Short answer
What is retail Distribution Checks?
Retail Distribution Checks is a field service in which a trained team checking whether your products are available across a list or census of outlets. You share the locations and instructions; the team completes the visits, the evidence is reviewed, and you receive one consolidated report.
At a glance
- What this covers
- What the service is and how a visit runs
- Division
- Market research field work · Retail Research
- Checklist points
- 5 standard checks
- Report outputs
- 4 deliverables
- Coverage
- Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Panvel
- Read time
- 3 min
What you will learn
- Retail Distribution Checks in simple terms — Checking whether your products are available across a list or census of outlets
- What the field team checks — 5 points you can lift straight into your own brief
- What you receive — 4 points you can lift straight into your own brief
Retail Distribution Checks in simple terms
Checking whether your products are available across a list or census of outlets. It gives you independent, on-the-ground evidence instead of relying on self-reported updates from outlets, vendors or staff.
In Mumbai and its neighbouring cities, retail Distribution Checks is usually run as a batch across many addresses, so route planning, consistent checklists and evidence review matter as much as the visit itself.
What the field team checks
- Outlet located and classified
- Listed SKUs available or not
- Stock quantity estimate
- Competitor presence
- Outlet geo-tag
What you receive
- Numeric and weighted distribution
- Outlet-wise availability sheet
- Out-of-stock list
- Area-wise summary
How a visit is run
- Addresses are grouped into routes by area and travel time
- The field person works through the 5-point checklist on site
- Photographs are captured against the points that need proof
- Every photograph and answer carries the job ID and location ID
- A supervisor reviews the submission and queries anything unclear
- Visits that could not be completed are marked with a reason for a revisit decision
- Completed visits are consolidated into one report
What to share before the visits
- Research objective and target respondents
- Questionnaire or screener
- Sample size and quotas
- Timeline and data format
When businesses use it
- Before paying a vendor, installer or agency
- After a campaign, installation or launch
- On a recurring schedule for compliance
- When an exception or complaint needs independent confirmation
Key takeaways
- Retail Distribution Checks replaces self-reported updates with a visit record: 5 checklist points, photographs and one consolidated report.
- The checklist runs from outlet located and classified to outlet geo-tag, with evidence recorded against the points that decide the outcome.
- You receive 4 outputs: Numeric and weighted distribution, Outlet-wise availability sheet, Out-of-stock list, Area-wise summary.
- Photographs are geo-tagged and time-stamped, every submission is reviewed by a supervisor and a random sample is back-checked — which is what makes a retail research record worth quoting internally.
- Visits run across Mumbai City, the Western and Eastern Suburbs, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Panvel, and assignments typically start within one to three working days of a complete brief.
What to do next
If retail Distribution Checks looks right for your situation, these are the three things a field team needs from you before the first visit.
Scope
Put the location list together
Full addresses with a pin code, and a contact name where you have one. Research objective and target respondents is the first thing asked for.
Checklist
Fix the 5 points you want answered
Start from the list above — outlet located and classified — then add or delete points so nothing is left to a field person's interpretation.
Evidence
Say what proof you want back
Numeric and weighted distribution is the standard output. Anything beyond that is easier to agree now than after the first batch.
Before you send it
Starting retail distribution checks
Assignments typically start within one to three working days of a complete brief, depending on volume and spread.
Share a brief and location listFrequently asked questions
What is retail Distribution Checks?
Retail Distribution Checks is a field service in which a trained team checking whether your products are available across a list or census of outlets. You share the locations and instructions; the team completes the visits, the evidence is reviewed, and you receive one consolidated report.
Which areas do you cover for retail Distribution Checks?
Mumbai City, the Western and Eastern Suburbs, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Panvel, with local field teams in each area.
How fast can retail Distribution Checks start?
Most assignments start within one to three working days of receiving a complete brief, depending on volume and spread.
What evidence will I receive?
Numeric and weighted distribution and Outlet-wise availability sheet, matched to a unique job and location ID.