Abstract:

Now is a common practice to measure the degree of availability of a brand at the point of sale, scarcely anyone has given thought to investigating how this availability comes about and what factor influence it. In this case, the order form is not just an insignificant orde document but a written record of the range of goods carried. The order form is therefore a trade marketing instrument. These basic thoughts, coupled with specific analyses of the sector, led to the conception of the "NIELSEN ORDER FORM INDEX". The article gives a summary of the study methods and the significance of the order forms in the German food trade, and uses a case study to present the results and a few interpretation possibilities. The article also includes a summary of the results for 95 items and a commentary. This section discusses indicative findings concerning the effects of order form listings for the various organisational forms of the German food trade. It supplies the manufacturer new data of a logistic nature and information on the assortment policy of the trading organisations, thus lightening the darkness over part of the way along which goods travel to the consumer.