What Good Looks Like
Good ranging keeps 5 product states apart, because each needs a different action:
Ranging compliance and on-shelf availability (OSA) are 2 different measures. Ranging compliance asks whether expected products have a place on the shelf. OSA asks whether a shopper can buy them today.
When to Use It
Use this practice when you set up a new retailer or store format, when a range changes, and whenever OSA looks wrong. Common failure patterns:- A national product file used for every store. Stores are marked out of stock for products they were never agreed to carry.
- Not listed counted as out of stock. The rep can’t fix a listing gap; the key account team can.
- Delisted products left in the range. Every store’s score drops at once.
- A barcode match taken as proof of authorization. A scan identifies a product; it doesn’t prove the store should carry it.
- Pack sizes and substitutes ignored. A 6-pack and a single unit are different stock-keeping units (SKUs).
Operating Procedure
1
Agree the Range per Retailer and Format
Start from each retailer’s agreement, not the national portfolio. Record which SKUs each store format should carry, and the date each change takes effect.
2
Keep Master Data Clean
Give every SKU a stable identifier, description, pack size, category, and active status. Keep product identifiers, such as barcodes, in one consistent format.
3
Load the Expected Range Before the Visit
Update each store’s range before visits start, and flag planned range changes to reps.
4
Check the Shelf Against the Range
The rep records whether each expected product is present, and separates “not on the shelf today” from “has no shelf position”.
5
Route Each Gap to the Right Owner
Send listing gaps to the key account team, and stock gaps to replenishment or the store. Record any approved local exception and when it ends.
How to Implement It in FieldKo
Availability: product sets, ranging contracts, and core ranging are built in. A “not ranged” or “could not verify” state needs configuration. Effective dates for range changes aren’t standard; manage timing yourself. Retailer listing agreements are external data.Survey product questions aren’t filtered by the store’s product set. If you ask about products in a survey, every store sees the same products. Use core ranging for store-specific ranges.
Fictional Example
Fictional example. Willow Creek Market is agreed to carry 20 SKUs of the made-up brand Brightwell. The rep finds that 18 have a shelf position, and 16 are on the shelf today.- Ranging compliance: 18 / 20 = 90%. 2 products need action from the key account team.
- OSA against the agreed range: 16 / 20 = 80%.
- OSA against ranged products only: 16 / 18 = 88.9%. This is a valid measure too, but label its denominator.
What to Measure
When It Goes Wrong
- OSA falls for every store of a retailer at once: a delisted or not-yet-launched product is in the product set. Fix the product set.
- A rep can’t find a product in core ranging: the store has no ranging contract, or the contract is on the parent account. Add a contract to the store.
- The same product is “out of stock” every visit: it may have no shelf position. Check the listing with the key account team before ordering.
Checklist
- Each retailer has its own product set, built from its agreement.
- Every store has a ranging contract of its own.
- Range changes are scheduled before their effective date.
- Reps can record “no shelf position” separately from “out of stock”.
- Ranging compliance and OSA are reported with their denominators.
- Delisted products are removed or set to Inactive.