What goes on a retail store audit checklist?
A retail store audit checklist lists what to check in each area of the store, which photo proves it, and how many points each check is worth. This one covers six areas: the storefront and window, campaign and promotion displays, shelves and walls, in-store communication and POS material, the checkout area, and store condition. Every check is a yes-or-no question, so you can score each store and compare stores against the same list.
How to use it
- 1. Delete the checks you do not need and add your own. A short list gets done.
- 2. Set the points for each check. The suggested points are an example only.
- 3. At the store, take the photos listed for each check. Then mark each check Yes (complies) or No (does not comply).
- 4. Leave a check blank if you could not review it. Blank checks do not count toward the score.
- 5. Score = points earned / points available for the checks you answered.
Photo rules
A reviewer can only grade what the photo shows. Follow these seven rules so every photo can be graded.
- 1. One area per photo. Step back until the whole area is in the frame.
- 2. If you have a reference photo, match its angle and distance.
- 3. Shoot straight on and keep the camera level.
- 4. Turn store lights and screens on. Avoid flash on glass and glossy signs.
- 5. When text must be read (prices, dates, offers), take a close-up plus one wide photo that shows where it is.
- 6. Keep customers and staff out of the frame, or at least keep faces out of it.
- 7. Upload the photo as you took it, with no crop, edit or filter.
The checklist
Each check has a suggested number of points. Change the points to match what matters in your stores.
A. Storefront and window
A1. The window shows the current campaign, and nothing from an old campaign is left.
Photo to take: From outside, straight on: the whole window, including its edges.
Good photo
Taken from outside. The whole window is in the frame, campaign graphics are readable and there is no strong reflection.
Bad photo
Taken through the glass from inside, or only part of the window, so you cannot tell if old material is still up.
Suggested points: 3
A2. The store sign and entrance are clean, lit and undamaged.
Photo to take: From across the entrance: sign and door in one frame.
Good photo
The whole sign is visible, lights are on and the entrance shows from top to bottom.
Bad photo
The sign is cut off at the edge, or it is a night photo where flash glare hides the sign.
Suggested points: 2
A3. The entrance is clear. No boxes, carts or fixtures block the way in.
Photo to take: From the door looking in, at eye level.
Good photo
The full walkway from the door to the first display is visible.
Bad photo
A close-up of the floor or the door, so you cannot see what is in the walkway.
Suggested points: 1
B. Campaign and promotion displays
B1. The main campaign display is set like the reference photo.
Photo to take: The whole display, from the same angle as the reference photo.
Good photo
Same angle and distance as the reference. The whole display shows top to bottom, with products facing the camera.
Bad photo
A different angle or a partial view, so the reviewer cannot compare it with the reference.
Suggested points: 3
B2. Promotion and price signs show the current offer and dates.
Photo to take: One close-up where the text is readable, plus one wide photo that shows where the sign sits.
Good photo
Text is sharp and readable, shot straight on, with no glare on the sign holder.
Bad photo
Blurry or angled text, or glare on a plastic holder that hides the price.
Suggested points: 2
B3. The display is full. No gaps, empty hooks or empty shelf space.
Photo to take: The whole display, during opening hours.
Good photo
Taken during opening hours with the whole display in the frame, so any gap would show.
Bad photo
Cropped tight around the full part of the display, so gaps outside the frame stay hidden.
Suggested points: 2
C. Shelves, walls and product placement
C1. Products sit in the agreed place and order (by category, brand, color or size, as your standard says).
Photo to take: One photo per wall section or shelf bay, straight on, from the top shelf to the bottom shelf.
Good photo
One full bay per photo, level, with the top and bottom shelf visible. Products are clear when you zoom in.
Bad photo
Several bays in one distant photo, or the top or bottom shelf cut off.
Suggested points: 3
C2. Products are faced, folded or hung to the standard: fronts forward, neat, nothing on the floor.
Photo to take: The same bay photos. Add a closer photo if the detail is small.
Good photo
Close enough that folds, hangers and product fronts are clear.
Bad photo
So far away that you can see colors but not how products are presented.
Suggested points: 2
C3. Every product has a price tag or shelf label, and labels line up with the products above them.
Photo to take: A close-up along one shelf edge.
Good photo
A run of labels is readable in one frame, with the products above them in view.
Bad photo
Taken from too far away, or with flash glare on the label strip.
Suggested points: 2
C4. No damaged, dirty or out-of-place products are on display.
Photo to take: Use the bay photos. Add a close-up of any problem you find.
Good photo
The problem product is in focus and you can see where it sits on the shelf.
Bad photo
Only a close-up of the product, with no way to tell which display it was on.
Suggested points: 1
D. In-store communication and POS material
D1. Every required POS piece (posters, hangers, shelf strips, standees) is up and in its defined place.
Photo to take: A wide photo that shows the piece and what is around it.
Good photo
The piece and its surroundings are in the frame, so the reviewer can confirm the location.
Bad photo
A tight close-up of the poster, so you cannot tell where it hangs.
Suggested points: 3
D2. No expired, damaged or unapproved material is up (old campaigns, handwritten signs your standard does not allow).
Photo to take: Wide photos of each area that has communication material.
Good photo
The whole area is visible, so old material would show.
Bad photo
Photos of the new material only, which hide what else is still up.
Suggested points: 2
D3. Digital screens are on and show current content.
Photo to take: The whole screen, straight on.
Good photo
The screen is on, the content is readable and there is no glare.
Bad photo
A dark or half-changed screen because the photo caught a transition. Take a second photo a few seconds later.
Suggested points: 1
E. Checkout area
E1. The checkout area is clean and clear, and any required impulse or promotion items are in place.
Photo to take: From the customer side: the whole counter.
Good photo
The whole counter as a customer sees it, including what sits on and around it.
Bad photo
Taken from behind the counter, so it shows the staff side.
Suggested points: 2
E2. Required counter material (campaign card, payment or loyalty signs) is present.
Photo to take: Close enough to read, plus the wide counter photo above.
Good photo
The material is readable and its place on the counter is clear.
Bad photo
The material is hidden behind the payment terminal or is out of the frame.
Suggested points: 1
F. Store condition
F1. Floors, fixtures and fitting areas are clean.
Photo to take: Two overview photos: one from the front of the store, one from the back.
Good photo
Two wide photos with the lights on and the aisles visible end to end.
Bad photo
One dark photo, or photos that only show a corner.
Suggested points: 2
F2. All lights work, especially over displays.
Photo to take: Use the overview photos. Add a photo of any light that is out.
Good photo
The light that is out is visible together with the display it should light.
Bad photo
A photo of the ceiling only, so you cannot tell which display is affected.
Suggested points: 1
F3. Aisles and walkways are free of stock boxes and ladders during opening hours.
Photo to take: Use the overview photos.
Good photo
Taken during opening hours, at a customer's eye level.
Bad photo
Taken before opening, when boxes on the floor are expected.
Suggested points: 1
How to score a store audit
Mark each check Yes or No. Yes earns the check's points. No earns 0. Leave a check blank if you could not review it, for example when the area was closed, and it does not count either way. The score is the points earned divided by the points available for the checks you answered.
Example: a store answers checks worth 30 points and earns 24. Its score is 24 / 30 = 80%. Compare areas as well as totals. A store can score well overall and still miss the one display that matters this month.
Run this checklist with photo proof
A printed checklist tells you what one person saw on one visit. If you want every store to prove the same standard with photos, the same structure works in Retailens:
- Each area becomes a touchpoint, with a reference photo and written requirements.
- With scoring turned on, each check becomes a scoring criterion with points.
- Store teams upload the photos online from their phone or computer. Drafts are saved, so they can stop and come back.
- A reviewer marks each criterion Complies or Does not comply, and a person sets the official grade with a heart.
- Each customer can turn on AI pre-score, touchpoint by touchpoint. It checks each photo against the reference photo and written requirements before a person reviews it. Each customer can also turn on video proof, so stores add a short clip next to their photos.
- Each store gets a PDF report once its review is complete. With scoring turned on, admins download one Excel scoring report per campaign for your scoring region.
Book a demo. We look at your stores and campaigns, show grading and reports, and answer your questions.
When a spreadsheet is enough
Keep the spreadsheet if one person checks a handful of stores and looks at every photo personally. A tool starts to pay off when many stores must prove the same standard at the same time, the photos come from the stores themselves, and you need one place to review, comment on and compare stores. If you need offline capture, order taking or SKU image recognition, see Compare retail execution tools.