One of the benefits of working at a growing company is the opportunity to wear a variety of hats and take on new challenges. Last year, I took over the role of Retail Collections Manager. We have a nationwide team of retail data collectors who act as our eyes and ears in the retail stores in cities outside of gap intelligence's home of San Diego. Armed with our in-house developed Retail App, the collectors go into brick-and-mortar stores from our retail panel and collect and verify product placement, pricing, and promotional data. That data is then reviewed and put through a rigorous quality assurance system by the various category experts in our San Diego office. From there, we analyze and report on the most nationally representative price point and fuel our reports and software tools. Check out our Products Page to see some of the tools that our data fuels.
My role as the Retail Collections Manager is to help ensure that the data coming in is as accurately as possible, and that our collectors have the tools they need for success. Another part of my role is to be a liaison between the collectors and the San Diego Research team. When a team member or client needs clarification on a price or product placement, I will ask the appropriate collector(s) for a picture or more detail. When a collector has a product question, I will answer if I can, or find the answer for them from our team of experts.
Through this role I have cultivated a relationship with each collector and learned a variety of ways to communicate efficiently. We have the e-mail and text/phone, of course, but we also have our own Facebook group that allows us to have group conversations and give each other shout outs. I am hoping we can add a messaging feature to the Retail App to make communication between collectors and our Research Group even easier. I’m always trying to find new and inventive ways to call out when a collector does an exceptional job, that’s the fun part. They are a dynamic group and are an extension of the gapper team out in the field!
Our nationwide retail data team collects nearly 150,000 product placements in stores every month for 25 of our product categories. While we already collect a huge amount of data, we are also always looking to grow our collection reach, as well as expand to new categories. I have enjoyed taking on this unique role at gap intelligence. It has provided me with a unique perspective on our retail collections, exposed me to new people, and I look forward to expanding the role as gap intelligence moves into new categories, retailers, and regions.
Do you have questions about our extensive retail coverage? Email info@gapintelligence.com.
