Retail Intelligence articles
Practical writing on building and shipping software: what it costs, how to buy it, and how to get it right. From the engineers who do the work.
Best Retail Analytics Software for CPG Brands
Compare the best retail analytics software for CPG brands by source data, store grain, cadence, access, and the commercial decision each option supports.
POS Data Analytics for CPG Suppliers, Not Store Operators
Point of sale data analytics for CPG suppliers: join retailer feeds to item and account masters, read sell-through correctly, and cover what POS misses.
CPG Analytics Tools: How to Build the Right Data Stack
Choose CPG analytics tools by the decisions they support, then connect syndicated, distributor, shelf observation, and internal sales data without duplicate spend.
Retail Competitive Intelligence for the Physical Shelf
Retail competitive intelligence for brand teams: compare software for tracking competitor assortment, shelf price, stock status, promotions, and change.
Retail Analytics Platform RFP Checklist for CPG Brands
Write a retail analytics platform RFP for CPG work with weighted requirements for coverage, store grain, data rights, pilot evidence, and action.
Retail Audit Software: A Buyer's List by Situation
Retail audit software sorted by what you already have: your own reps, an agency walking your stores, or nobody in the aisle. Who each tool is honestly for.
All Commodity Volume: What %ACV Distribution Measures
All commodity volume explained: how %ACV distribution weights stores, why 70% ACV is not 70% of stores, and what the number hides in beverage alcohol.
Who Does the Walking: Retail Data Coverage Economics
Field-rep shelf data covers wherever a human actually walked. Why retail data coverage is a labor-economics question first, and where the gaps predictably land.
On-Shelf Availability: The Formula & the Denominator Problem
The on shelf availability formula is easy. The denominator isn't. Why two teams measuring the same shelf report different OSA numbers, and what a report must disclose.
Online Price vs Shelf Price: Why Web Monitoring Can't See a Tag
Competitive price monitoring reads published web prices. Five structural reasons an online listing isn't the shelf tag in beverage alcohol, and what to do instead.
Scan Data Explained: What It Captures and What It Misses
What retail scan data actually captures, how a register record reaches a supplier's dashboard, and the coverage floor sitting under every scan number.
Syndicated Data Providers: What Each Method Can Actually See
Syndicated data explained by collection method: household panel, retailer census, depletion, invoice, storefront observation and field audit, plus each blind spot.