Monitoring retailers across different countries can pose a challenge for manufacturers of CPGs (consumer packaged goods) and FMCGs. Planogram audit services or retail audit companies offer solutions to help overcome these challenges. Field Agent is one such service provider focusing on retail monitoring services for CPGs producers.
After identifying some shortcomings from a user review-based analysis, we offer a list of the top Field Agent competitors & alternatives to help retail execution managers find the right partner.
Top alternatives to Field Agent (For customers)
Both Tables 1 and 2 compare alternatives based on criteria suitable for customers.
Table 1. Comparison based on market presence and experience
| Service Name | Total # of reviews* | Avg User Ratings* |
|---|---|---|
| Clickworker | 68 | 4.2 |
| Premise | 23 | 4.6 |
| BeMyEye | 2 | 3.8 |
| Field Agent | 13 | 4.5 |
| Roamler | N/A | 4.5 |
Table 2. Comparison based on features and services
| Service Name | Crowd size (in millions)** | Global reach (# of Countries)** | Top 3 Services** | Retail Surveys*** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clickworker | 6+ | 136+ | – Store checks | ✅ |
| Premise | 6+ | 140+ | – Store checks | ✖ |
| BeMyEye | 3+ | 20+ | – Store audits | ✖ |
| Field Agent | 2+ | 8 | – Planogram audits | ✅ |
| Roamler | 0.3+ | 10+ | – Store checks | ✖ |
Inclusion criteria
* Data gathered from leading B2B review platforms.
** Data gathered from company websites.
*** We incorporated companies that mention ‘gathering retail audit data through surveys’ or offer custom audits on their websites.
All companies offered retail audit services through a crowdsourcing model.
Field Agent overview
Founded in 2010 and based in Arkansas, USA, Field Agent offers on-demand retail solutions for CPG companies via a crowdsourcing model. Field Agent’s network of works (Crowd) completes visits to retail stores in different locations and countries to conduct different retail monitoring tasks for CPG companies. Its offerings include (As mentioned on its website):
- Retail audit for CPGs
- Mystery shopping
- Planogram audit and shelf evaluation
- Promotional display audit
Shortcomings for retail customers
1. Small crowd/pool of participants
As compared to its alternatives, Field Agent has one of the smallest pools of workers (Crowd size), which is a significant drawback for a company operating on a crowdsourcing model. A shorter network of workers means that the company can cover fewer locations. Customers have also identified this drawback.1
Figure 1. Crowd size comparison for customers
2. Incomplete tasks
Some customers highlighted that some of their retail audit tasks were not completed due to a lack of participants. This indicates that having a large and diverse pool of workers is necessary for retail audit service providers.2
3. Small global reach
The comparison revealed that Field Agent’s workforce covers the smallest number of countries among its competitors (figure 2). This could pose a problem for customers with a worldwide retail network.
Figure 2. Global reach comparison for customers
Detailed analysis of top 3 alternatives for customers
1. Clickworker
Based in Germany, Clickworker is a well-known provider of paid crowdsourcing services, including planogram and retail audit services. The company serves multiple sectors, including e-commerce, fashion, retail, and marketing. Its retail and POS audit services include the following:
- Planogram audit & compliance
- Inventory checks
- Price checks
- Promotion checks
- Mystery shopping
- Competitor checks
- Display checks
Other services include AI data collection, data annotation, market research, survey participants, sentiment analysis, and others.
Pros and cons
1. Easy to use
A customer found Clickworker’s platform easy to use and suggested that potential users read profiles before choosing Clickworkers for their tasks.3
2. Extensive geographical reach
The reviewer achieved its business objectives ahead of schedule, within budget, and with high quality. Clickworker executed geography-related tasks with the added support of a dedicated project manager. The customer did not face any challenges while working with Clickworker.4
3. Large crowd and global reach
Clickworker has one of the largest pools of participants (crowds) and the widest country reach among retail audit services. This is advantageous for global CPGs that need to monitor numerous retailers across various countries.
2. Premise
Headquartered in San Francisco, Premise provides a platform for retail audits and other analytics tasks for CPGs using a crowdsourcing network. According to its website, the company’s offerings include retail monitoring, audience analysis, and geospatial analytics.
Pros and cons
1. Lack of reviews
After analyzing multiple review platforms, we found only one relevant customer review. This lack of feedback might prevent potential customers from fully understanding the services offered before making a decision.
2. Effective market research and analytics services
The customer liked the accuracy level of its market research and predictive analytics capabilities.5
3. Large crowd and global reach
Premise has a large crowd as compared to the other services, such as Field Agent or BeMyEye, and has an extensive global reach.
3. BeMyEye
Based in London, England, BeMyEye provides retail audits through a crowdsourcing model. In addition to serving CPGs, BeMyEye also caters to retailers. Its services for CPGs include:
- Mystery shopping
- Price and promotion tracking
- Customer experience surveys
- Competitor benchmarking
Pros and cons
1. No retail surveys
BeMyEye does not offer retail surveys. If a CPG company wants to gather retail audit data through surveys, BeMyEye will not be suitable.
2. Weak online presence
Our analysis of leading review platforms found that BeMyEye has no customer reviews, which can make it difficult for potential customers to evaluate its services from the user’s perspective.
3. Smaller crowd and global reach
BeMyEye also has a smaller network of contributors as compared to competitors like Clickworker and premise. This can make it difficult for them to work for multinational customers.
Top alternatives to Field Agent (For agents/workers)
Table 3. Comparison for agents or workers
| Company | Payment methods | Average rating* |
|---|---|---|
| Clickworker | PayPal | 4.3 from 2,773 |
| Roamler | Paypal | 4.2 from 1,088 |
| BeMyEye | Paypal | 2.9 from 3 |
| Field Agent | Paypal | 2.9 from 2 |
| Premise | Paypal | 2.0 from 81 |
Notes
- Users are ranked based on average rating score
- * Data used from Trustpilot since most reviews there are worker reviews.
FAQs
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How does Field Agent work?
Field Agent is a platform that provides a marketplace for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies to hire workers from its pool of participants. These workers perform various tasks, such as retail store visits, planogram audits, and other on-site activities, in exchange for compensation. By leveraging Field Agent’s services, CPG companies can gather data, ensure compliance, and gain valuable insights into retail execution and consumer behavior.
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Why are retail audits important?
Retail audits play a crucial role in the success and optimization of retail and CPG businesses. These audits provide a comprehensive overview of in-store operations and offer valuable insights that can significantly impact a company’s performance and strategy.
Optimize Retail Execution
Retail audits help businesses to improve retail execution by collecting current market data and reports. These insights allow companies to improve shelf space performance, manage loyalty strategies, and enhance customer engagement. By leveraging retail reports, businesses can achieve retail excellence and boost per store sales through effective retail enterprise solutions.Enhance Customer Engagement
Retail audits enable improved customer engagement by providing robust customer data and rich customer data, which help in understanding customer behavior insights. This data is essential for modern trade stores to manage loyalty practices and deliver higher quality data for superior customer engagement.Improve Inventory Management
Effective retail audits support optimum inventory planning and enable automated planogram generation. This ensures that stores maintain the right stock levels, preventing both overstock and stockouts, thereby optimizing the supply chain processes.Leverage Data for Competitive Advantage
Retail audits provide diverse data streams, including digital data, which are crucial for generating meaningful retail analytics. Retail sales leaders can use these insights to seamlessly integrate advertising opportunities and develop an ecommerce-driven retail strategy. This data-driven approach helps in identifying sales opportunities and monitoring price changes with a price monitoring engine.Enhance Operational Efficiency
By using proprietary business intelligence and intelligent tools to unlock data, retail audits enable businesses to improve operational efficiency. Tools that analyze multiple layers of data can help in calculating store-specific assortments, leading to optimized retail execution and profitable in-store experiences.Drive Revenue
Retail audits support national retail sales by providing data-driven competitive insights and leveraging retail data gold. By integrating store traffic measures and using proprietary traffic measurement technology, companies can enhance both online and in-store performance. This integration helps in achieving a high-margin revenue stream and maximizing revenue.Support Innovative Retail Marketing Solutions
Retail audits offer innovative retail solutions by leveraging retail and online metrics. This approach helps companies to layer store data and achieve commerce price optimization. Field Agent, for example, provides a tailored management platform powered by consumer-centric data, enabling businesses to seamlessly integrate online and offline marketing efforts. -
Why work with a crowdsourcing platform such as Field Agent for retail monitoring services?
Access to Real-Time, Comprehensive Data
Crowdsourcing platforms like Field Agent offer access to real-time, comprehensive data that is essential for retail monitoring, retail audits, and planogram audits. By leveraging digital and offline data, these platforms provide customer data and meaningful retail analytics. This real-time data collection allows businesses to monitor current market trends, retail traffic measures, and sales data effectively. The ability to collect and analyze multiple layers of data ensures high-quality insights, helping businesses to improve retail execution and achieve shelf space performance improvement.Enhanced Operational Efficiency and Customer Engagement
Crowdsourcing platforms improve operational efficiency and customer engagement through innovative retail solutions. These platforms enable automated planogram generation and optimal inventory planning, which are critical for routine supply chain processes. By utilizing intelligent tools to unlock data and business intelligence, businesses can enhance their operational efficiency. Additionally, customer engagement tools provide rich data and customer behavior insights, enabling businesses to deliver better customer engagement both online and in-store. This leads to improved customer satisfaction and boosts per store sales.Competitive Advantage and Strategic Insights
Working with a crowdsourcing platform provides CPG businesses with a competitive advantage and strategic insights. By leveraging retail reports and other retail data, businesses can identify sales opportunities and integrate advertising opportunities. These platforms offer tailored management solutions powered by consumer-centric data, helping businesses to calculate store-specific assortments and achieve price optimization. The integration of ecommerce-driven retail strategies and comprehensive retail insights reports allows businesses to stay ahead of retail trends, drive profitable in-store experiences, and maximize retail revenue.
Further reading
- Planogram Audit: Guide & Top 5 Service Providers
- Top 5 Retail Monitoring Best Practices & KPIs
- 10-Point Retail Audit Checklist with Case Studies
If you need further help in finding a vendor or have any questions, feel free to contact us:
External resources
- 1. Easy and efficient execution with timely and comprehensive results. G2. Accessed: 13/May/2024.
- 2. The best Retail Crowd test application. G2. Accessed: 13/May/2024.
- 3. Clickworker review of easy to use platform. G2. Accessed: 05/March/2024.
- 4. Clickworker review on geography. Capterra. Accessed: 05/March/2024.
- 5. Customer review of Premise. G2. Accessed: 05/March/2024.
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