Perfect Store: five controls for retail execution

This guide helps supervisors and trade marketing teams turn an outlet standard into visit tasks. Start with the outlet format, date and rule version. Assortment asks which products are required by the must-stock list, or MML; availability asks whether a shopper can find a specific product on the shelf at the time of inspection. A listing, positive stock record or receipt of stock at the outlet does not by itself establish shelf availability.

For price, record what was observed: a shelf label, a promotional notice or a confirmed purchase price. Match the product, pack, currency, date and offer conditions, such as loyalty-card requirements. A label photo does not confirm the checkout price. Keep both sources when they differ and refer the issue to an authorised person: the representative may not be able to change the retailer’s price.

For shelf execution, define an observable criterion: product position, the number of units facing the shopper, the planogram version or an agreed promotional display. For promotions, separately check outlet participation, campaign dates, products and materials. A campaign that has not started or does not include the outlet is different from missing execution during an active campaign. Record why a check is not applicable under the agreed rules.

Distinguish “met”, “failed”, “not checked” and “not applicable”. A blurred image or inaccessible area is not a reason to award a pass. Retain the outlet, product, observation time, rule version and inspection evidence. If you calculate a score, show data completeness and the reasons for exclusions. One missing product can affect several controls, so agree how overlapping criteria are counted. An average score must not conceal a critical failure.

Validate the signal before assigning an action, target completion time and owner. For example, placing an order for a missing product does not resolve shelf availability: a check after replenishment is needed. A “done” message or an accepted exception is also different from restoring the standard. Define who accepts the evidence, how to handle an outlet’s refusal and when to recheck. Preserve the original observation separately from the correction result.

For an initial discussion, prepare an anonymised outlet example, the current checklist and one disputed finding with evidence. In a pilot, check whether staff interpret rules consistently, evidence is sufficient and corrections can be verified. Compare results using the same method, check scope and a defined period; account separately for changes in outlet format or standard version. A higher score does not establish sales growth. Automated image recognition requires separate evaluation using your products and capture conditions.