Retail audit: distribution, shelf share and price checks

Questions this report answers

In what share of stores, and of category sales, is our product actually available?
How often is the product listed but missing from the shelf?
What share of shelf do we hold against competitors and own label?
Are shelf prices and promotions in line with retailer agreements?
Do stores follow the planogram and display our point-of-sale material?
How do online retailers present our range: availability, content, ratings and search position?
Which chains, regions or store types need field sales attention?

When you need it

The classic moment is just after a listing success. A head-office agreement with a chain does not mean the product reached every store, at the agreed shelf position, in the first weeks. Audits are equally useful when retailer sales data are missing or only available as totals, as in independent grocers, kiosks and pharmacies, and when sales dip and you need to know whether availability, placement or price is to blame. In those fragmented channels, distribution and rate of sale from audits also feed a bottom-up market sizing.

The same visits can verify promotions and displays you have funded and record competitor launches and price moves.

The digital shelf now belongs in scope. Eurostat data for 2025 show that 73.6% of individuals aged 16–74 in the EU-27 bought something online in the previous 12 months, from 94.2% in the Netherlands to 51.2% in Bulgaria. Where online buying is that common, availability, content and ratings on retailer websites matter as much as a facing in store.

An audit is unnecessary if you receive complete store-level sales and stock data from every retailer. Nor can it tell you why shoppers choose a brand; that is a job for consumer research.

Sample table of contents

Executive summary
distribution, availability and compliance at a glance
Scope and store universe
channels, chains and store types covered
Sample and methodology
store selection, visit timing and checklist
Numeric and weighted distribution
by chain, region and store type
Availability
out-of-stocks and listed-but-missing items
Share of shelf
facings and shelf space against competitors and own label
Price and promotion checks
shelf prices against recommended prices
Planogram and display compliance
placement, shelf level and secondary displays
Digital shelf
online availability, content quality, ratings and search rank
Store action list
outlets and chains that need follow-up
Recommendations
priorities for sales and trade marketing

Methodology and sources

Store universe and sample

We start from a list of all stores in scope, with chain, region, size and, where available, an estimate of category turnover. The sample is stratified by chain, region and store size so that large stores count as much as they matter in sales. Numeric distribution counts every store equally; weighted distribution weights each store by its share of category sales. The gap between the two shows which stores you are missing.

In-store checks

Auditors use a mobile checklist to record listing, facings, shelf level, price labels, promotions, displays and out-of-stocks, and photograph each shelf with a timestamp and location. Visits are spread across weekdays and times of day, because availability follows delivery cycles. Unlike mystery shopping, audits are usually carried out openly, with the retailer's agreement where needed, as nothing depends on staff behaviour.

Online shelf and quality control

Retailer websites and marketplaces are checked on fixed days for availability, price, content, ratings and position in category search. A sample of store visits is back-checked against photos and location data, and outlets with unusual results are re-audited.

What you receive

Report in PDF with distribution, availability, shelf and price findings
Store-level data in Excel with links to shelf photos
Dashboard by chain, region and wave
Action list of outlets for field sales follow-up
Searchable photo archive of audited shelves
Debrief with your sales and trade marketing teams

How the project runs

Briefing and store universe — 3–5 days
Checklist design and sample selection — about 1 week
Auditor briefing and pilot in a few stores — 2–3 days
Fieldwork — 1–3 weeks, depending on the number of stores and regions
Data validation and analysis — about 1 week
Report and debrief — 2–3 days, with tracking waves repeated monthly or quarterly

Hypothetical example for illustration

Worked example

Example: a hypothetical chilled-juice brand has won listings with three grocery chains in Poland and sells through a network of independent convenience stores. Sales are below plan, and the sales director wants to know why before the next round of retailer negotiations.

An audit of a stratified store sample shows that numeric distribution in independents is low, yet weighted distribution is respectable because the larger independents stock the range. In one chain, out-of-stocks cluster on Mondays, pointing to the delivery schedule rather than demand. Across all chains the juices sit on the bottom shelf of the chiller, and in many stores the agreed promotional price is not shown on the label.

The brand asks the problem chain to move its delivery day, uses the shelf photos to negotiate eye-level placement, sends field sales to the independents with the highest category turnover and repeats the audit monthly.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Reporting numeric distribution alone. A product in many small shops but absent from big ones looks healthier than it is.
Visiting on one day of the week. Out-of-stocks follow delivery cycles, so spread visits across days and times.
Auditing the stores nearest to the auditors. A convenience sample hides regional gaps; sample from the full store universe.
Ignoring own label and competitors. Compare share of shelf with market share: a brand whose shelf share sits well below its sales share has a case for more space.
Collecting data nobody acts on. Agree in advance who receives the store action list.

Who it suits

Suitable for	Why
FMCG brands with new listings	Confirms that listings became shelf presence in every chain
Brands sold through independents and kiosks	Fills the gap where retailer sales data are patchy
Pharmacy and drugstore suppliers	Checks placement and availability across fragmented networks
Trade marketing teams funding displays	Verifies that promotions and displays were executed
Omnichannel brands	Covers marketplaces and retailer websites alongside stores

Frequently asked questions

How long does a retail audit take?

A first audit usually takes three to six weeks from briefing to debrief. The number of stores, their geographical spread and the length of the checklist set the fieldwork time. Tracking waves are quicker, because the store sample, checklist and reporting templates are already in place.

What affects the cost of a retail audit?

The number of stores and how widely they are spread, the number of chains and categories, how many products the checklist covers, whether shelf photos need detailed analysis, whether the online shelf is included and how often waves repeat. Share your store list and we will send a tailored quote.

What is the difference between numeric and weighted distribution?

Numeric distribution is the share of stores in the universe that stock the product, counting each store equally. Weighted distribution is the share of the universe's category sales made by the stores that stock it. A product in few but very large stores has low numeric and high weighted distribution; the reverse points to missing key accounts.

How many stores do we need to audit?

Enough to give a reliable read for each group you report separately, such as a chain or region. A national figure stabilises well before chain-level ones do. Our sample size calculator shows how precision changes with the number of stores, and we set the final sample with you.

Can you audit competitors' products at the same time?

Yes. The shelf is recorded as a whole, so competitor facings, prices, promotions and new launches come with every visit. That data feeds a competitor analysis and can inform pricing research when shelf prices are drifting away from your recommended prices.

How are store photos and data handled?

Auditors photograph shelves, not people, and blur any faces that appear by accident. Photos and store-level results are used only for your project, stored with restricted access and processed in line with the GDPR. Any conditions in your retailer agreements, such as photography rules, are written into the auditor briefing.

Sources

Eurostat — Internet purchases by individuals (isoc_ec_ib20)

Updated: 5 Nov 2026

Retail audit: distribution, shelf and point-of-sale checks