SNACK RETAIL AUDIT · CASE STUDY
Haldiram’s ran a snack retail audit in India across 5 cities in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The goal was simple: find out what is actually on the shelf – not what the distributor report says.
The Core Problem
Shipment data shows what left the warehouse. It does not show what reached the shelf. For a snack brand, the gap between the two is where market share gets lost – quietly, outlet by outlet, city by city.
By the time a sales report shows a dip, the ground has already moved.
How the Snack Retail Audit in India Worked
Two survey types ran across all 5 cities. Survey A covered 90% of outlets – it captured whether Haldiram’s was stocked, how the outlet sourced it, and which competitors held the most shelf space. Survey B went deeper on 10% of outlets, counting Ladis and Packs by snack category to measure shelf depth, not just presence.
Every submission was GPS-tagged and photo-verified. One supervisor managed every 10 workers and flagged rejects for same-week redo.
| What Was Captured | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand Presence | Haldiram’s stocked: Yes/No + how outlet sources it (salesman, wholesale, or hawker) |
| Competitive Shelf | Top 5 brands by observed shelf space – state-specific list for UP and Maharashtra |
| Category Depth (Survey B) | Ladi and Pack counts across Traditional Snacks, Chips, Bridge, and Extruded |
| Merchandising Assets | Hanger, rack, and dispenser present at outlet: Yes/No |
| Outlet Profile | Type, size band, GPS-verified location, storefront photo (mandatory) |
What Haldiram’s Found Out
01. Presence varies by outlet type, not just city. Kanpur had 3,500 target outlets. However, a kirana vs. a bakery vs. a transit shop each tells a different story. A city average hides all of that.
02. Competitors are winning at specific outlet types. In UP, Bikano, Bikaji, and Balaji share shelf space with Haldiram’s. In Maharashtra, Chheda and Gopal are active. Good aggregate numbers can hide these outlet-level losses.
03. Sourcing channel reveals distribution gaps. An outlet buying Haldiram’s from a hawker instead of a company salesman is a distribution problem – and it is invisible to any sales report.
04. Depth data changes what you act on. A category where Haldiram’s has fewer than 10 ladis stocked against a competitor with more than 20 is a planogram problem. Therefore, it needs a different fix than a logistics issue would.
Running a Retail Network? See What Field Intelligence Looks Like →
Six Standards That Made the Data Usable
Not every retail audit produces clean data. This one enforced six non-negotiables:
- GPS captured at the actual outlet – not a nearby street
- Shelf photo must show legible brand names – unreadable means rejected
- Duplicate submissions flagged and sent for same-week redo
- State-specific brand lists – UP and Maharashtra have different competitive sets
- One supervisor per 10 workers reviewing submissions before close of day
- Outlet type recorded at every location for cross-cut analysis later
Why PickMyWork for Retail Audits in India
1.15 Mn+ Field Partners
Trained gig workers across urban, semi-urban, and rural India. Deployed within 7 days of mobilisation.
GPS + Photo on Every Visit
Every submission is timestamped, geotagged, and photo-documented. No desk-filing.
Two-Layer Design
One execution produces both a presence map and a category depth view. No second visit needed.
Built-In Quality Control
A 10–15% recapture rate means rejected submissions create re-coverage, not gaps.
Haldiram’s now has outlet-level data on shelf presence, competitor position, and sourcing channels across 5 cities and 2 states. That is information no sales report can give you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a snack retail audit in India?
A snack retail audit is an on-ground survey that checks what is actually on the shelf at the point of sale – whether a brand is stocked, how it is positioned versus competitors, and how the outlet sources it. It gives you data that shipment reports cannot. - What cities did the Haldiram’s retail audit cover?
The programme covered Firozabad, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, and Sambhajinagar and Andheri (Mumbai) in Maharashtra – approximately 13,800 outlets in total. - How long does a retail audit of this scale take?
This programme needed 1 week of mobilisation and 6 weeks of field execution – 36 field days across a 6-day work week. Each agent completed approximately 40 quality-passed stores per day. - How does PickMyWork ensure retail audit data quality?
Every submission requires GPS at the outlet and a legible shelf photo. Duplicates are flagged automatically. Rejected submissions go back for same-week redo – not counted as valid. One supervisor oversees every 10 field workers.
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