Record out of stocks situations systematically
Both manufacturers and retail organisations rely on appJobber and its community to systematically monitor the availability of goods on store shelves and address out-of-stock and out-of-shelf situations.
Whether in supermarkets, petrol stations or drugstores: appJobber users document shelf gaps with photos, date, time and geotag. The photos provide the basis for comprehensive evaluations of on-shelf availability across thousands of stores, which appJobber makes available to companies in the industry in easily importable data sets. A live dashboard and alert messages also enable manufacturers and retailers to take timely action against empty shelf space.
Cold delisting through out-of-stock?
Beyond the systematic recording and evaluation of shelf gaps, the store visits by appJobber bring further insights, especially for consumer goods manufacturers, such as:
- Has an item been discontinued cold, so that not only the goods but also the shelf price label is missing?
- Does the placement of the articles still correspond to the agreed planograms?
- Has the free shelf space been occupied by competitors' products?
- How do store staff respond to demand for the out-of-stock product? Has the item already arrived in the store but not yet on the shelf?
- What about the availability of goods in displays and special placements?
Based on the data obtained, consumer goods manufacturers can deploy their sales force much more efficiently. For example, employees can visit those stores where out-of-stock situations occur frequently.
Worst case: Empty shelf space
Studies on customer satisfaction in retail show time and again that shelf gaps are among the biggest annoyances of shoppers. Only excessively long queues at the checkout are more often perceived as negative.
If products are no longer available on the shelf, this can have unpleasant consequences for both the manufacturer of the goods and the retail company.
Wie reagiert der Kunde, wenn ein gewünschtes Produkt nicht verfügbar ist? Einer Studie zufolge, die im Auftrag von ECR Europe durchgeführt wurde, kauft der Kunde in 9 Prozent der Fälle nichts. Hersteller und Händler verlieren den Umsatz.
Much more frequent, however, is a reaction that is worse for the manufacturer: in out-of-stock situations, customers switch to another brand in 37 percent of cases. The danger that the chance acquaintance will turn into a permanent relationship cannot be ruled out. Perhaps the manufacturer loses a customer to the competition just because his product was not on the shelf.
But the danger is also huge for retailers, because 21 percent buy the desired item in another store. In the worst case, the retailer loses its customer permanently to a competitor where the shelves are better stocked.
Filling gaps through crowdworking
The users of appJobber are available for surveys throughout Europe. They check the availability of goods on store shelves: nationally or regionally, as ad-hoc inventory or as cyclical monitoring.
However, after consultation with the store managers on site, the gaps can also be filled directly by appJobbers inexpensively, quickly and reliably. The jobbers are not only available to document regular and secondary placements, but also to carry out simple work in the stores. In addition to attaching or displaying advertising materials, this also includes closing shelf gaps through emergency shelf maintenance.