We collaborate closely with partners to support their brand relationships. Some partners use our data to strengthen their propositions; others lean on us for strategic input, analysis, or bespoke reporting. We operate transparently, flex to each partner’s needs, and work as an extension of their team.

Yes. While partners remain central to our model, many brands also work with us directly when they need clarity, speed, or a deeper brief solved. Whether via a partner or independently, every engagement starts with understanding your objectives and matching you with the right expertise.

Our dataset is the largest and most granular independent C-store read in the UK: 13k+ convenience stores plus 1k+ vape and pharmacy stores. Competitors rely on small samples or partial reads that are weighted to supermarket convenience where it’s far more difficult, if not impossible, to influence at a store-by-store level. We give you actual, store-level performance, not extrapolation, refreshed frequently for near-real-time decision-making.

No problem. Most brands and partners come to us with a question, a challenge, or a rough idea of what they’re trying to achieve. We help you refine the brief, outline what’s possible, and recommend the exact data, insight, or reporting needed to get to the right answer.

Absolutely. Many projects start with unique questions — from NPD tracking to competitor substitution patterns to weather-driven sales shifts. If your question isn’t covered by our standard insights, we’ll build a bespoke read that shapes the data around your exact needs.

Continuous Data is built on real EPOS from thousands of independent stores, not extrapolated from a small number of stores. You get fresher updates, broader coverage, more visibility, and far less interpolation. This gives you a clearer, more reliable picture of store-level performance and real competitive dynamics.

Most brands take Continuous Data on a weekly cadence. EPOS transactions flow in from tills, are checked and enriched, then compiled into a feed on the agreed schedule. We’ll agree the update frequency upfront so your commercial, category, and insights teams always work from a current, consistent view of performance.

Continuous Data flexes to your analytics needs. Choose transaction-level data for deep dives, or aggregated views by store, week, barcode, symbol group, category, or region. Every feed is configured to your teams — from advanced analytics groups to commercial users who want simple, clean weekly summaries.

We deliver the feed directly into your preferred environment — Azure, AWS, GCP, FTP, API, or simple file-based delivery. Your analysts and BI tools can use it immediately, without complex re-engineering. The goal is speed and ease: getting data into your workflow with zero disruption.

FMCG brands use Continuous Data to guide pricing, promotions, NPD rollout, distribution strategy, category planning, market sizing, competitive benchmarking, and field sales targeting. It’s the foundation layer for making fast, evidence-based decisions in the independent convenience channel.

Insights provide a clear, focused view of how products, categories, competitors, and/or campaigns are performing across independent convenience. Instead of handling raw data, you get a tailored report that can be delivered on a one-and-done or ongoing basis and that answers any specific questions you may have by highlighting what’s happening, where, and why it matters.

Continuous Data gives you full data access so your own team can run analysis. Insights are different: we do the work for you. You choose the report type, tell us what you want to understand, and our analysts build the answer. It removes the need for internal resource, tools, or specialist skills to extract value from the data. Another important point to note is that Continuous Data is for the specific products and category a client has purchased. With Insights we can look outside to other products or categories.

Insights work for any brand. Smaller teams use them because they don’t have analysts or data tooling in-house. Larger enterprise brands use them when internal teams are too busy, too rigid, or unable to answer a specific question. In both cases, Insights give you clarity fast, without competing for internal bandwidth.

Almost anything grounded in market performance: distribution gaps, category shifts, competitor traction, new product launches, store-level behaviour, campaign uplift, or changes driven by wider trends. If the data can reveal it, our analysts can shape it into a clear, practical answer you can act on.

Each report is produced by Retail Spotlight’s analysts and data specialists. They understand independent convenience deeply, spot patterns your team may miss, and interpret results in context — regional behaviour, store types, substitutes, shopper shifts, and competing product sets. You’re not just getting data; you’re getting meaningful interpretation.

A project becomes Bespoke when your question falls outside our standard reporting frameworks. This usually means it’s multi-layered, unusual, or requires a new way of looking at the data – such as cross-category analysis, event impact modelling, or exploring behaviours that aren’t typically measured. If the brief needs custom thinking, it’s Bespoke.

Most clients arrive with a problem, not a fully formed question. We start by breaking down what you’re seeing, what you suspect, and what you need to decide. Our analysts then shape the right lines of inquiry — highlighting blind spots, reframing assumptions, and identifying where deeper or broader analysis is required. The outcome is a clear, answerable brief.

Bespoke outputs range from detailed reports and performance deep dives to custom dashboards, experimental views, and new comparison metrics. We can analyse by barcode, product, store, region, mission, or behaviour; combine categories; model scenarios; or build new visualisations. Whatever format best answers the question is what we deliver.

Depending on the brief, your project may involve analysts, category specialists, or data scientists. Each brings different strengths, and we assemble the right mix for the job so you get clear, authoritative answers.

Timelines vary based on scope, but most Bespoke projects move quickly. Once we’ve defined the brief, smaller investigations can take days, while more complex analyses, such as NPD impact, multi-factor modelling, or broad category studies, may take several weeks. We agree timings upfront, so you know exactly when to expect results.

We identify target stores using product-level EPOS performance across 13,000+ independent and symbol retailers. This means we can find distribution gaps, high-potential locations, regions where your brand underperforms, and stores likely to respond to incentives. You never waste budget on irrelevant sites – every store selected is chosen for a measurable commercial reason.

All results are tied directly to real EPOS scanning. We track your product’s performance before, during, and after the campaign across every participating store. This includes distribution gains, rate-of-sale changes, total units sold, and uplift versus control stores or previous periods.

Yes – especially in independents, where owners make fast decisions and respond strongly to clear value. When rewards are tied to actual scanned sales, they focus on actions that drive results: stocking, merchandising, and actively recommending products. Incentive campaigns often increase early trial for NPD and accelerate compliance far more effectively than traditional trade marketing.

Our screen estate includes multiple screen sizes, so we recommend providing both full-screen and till-roll versions for maximum reach. Accepted formats include MP4, JPEG, and PNG. We’ll tell you what’s required so that your creative fits the technical requirements.

Unlike typical wholesaler campaigns that take months to activate, with Retail Spotlight, we can get c-store activations live within two to three weeks, depending on creative readiness and the complexity of your targeting. We handle the heavy lifting – store selection, campaign setup, email deployment, incentive processing, and reporting – so your team stays focused on strategy, not administration.

Insights deliver pre-built reporting modules for specific questions. Continuous Data gives you a live feed of store-level EPOS data to analyse in-house. Bespoke tackles complex, unusual, or cross-category briefs that fall outside standard modules. Activation Reporting shows how real-world campaigns perform in the independent estate.

Brands of all sizes use our products. Larger organisations typically plug Continuous Data into their BI tools. Mid-size brands often choose Insights for quick, clear answers, but equally, many enterprise brands that want a quick window into a specific data set will bypass internal teams and come to us because it’s faster and more cost effective. Bespoke suits teams tackling niche or strategic challenges. Activation Reporting is used by any brand running activity in-store and needing proof of performance.

Yes. Many brands pair Continuous Data with Insights modules to answer short-term questions while maintaining a live market view. Others layer Bespoke analysis on top of standard reports for deeper investigation. Activations naturally sits alongside any product, giving you clear read-outs on the impact of your decisions and campaigns.

It depends on how hands-on you want to be. If you have internal analysts or BI tools, Continuous Data gives you full freedom. If you prefer curated analysis, Insights and Bespoke deliver complete answers with context. If your focus is commercial execution, Activations give you planning, targeting, and in-flight measurement, and reporting.

All products use the same foundation: the UK’s largest and most accurate independent convenience EPOS dataset. This includes live store-level sales, pricing, distribution, SKU performance, category structure, demographics, regions, and weather variables. Every output—whether a feed, report, or activation read-out—is built from this same trusted dataset.

Our data comes directly from real transactions in over 14,000 independent convenience, vape, and pharmacy stores. No modelling, no extrapolation. Just clean, unified, store-level EPOS data you can trust. Brands and partners use it to see genuine performance, validate decisions, and act with clarity and confidence.

FMCG brands, field marketing agencies, category teams, commercial leads, and activation specialists rely on our intelligence. Whether you need a continuous feed, curated reporting, a one-off analysis, campaign activation and measurement, or all of the above, we provide the insight needed to understand performance and unlock opportunity across independents.

We get data daily and work with clients to give them data at the cadence that works for them, giving them a near real-time view of product performance, pricing, distribution, and competitor movement. This cadence lets you react quickly – spotting trends, validating campaigns, understanding regional differences, and making faster, better-informed commercial decisions without waiting for long reporting cycles.

Start with the outcome you need. If you need ready-made answers, go with Insights. If you want continuous visibility, choose Continuous Data. If your question is unique or complex, Bespoke will shape the analysis around you, and if you’re running activity, Activations gives you planning, targeting, and in-flight measurement, and reporting.

Both. We collaborate closely with field marketing partners and also support brands directly when a more hands-on relationship is needed. Our goal is simple: provide the clearest, most actionable view of the independent sector – whether that’s delivered through your existing partner or via a direct engagement with our team.