail and service channels in the U.S. This database allows us to develop a sampling plan that no other research company can match.
Some of the channels that we initially measured on a custom basis (e.g. Pet Shops, Farm & Feed Stores, Veterinary Clinics, Ethnic Food Stores) have evolved into syndicated programs. We are always open to working with manufacturers and/or trade associations to build multi-client sales tracking services that provide reliable, and largely customizable, reporting at syndicated prices.
Our sales measurement experience extends across many trade classes:
- Auto Supply
- Beauty Salons
- Camera Stores
- Convenience Stores
- Eating & Drinking
- Food Service
- Floor Covering
|
- Hardware Stores
- Home Centers
- Jewelry Stores
- Office Supply Outlets
- Small Food Stores
- Video Stores
- Etc.
|
Reporting/Analysis
Typically, all data are collected at the individual UPC/SKU level which can then also be aggregated to provide data by types, formulas, sizes, brands, etc. up to and including the overall product category. Standard measures include:
- Retail Sales - units, dollars, equivalent units
- Brand Shares - units, dollars, equivalent units
- Brand/Item Inventory* - units, equivalent units
- Average Sales per Store
- Distribution and Out-of-Stock
- Retail Pricing Analysis
- In-Store Promotional Activity – store count, category volume basis
- Point-of-Sale Activity
* Not normally available where electronic POS is the sole data collection method
Reports are normally provided in both tabular (Word/Excel) and graphic (Power Point) formats. Standard sales report templates are available to display current period and trended measurements; however, we prefer to work with our clients on an individual basis to customize these templates to meet the particular needs of both their marketing and sales groups.
Your GfK Audits & Surveys’ Account Team will also provide periodic in-person charted presentations and analyses to offer our insights and recommendations based on the program’s results.
Benefits of GfK Audits & Surveys
No other research partner can offer you a greater combination of experience, talent and capability. GfK Audits & Surveys provides
- proficiency in study design and sampling
- capacity to handle any and all data collection methodologies
- ability to gain and maintain retailer cooperation
- facility to collect and process data
- vast network of trained field personnel
- superior analytic abilities to deliver insights, not just reporting
- consummate reputation for superior quality research
- affordability
- assistance in preparing sales materials and presentations to your retail partners
Reporting Examples
- For the year, Channel C accounted for nearly 50% of all category units sold.
- With very little seasonal variation, Channel D’s share of unit sales dropped to 6% in Qt.4, which is 8 percentage points lower than Q1
back to the top
|
