Caribbean Retail Distribution Audit: Store Checks, Shelf Audits & SKU Tracking

How well are your products actually performing on Caribbean retail shelves? With organized retail growing at 6.2% CAGR across the region (Euromonitor, 2024) and HRG audit data revealing a 15 to 25% gap between distributor-reported distribution and actual shelf presence, retail distribution audits have become essential for brands seeking to maximize their Caribbean market performance. This guide covers our store check methodology, the types of retail audits we conduct, and the actionable intelligence they deliver across Jamaica's 3,500+ outlets, Trinidad & Tobago's 2,800+ outlets, and markets throughout the Caribbean (national statistics offices, 2024).

What is a Retail Distribution Audit?

A retail distribution audit is a systematic, in-store data collection exercise designed to measure how products are performing at the point of purchase. In Caribbean markets, where reliable syndicated retail data services like Nielsen or IRI have limited coverage, independent retail audits provide the only reliable source of shelf-level intelligence for most product categories. The audit captures SKU-level availability, shelf placement, pricing, promotional execution, and competitive activity across a representative sample of retail outlets.

For Caribbean brands and their distributors, these audits serve multiple strategic functions. They validate distributor performance by comparing claimed distribution against actual shelf presence, revealing the 15 to 25% availability gaps that HRG audit data consistently identifies. They provide competitive intelligence by mapping competitor shelf share, new product activity, and promotional strategies. And they generate actionable recommendations for improving distribution coverage, optimizing planogram compliance, and addressing out-of-stock situations that directly impact sales revenue.

Our Audit Methodology

HRG's retail audit methodology is designed specifically for Caribbean market conditions, where outlet formats range from modern supermarket chains to traditional corner shops and market vendors. Our approach begins with outlet universe definition, where we work with clients to define the target retail channels and create a representative sample stratified by outlet type (supermarket, mini-mart, convenience store, pharmacy, wholesale), geography (urban, suburban, rural), and commercial importance (weighted by estimated category volume).

Trained field auditors visit each outlet in the sample, collecting data using standardized digital data capture tools that record SKU presence or absence, shelf position (eye level, top shelf, bottom shelf), number of facings, retail price, promotional materials or signage, out-of-stock indicators, and competitor product data. Photography documentation provides visual evidence of shelf conditions, planogram compliance, and promotional execution. Each audit wave is completed within a defined time window to ensure comparability across outlets and time periods.

Data quality control includes supervisor back-checks on a minimum 15% of audited outlets, automated validation rules on pricing and availability data, and reconciliation with distributor sales data to identify and investigate discrepancies. This methodology aligns with our broader trade audit methodology and integrates with distributor research findings.

Markets We Cover

Our retail audit coverage spans the major Caribbean consumer markets. In Jamaica, we maintain an active panel of 400+ outlets covering all major retail chains including Hi-Lo, MegaMart, PriceSmart, and Loshusan, plus independent grocers, pharmacies, and traditional trade outlets across all 14 parishes (national statistics offices, 2024). Our Trinidad & Tobago coverage includes 350+ outlets spanning the JTA supermarket chain, PriceSmart, independent grocers, and the extensive traditional trade network across both islands.

Barbados audit coverage encompasses 200+ outlets including Massy Stores, Super Centre, and independent retailers across all 11 parishes. In The Bahamas, we cover 150+ outlets across New Providence and Grand Bahama. Additional market coverage is available in Guyana, Suriname, St. Lucia, Antigua, Grenada, St. Kitts, and the wider Eastern Caribbean through our network of trained field teams and research partners. For cross-market audit programs, we ensure standardized methodology and data formats to enable direct market-to-market comparisons.

Source: National statistics offices, 2024; HRG panel data. Outlet counts include all retail formats.

Types of Retail Audits

Distribution Checks measure SKU-level availability across the outlet panel, calculating numeric distribution (percentage of outlets carrying a product) and weighted distribution (percentage of category volume represented by outlets carrying the product). These are the most fundamental audit type and are typically conducted quarterly to track distribution expansion or contraction over time.

Shelf Audits go beyond availability to assess planogram compliance, facing counts, shelf share (percentage of shelf space allocated to each brand), and shelf position quality. These audits reveal whether your products receive the shelf visibility that your trade investment warrants. Pricing Surveys track retail selling prices across channels and geographies, identifying price compliance with recommended retail prices, channel-specific pricing strategies, and competitive price positioning.

Promotional Compliance Audits verify that planned trade promotions including point-of-sale materials, in-store displays, price reductions, and sampling activities are executed as agreed with retailers and distributors. Our data shows that promotional compliance rates in Caribbean markets average 55 to 65%, meaning one-third of planned promotional activities are not executed or are executed incorrectly (HRG audit data). Competitive Intelligence Audits focus on mapping competitor activity including new product launches, promotional strategies, distribution changes, and pricing movements that affect your market position.

Out-of-stock (OOS) analysis is one of the most immediately actionable outputs of a retail audit. Caribbean markets experience higher OOS rates than continental markets due to longer supply chain lead times, import-dependent inventory replenishment cycles, and limited safety stock capacity at the retail level. HRG audit data shows average OOS rates of 8 to 12% across major Caribbean markets for established brands, rising to 15 to 20% for newer or less-established products (HRG audit data). Each percentage point of OOS represents directly lost sales revenue, making OOS reduction one of the highest-ROI activities for Caribbean brand managers.

Competitor shelf share analysis provides strategic context for distribution performance by mapping how much shelf space competitors command relative to their market share. In Caribbean markets, shelf space allocation is often negotiated between distributors and retailers based on trade spending, volume commitments, and relationship history rather than strictly following market share proportions. This creates opportunities for brands willing to invest in retail intelligence and mystery shopping to identify and exploit shelf space gaps where competitors are under-represented relative to consumer demand.

Results You Can Expect

Caribbean retail distribution audits deliver measurable business impact. Clients using our quarterly audit program typically see 20 to 30% improvement in weighted distribution within the first year as audit insights drive targeted distribution gap closure. Out-of-stock rates decrease by 30 to 40% when audit data is shared with distributor partners and integrated into their order replenishment processes. Promotional compliance improvements of 15 to 25 percentage points are common when audit-verified execution data replaces self-reported compliance claims (HRG audit data).

The audit data also serves as a powerful negotiation tool with distributors and retailers, providing objective, third-party evidence of performance levels and areas requiring improvement. Brands using audit data in distributor reviews report more productive discussions, clearer accountability, and faster resolution of distribution challenges compared to relying on distributor self-reporting alone. For brands exploring Caribbean market entry, our export market research and CARICOM trade data analysis provide essential pre-entry intelligence.

Related Research