By James Carlson, Mid-Market Consultant and Team Leader, Circana

In my decade of experience supporting mid-market companies, I’ve found the most fruitful client discussions often center around sizing and prioritizing opportunities through share measures. Tracking share is a common practice, but many brands miss the benefits of integrating fair-share concepts into their strategies. These concepts are not just theoretical. They offer a practical and repeatable process to size sales opportunities and fuel an effective growth strategy.

Fair-share and gap analysis shows the relationship between your brand’s specific share and performance benchmarks. This approach helps brands recognize their strengths and uncover the most accessible opportunities for share improvement.

Here are five straightforward methods your brand can use to calculate fair share and identify sustainable growth:

1. Evaluate retailer share versus channel average: If your brand holds a 10% share in a channel but only a 5% share with a specific retailer, there’s a clear opportunity to close that 5-point fair-share gap.

2. Assess online sales share: It’s critical to ensure your brand is winning its fair share of online sales, including click-and-collect and delivery services, compared to in-store sales.

3. Analyze promotional support: Equitable promotional support is essential for driving incremental sales and market share. Compare the promotional support you receive with your competitors to ensure fairness.

4. Benchmark against competitors: See how your brand’s performance stacks up against competitors in similar market segments or categories.

5. Leverage market-measurement tools: Tools like Circana’s point-of-sale and market-measurement products help you easily access these metrics.

Small business analytics solutions like Circana’s Liquid Data Go™ can make these evaluations affordable and accessible. Discover how these strategies can be applied to your brand and register for a free trial today.