A retail audit for craft beer: what is on the shelf and why

What a retail audit is for

An audit answers four questions: which brands are on the shelf, in which pack sizes, at what price and how prominently. It also shows what is missing. A gap on the shelf may be an opening or a sign that nobody buys that style.

Because alcohol is a state subject in India, what is sold and how it is displayed differs from one state to the next. Check what the local rules allow you to photograph and note. Ask permission from the outlet where needed.

What to record on each visit

Use the same form for every outlet so the data can be combined. A single page is enough.

• Outlet type, area, date and time of visit.
• Each brand: style, pack size, price on the shelf or menu.
• Number of facings (the units of that product facing the shopper).
• Chilled or ambient. This matters a great deal for beer in a hot climate.
• Promotions, shelf talkers and any staff recommendation.
• Gaps: styles or price points with nothing in them.

Take a photograph of each shelf where permitted, as a record you can re-read later.

How many outlets to visit

There is no magic number. Visit enough to see the pattern repeat. Twenty to thirty outlets across your launch area, spread over the types you will sell in, will usually show you the main brands and price bands. If every new visit shows nothing you have not seen, stop.

Cover different types on purpose: a large retailer, a neighbourhood shop, a bar, a restaurant. Their ranges and prices differ. So do the people who decide what to stock.

Cold chain: the detail that changes a decision

One brewhouse-floor point belongs here. Beer that sits warm for weeks loses hop aroma and picks up a stale, papery note from oxidation. If the shelf you want is ambient, a fresh hoppy beer may arrive tasting tired. Record for each outlet whether beer is kept cold and for how long it appears to sit. It may push you towards a sturdier style or towards a different channel. See beer off flavours for what the damage tastes like.

Turning notes into a decision

Put the data in a simple table. Look at price bands (how many products sit in each band), the share of facings held by the top few brands and the empty cells. Then ask what you would have to offer to earn a place.

Link the audit to your competitor analysis, so that each brand you find on the shelf gets a profile.

A day in the field

Plan routes so that you visit several outlet types in a morning. Keep a clipboard or a phone form with fixed fields. Fill it in at the shelf and not from memory in the car. Note the time, because a shelf at noon and the same shelf on a Friday evening can look different.

Be polite and brief. Most retailers will chat if you are not blocking the aisle. Buy a bottle where it is natural to do so, as a courtesy and as a sample for later tasting.

Do not use the visit to pressure staff or to sell. The audit is listening. If you also want to pitch, make that a second visit.

Reading price bands

Sort every product you recorded by shelf price per 330 ml or per litre so that different pack sizes compare fairly. Group them into bands. A band with ten products is crowded. A band with one product is either an opening or a price nobody will pay. The next step is price research with real buyers to tell which one it is.

Also note pack format. Cans, 330 ml bottles and 650 ml bottles often sit at different prices and in different places. A craft brand that only offers one format may miss shelves entirely. Record which formats the leaders use and ask yourself whether you can fill the same ones with your filling line or a contract packer.

Last, check expiry or packaging dates where they are visible. A shelf full of old stock tells you rotation is slow, which matters if you plan to sell a fresh, hoppy beer.

Limits of an audit

An audit shows what is on offer. It does not show what sells, which brands rotate quickly or why a shopper chose one. Pair it with a few conversations with the retailer and with a survey if the decision is large. We often run the audit first because it is quick and shapes the questions for everything else.

Common questions

Can I do a retail audit myself?

Yes. Use a fixed form and visit at similar times of day. The risk is bias, because you will notice your own category more. A second person checking a few outlets helps.

Do I need permission to photograph shelves?

Ask the outlet. Rules and store policies vary, so check locally before you take photographs.

How often should I repeat an audit?

Once before launch, then once or twice a year. Shelves change. Prices drift.