Channelplay Middle East

UAE and Saudi retail audit services

Retail Audit Services in UAE and Saudi Arabia

Turn store visits into evidence that commercial, category and operations teams can act on. Channelplay plans structured retail audits across UAE and Saudi Arabia with trained field teams, checklist governance, photo proof, reporting and issue escalation.

Retail audit programs built around the business question

Store execution and complianceCheck agreed brand, campaign, hygiene, fixture and operating standards by retailer, store format, city and priority tier.
Planogram, shelf and POSM auditsMeasure facings, share of shelf, placement, display readiness, promotional material, secondary displays and photo-backed exceptions.
Availability, inventory and pricing checksCapture on-shelf availability, visible stock gaps, pricing, promotion status and competitor observations using a defined checklist.
Mystery shopping and customer experienceObserve service steps, product knowledge, selling behaviour and the customer journey through a scenario agreed before fieldwork.

How a retail audit moves from standard to action

1. Define the audit universeSet the cities, retailers, store list, channels, visit frequency, sample logic and the decisions the audit must support.
2. Build and pilot the checklistTranslate brand standards into observable questions, required evidence, scoring rules and exception categories, then test the audit in a small store sample.
3. Train and deploy auditorsBrief field teams on the category, store protocol, photo standard, data capture, escalation rules and any mystery-shopping scenario.
4. Validate and reportReview completeness and evidence quality before presenting store scorecards, photos, exception logs and management summaries.
5. Close the loopAssign actions to the appropriate field, sales, merchandising, retailer or distributor owner and track closure or re-audit where required.

Outputs a buyer should specify

Store scorecardsComparable scores by question, store, retailer, city, channel and audit wave.
Photo and visit evidenceRequired images and visit records tied to the audited location and checklist.
Exception registerPrioritized gaps with category, owner, status and closure expectation.
Field dashboard and summariesOperational views for field teams plus concise management findings and trends.
Corrective-action follow-upA defined handoff and review process for issues that require action after the audit.

What to include in a retail audit brief

  • Countries, cities, retailers, channels and store count
  • Audit objective and the decisions it must support
  • Store list, sampling method and visit frequency
  • Checklist, scoring, evidence and mandatory-photo rules
  • Known retailer permissions or visit constraints
  • Mystery-shopping scenarios, if customer experience is in scope
  • Dashboard, raw-data and management-report requirements
  • Issue ownership, escalation and corrective-action cadence

Frequently asked questions about retail audits

A retail audit measures observable store conditions such as availability, pricing, planograms, POSM and compliance. Mystery shopping uses a defined customer scenario to evaluate service, selling behaviour and the customer journey. One program can include both when the objectives are clearly separated.

The scope can include shelf and display compliance, product availability, pricing, promotions, POSM, fixture condition, stock observations, competitor activity, staff knowledge, customer experience and agreed operating standards.

Yes. Programs can be planned for UAE and Saudi markets, including priority clusters such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Khobar, based on the approved store universe.

A reporting plan can combine store scorecards, photos, exception logs, dashboards, raw data and management summaries. The final format should be defined from the decisions and teams that will use the findings.

Share the countries and cities, retailer and store list, objective, checklist or standards, sample size, visit frequency, evidence rules, reporting needs, project timing and corrective-action expectations.

Plan a retail audit around the decisions you need to make

Share the market, store universe, audit objective and reporting requirements to start a scoped discussion.

Discuss a retail audit