Distribution Points: The Foundation Before Anything Else
Distribution points measure how many stores your product is authorized and physically on-shelf, tracked as a percentage of total potential stores in the broker's territory. If your broker covers 400 stores and your item is authorized in 280, your distribution point is 70%.
In the Gulf South, that number means different things depending on the channel mix. A 70% distribution point across Rouses Markets is not the same as 70% across a mix of independents, dollar stores, and convenience accounts. Understand what universe the number is measured against before you draw conclusions.
Watch for gaps by specific retail banner. Missing from Brookshire's while well-covered at Winn-Dixie is a broker activity problem worth naming directly.
Velocity: What Happens After You Get on Shelf
Velocity measures how fast your product sells per store per week. Distribution gets you in. Velocity keeps you there.
The benchmark varies by category. A frozen item at $8.99 and a $1.49 candy bar don't get held to the same standard. Know the category average before you evaluate your own number.
Velocity data comes from POS scan data, which major retailers share through portals or syndicated sources like Circana. Some regional Gulf South chains share at-shelf data through buyer portals or through the broker directly. Ask your broker what they have access to before you assume you need to buy it yourself.
Low velocity isn't always a broker problem. It can signal price resistance, a packaging issue, or a placement problem. But low velocity at stores where the broker controls field execution warrants a direct conversation about what's happening in those specific locations.
Authorization Rate: Tracking Broker Pipeline Activity
Authorization rate measures what percentage of your target accounts actually authorized your item after the broker made the call. This is the conversion metric for broker activity.
You set a target account list at the start of the relationship. If the broker pitched 50 accounts over a quarter and 18 authorized, your authorization rate is 36%. Whether that's good or bad depends on your category, price point, and the strength of your launch story.
In the Gulf South, authorization rate varies significantly by format. Pitching an independent in rural Mississippi looks nothing like pitching a Rouses buyer at headquarters in Thibodaux. If your rate is low at one account type and strong at another, you know where the broker's relationships are actually strongest.
Track this quarterly. If the broker has been in market for six months and authorization count isn't growing, you have a pipeline problem that weekly calls won't fix.
Promo Compliance: The Metric Brands Skip Until It Costs Them
Promo compliance measures what percentage of your planned trade promotions actually executed at the store level: right price, right feature, right dates, right locations.
Brands spend money on trade promotions expecting a volume lift. Low compliance means you don't get the lift and you don't get a clean read on whether the promotion worked. Both are expensive problems.
Compliance tracking requires retail field data, either from a field team, broker field reports, or third-party auditing. For chains with centralized execution like Rouses, confirm with the buyer that the feature was set as planned before you evaluate the sales data.
A broker consistently missing promo compliance targets has either a field execution problem or a communication breakdown with store-level contacts. You need to know which one before you decide how to address it.
How Often to Run the Review
Monthly for the first six months after launch. Quarterly after that if the business is stable. If velocity is declining or you're heading into a category reset window, go back to monthly.
The review should happen over a shared document, not a verbal call. Send the metrics in advance, ask the broker to annotate anything that needs context, and use the meeting to discuss action instead of presenting data.
Set a 90-day improvement window for any metric that falls below threshold. That gives the broker time to correct and gives you a legitimate basis for a harder conversation if the number doesn't move.
Having the Conversation When the Numbers Aren't Moving
If a metric has been flat or declining for two consecutive review periods, the conversation needs to change. Not aggressive. Not apologetic. Direct.
Start with the data: "Velocity at Winn-Dixie has been below 2 units per store per week for three months. What specifically has changed in how we're presenting to that buyer?" The broker should be able to name the account contacts, the last buyer interaction, and the plan to move the number.
Not every performance problem is the broker's fault. Some are brand problems: a price that doesn't pencil, a velocity number the market won't support, or a product in the wrong channel entirely. A good broker tells you that directly. A bad one avoids the conversation while collecting the commission.
What a Real Broker Performance Review Looks Like
Four metrics, reviewed on a structured schedule, with direct conversations when the data isn't moving. If you're not building this cadence into the relationship from day one, you won't have the information you need when something goes wrong.
