Infoscan

In 1986, Information Resources, Inc. introduced InfoScan to the food industry. This comprehensive, UPC-driven data service was the first national scanner-based supermarket tracking system. InfoScan measures the performance of products sold primarily through grocery, [...], and mass merchandiser stores in the U.S.

To produce InfoScan, IRI processes raw data from over 34,000 stores on a weekly basis across the grocery, [...], mass merchandiser and convenience channels. InfoScan relies on census level data, which means it includes data from 100 percent of stores from significant retail chains, rather than just a subset of the chain. Since census data includes a much larger number of stores than sample-based methods, this ensures accuracy of reported information, independent of distribution levels, seasonality, promotion levels and length of purchase cycles.

InfoScan was designed to help consumer packaged goods marketers make better marketing and merchandising decisions, especially when used in combination with IRI software applications.1 InfoScan is used by manufacturers, retailers, sales & marketing agencies, and financial institutions for brand, category, promotional, and industry trend analyses. Infoscan helps these marketers illustrate the cause and effect of sales volume.

InfoScan's unique ability to integrate data from multiple sources - including consumers, trade and consumer promotions, television and POS scanners - gives its users an in-depth, multi-dimensional look at product movement. One client described InfoScan as "elegantly blended into one source to answer three important questions for consumer packaged goods manufacturers: What is my market share? Why has my market share changed over time? How can I profitably increase my share? No other product can answer these questions."

In 1995, IRI's InfoScan product was rated no. 1 in client satisfaction for the seventh year in a row in a Survey of Scanner Data Users by Prevision Corp. (formerly conducted by Mercer Management Consulting). InfoScan outpaced the Nielsen Scantrack product, with an overall rating of 3.8 on a 5 point scale compared to Nielsen’s 3.5 score. IRI clients rated InfoScan higher than Nielsen (3.9 to 3.4), but in addition, firms that identified themselves as “primarily Nielsen clients'' rated their satisfaction with InfoScan at 3.7 compared to ScanTrack’s 3.6 score.

IRI Software products were also rated highest in terms of client satisfaction, with IRI products taking both the #1 and #2 rankings. The Nielsen Workstation was third with a 3.7 rating.

In the years since its launch, IRI has enhanced the uses of InfoScan through a series of technological innovations designed to convert scanning data into tactical information and meaningful analysis for its growing list of manufacturing clients.