The GMS glossary

A purchase made spontaneously by the consumer, often triggered by visual or promotional stimulation at the point of sale, without any prior planning.

Purchase of everyday consumer goods, made regularly and frequently by consumers to meet their daily needs.

Purchasing is the result of reflection and comparison on the part of the consumer, often influenced by factors such as price, quality and specific needs.

Introduction of a new or significantly improved product on the market, distinguished by novel features or technologies.

Aisle in the middle of the store, parallel to the checkouts.

Aisle at the entrance to the store, used for themed operations such as the wine fair, between 4 and 8 pallets on the floor.

Activity or event organized in a sales outlet to energize the space, engage customers and stimulate purchases.

→ Find out how to make a success of your sales events.

Complete range of products that the store chooses to stock and offer its customers. It is important tooptimize assortments to meet market needs.

Selection of products that a specific brand offers on the market, focusing on the consistency of the offer in terms of quality, image and brand values. To define your brand's offer in supermarkets, it's important to build an assortment strategy in line with retailers' assortment policies.

Selection of a wide variety of product categories, from food to clothing, electronics and household products.

Narrow selection of products, often focusing on the most popular or best-selling items.

Selection of a wide variety of products in a specific category, such as a wine and spirits store offering a vast selection of wines from different regions, grape varieties and vintages.

Selection of products temporarily offered according to the season or specific events, such as Christmas products in December or school supplies in August-September.

Selection combining width and depth, offering a wide variety of product categories and numerous options within each category.

A sales outlet's ability to attract customers, often measured by the number of visitors or footfall.

Document used to indicate that a product or service does not meet defined quality specifications or expectations.

Coupons offering a discount on a future purchase, used to encourage customers to return to the store.

Immediate discount coupon. The consumer benefits from an immediate discount at the checkout.

All tools to help orient and inform customers at the point of sale, including posters, labels, etc.

Specific location in a store, often dedicated to the display or sale of promotional or seasonal products.

Consumer, brand, product.

A method of attracting the customer's attention during the contact phase of the sales technique.

Inventory management tool that helps plan orders and ensure product availability in store, based on sales forecasts.

Number of sales units that a shelf can contain.

Recall or storage rack used for overstock or promotional products.

Refers to goods that have expired or deteriorated and cannot be sold, reported as a loss for the store.

Process of managing product categories as strategic business units, with the aim of optimizing sales and profitability.

→ To master the fundamentals of category management in 5 minutes.

Structure that negotiates purchasing conditions for a group of sales outlets.

Responsible for the management of a specific department in a store, including stock management, organization of promotions, and team management.

Service enabling customers to order products online and pick them up in store.

A technique used by companies to evaluate and improve customer experience and staff performance, where anonymous assessors observe services.

Strategy or element that enables a consumer to quickly understand the offer or positioning of a product or service.

An indicator used in urban planning to determine the amount of built-up area authorized on a given plot of land.

A merchandising technique designed to place complementary products close together to stimulate cross-selling.

Case front.

Data sharing (often checkout/sell-out) between retailers and suppliers to improve forecast accuracy, supply efficiency and promotion planning.

Display or showcase unit designed to draw attention to specific products, often used for promotions or new products.

Measures the percentage of a product's total sales generated by the stores that stock it, compared with the total sales of this product in the market as a whole. This indicator helps companies understand the value contribution of a product in the points of sale where it is available, enabling them to assess the financial impact of its distribution in relation to overall market coverage. Value distribution is linked to digital distribution.

A strategy in which a product is sold exclusively by a single distributor in a given territory or market, often used to maintain a high-end or unique brand image.

→ This article will help you choose the right type of distribution for your brand.

Strategy aimed at maximizing product availability by distributing through a wide network of sales outlets, for maximum market coverage.

→ This article will help you choose the right type of distribution for your brand.

Number of stores having sold the product divided by the number of stores in the universe studied. For example, with a DN of 10%, the product is sold in 10% of the stores in the universe studied. Digital distribution is linked to value distribution.

Distribution of products through a limited number of carefully selected outlets, used for products requiring a special presentation or sales environment.

→ This article will help you choose the right type of distribution for your brand.

Service enabling customers to shop online and collect their goods from a dedicated collection point.

Evaluates the number or value of unsold products that no longer appear in actual stock due to events identified and recorded in the markdown book. In connection with breakage.

→ To understand the causes of and solutions to known markdowns

Corresponds to products that have not been sold and no longer appear in the inventory for unidentified reasons. It therefore refers to the loss of merchandise whose origin has not been identified. Refers to breakage.

→ To understand the causes of and solutions to shrinkage

Procedure for withdrawing a reference from the assortment offered by a retailer.

→ To anticipate and avoid dereferencing, Sidely lists its best practices.

Ratio between the number of products on the shelves of a supermarket and the number of products that should be there, in accordance with the mandatory assortment stipulated in the terms of the distribution contract. The DN is the most important kpi to monitor for brands in supermarkets.

Bar code used for unique international product identification.

An economic concept that measures the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a product to a variation in its price. If elasticity is greater than 1, demand is said to be elastic, meaning that the quantity demanded varies more than proportionally to the price change. If it is less than 1, demand is inelastic, indicating that the quantity demanded varies less than the price change.

→ To understand all about price elasticity.

Linear section representing 1m to 1m33 in width.

Enter information observed in-store (assortment, promotions, prices) on your smartphone or computer.

The name under which a store or network of stores operates, representing the commercial identity and brand under which the store is known to the public.

Periodic commercial event organized mainly by supermarkets and hypermarkets, where a wide variety of wines are offered at promotional prices to attract wine lovers and boost sales.

Important shopping period including events such as Christmas and New Year, during which stores offer special promotions and seasonal items.

An inventory management method which ensures that products stored first are also sold or used first, often used for perishable products.

The side of the shelf that is less visible or even invisible, depending on the customer's route through the store. This side is often used to place complementary products to those featured on the main side. Reduced visibility requires careful planning to ensure that these complementary products are also discovered and considered by customers.

The side of the shelf or product arrangement oriented to maximize visibility to consumers as they move through the store. This side is strategically used to present the main or most attractive products to stimulate interest and purchase.

A technique for presenting products on the shelf in such a way as to make as much of the front of the product visible as possible. Brands have to negotiate the number of facings with chains or stores.

Number of people entering a store during a given period, often used to measure the attractiveness or effectiveness of promotional campaigns.

Storage area located at the back of a department to facilitate rapid product replenishment without disrupting the shopping experience.

Sales force managed by an external service provider, enabling the company to benefit from specialized skills and flexibility without the costs associated with hiring permanent sales staff.

Temporary or additional sales staff hired to augment the existing sales force, often used for busy periods or special promotions. Find out more about the auxiliary sales force.

A commercial and legal agreement by which one company (franchisor) grants another company (franchisee) the right to use its brand and know-how.

A group of stores that are particularly strategic in terms of customer traffic or sales. The term 'sales front' has different definitions (even in supermarkets), which you can find here.

Product category comprising large appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and stoves, essential in modern households.

Large retail stores offering a wide range of food and non-food products.

A type of supermarket specializing in the sale of food products, including supermarkets and hypermarkets.

A mass-market store that focuses on a specific product category, such as electronics, clothing or DIY.

A group of similar or complementary products offered by a brand or store, often differentiated by features such as size, color or price.

Concept of setting up product assortments that fit together in terms of price, quality or function, offering consumers a staggered choice.

‍Find out more about assortment gigognity.

Display structure in a store, consisting of several shelves and used to display products, usually accessible from both sides.

Commercial sector made up of large sales outlets such as hypermarkets and supermarkets, specializing in large-scale retail sales.

Evaluation tool using multiple criteria to analyze and compare options or performance, often used to evaluate products or suppliers.

Large retail store that combines a supermarket and a general store, offering a wide range of food and non-food products under one roof.

All the visual or material supports used at the point of sale to inform consumers about products or promotions, with the aim of guiding their purchasing decisions.

A measure of consumers' reaction to price changes or promotions, indicating their propensity to buy in response to these changes.

Indicator measuring the sales performance of a product or product category, often used to assess the effectiveness of sales strategies.

‍Find out more about the sales index.

Introduction of a new or significantly improved product on the market, distinguished by novel features or technologies.

Key performance indicators used to measure the effectiveness of sales strategies and a company's overall performance.

→ If you were to follow just 5 in gms, these are the kpis we recommend.

A vertical advertising medium, often suspended or unrollable, used to display information or promotions at point of sale. Is a kakemono still a good investment for your brand in supermarkets? Find out here.

Sales area where products are arranged on shelves or racks, measured in linear meters.

Floor space in a store dedicated to product display, different from shelf space.

Total display length of products available on shelving units.

Products whose brands are owned by retail chains and sold exclusively in their stores.

→ To understand how to position your brand against private labels.

A strategy for presenting a product in a retail outlet to increase its visibility and boost sales.

Unit of measurement of the space available for displaying products on a store floor, used to plan and optimize product layouts.

Physical location where goods or services are sold to consumers. Can refer to a variety of commercial establishments, such as supermarkets, hypermarkets or specialty stores.

Rebate applied by a supplier to its distributor at the end of an accounting period, in return for achieving a sales target. There are both legal and commercial issues to be taken into account.

A brand that is distributed and recognized nationally, often contrasted with local brands or private labels.