Scan Data
Scan sales data, captured at
the point-of-sale (POS) terminals, is usually broken down by weeks. The weekly cycle
should preferably coincide with the chain’s promotional week.
Scan provides information on volume and value sales, as well as price. It does
not provide information on stock levels or purchases. Hence distribution is based solely on
sales (sales distribution), meaning that if there are no sales, there will be no sales
distribution.
Manual Audits
Data collection for manual audits is
conducted on a monthly cycle by field personnel known as retail auditors. These auditors gather the
following information from each store included in the retail sample:
- Stock count in the outlet (on the store shelves as well as
storeroom).
- Retail selling price from the price tags on the products.
- Purchases made by the outlet since last visit. This information is
obtained from invoices maintained by the retail stores in the sample.
Exhibit 30.9 Monthly audit cycle.
The auditors follow monthly work cycle plans and typically audit the same stores
on the same day each month. For instance, in the case presented in Exhibit 30.9, a new store is included in the retail panel in January. The auditor
conducts the initial audit for the store on January 25th, during which purchase information is
unavailable since it is a new addition to the sample. Subsequently, the store is revisited on
the 25th of every month. The stock count recorded on January 25th serves as the opening stock
for the period from January 25th to February 25th. The stock count on February 25th represents
the closing stock for the same period and serves as the opening stock for the subsequent period
from February 25th to March 25th.
