Retailers have given their backing to Nisa-Today's new IT initiative, Category Health Check, which identifies stock gaps in their ranges and compares their buying habits with the most popular products purchased by consumers in the UK.
The system measures members' individual product purchasing patterns through its central distribution and reviews them against the top 20 purchased lines by category. An email is then sent out informing retailers of any gaps.
An extension of the group's 'Email Deals' system launched in October 2007, Category Health Check will involve a rolling programme of three emails being sent out each month across three different categories.
The first category, which began last week, is breakfast cereals. It includes an added incentive of offering members a 30% discount on all ordered products currently missing from their range.
Nisa retailer Andrew Newton praised the new scheme: "It's a fantastic idea because retailers can easily lose focus on top sellers. I'll give it my full support."
John Sharpe, managing director of central distribution trading and logistics, added: "This is an excellent scheme that will help extend our members' knowledge of the marketplace, maximise sales potential and provide financial rewards."