Retail Audits
How are Retail Audits Beneficial
Getting a product to market is logistically challenging enough, however, it is not unusual for the final hurdle of actual execution to be the factor that you have least control over and which can have the most damaging effect.
Assosia are experts in capturing in-store information through a regular retail audit, either openly or covertly. Whether you want us to simply monitor if your products are where they should be on-shelf, whether a promotional campaign has been implemented in full or what activity is happening within your category overall, we can have associates in store within hours of a request.
We can conduct retail audits on your behalf as part of an ongoing strategy monitoring on a daily, weekly or monthly basis the pricing and availability of your brands and those of your closest competitors, or you can commission us for a one off ad-hoc exercise for a specific piece of auditing activity.
An Experienced Retail Auditing Company
Assosia are already conducting retail audits in all major UK retailers so why not contact us today to discuss how we can incorporate your brands and categories into an existing programme or to arrange a dedicated audit programme just for you.
The auditing of Epos data and online searches can only provide insight into what has happened and is often several weeks' out of date, in-store retail audits can tell you what is happening live in-store now, and allows action to be taken almost immediately.
Your Audit is Your Knowledge
Finding out exactly what is happening at store level has never been more important, specifically for on-shelf availability, promotional compliance and competitor activity. Our extensive field force ensures we are able to provide retail audits to our clients faster and more cost effectively than other agencies – that combined with a desire and determination to make a difference sets us apart.
Whilst most of our clients prefer us to work exclusively on their contracts at key periods ensuring that our time spent in store is 100% dedicated to their specific audit needs, Assosia are also able to provide options for syndicated pieces of work without compromising the integrity of the visit or the dedication to each client’s requirements.
In summary, some of our retail auditing services include:
- Promotional compliance
- On-shelf availability
- Merchandising/Pos Placement
- Range benchmarking
- Price benchmarking
- Range reviews/compliance
Many of the above services are combined during the same audit to get the most from the visit.
Price Comparisons / Price and Promotion Tracking
Monitoring the in-store price ranges of your competitors' products within key categories is invaluable - you may be surprised at just how much prices can differ from store to store, region to region and from month to month - as well as the disparity between in-store and on-line. Simply brief us on the retail sectors you are interested in and we will plan a price comparison survey or tracking programme specifically for you, as always, you can commission us to complete a one off project or work with us regularly as part of a longer term price and promotion audit strategy.
Merchandise Audits
By supplying Assosia with the same operating or promotional plan given to the retail outlets involved, Assosia can check that the exact mechanics and protocols have been met and implemented within the correct timeframe.
Range Review Audits
We effectively work with both manufacturers and retailers to help assess the viability of range reviews by conducting retail audits both before and after their implementation.
By working with the appropriate category managers/personnel prior to a review, and sharing the proposed changes with them, Assosia can often ensure that a review is seen as a positive move rather than just extra work for the store. For the retailers head office, we can capture the exact information about each ranged category to ensure the proposed changes are workable.
For further advice and guidance on how our a retail audit can be applied to your business, please contact Kay Staniland on +44 (0)1708 444840, or by completing our simple contact form.