TL;DR — A photo of a shelf tells you what it looked like at one instant; a short video walking the display tells you how it actually sits in context — spacing, neighbouring products, signage condition. A simple filming brief and a shared submission link turn scattered rep reports into something head office can review consistently.
- Video captures shelf context a still photo misses: spacing, sightlines, nearby competitor displays.
- A short filming brief keeps submissions consistent across reps and locations.
- One shared link per visit makes the audit trail easy to review centrally.
- Review and flag issues the same day the visit happens, not at the end of the week.
On this page
Why video adds something a photo doesn't
A still photo of a shelf is useful but narrow — it shows one angle at one moment, chosen by whoever took it, which means it can flatter a display that looks worse from a shopper's actual eye line. A short video walking the length of a display, taken at roughly shopper height, shows spacing, sightlines, and what sits next to the product in a way a single frame can't, which matters most when the question is whether the planogram was actually followed, not just whether product is present.
A filming brief that keeps submissions consistent
Give reps a short, repeatable brief rather than leaving the shot to individual judgement. Something like: start at the end of the display and pan slowly across at eye level, hold for two seconds on any pricing or promotional signage, and narrate out loud anything unusual (out of stock, damaged packaging, incorrect placement) as you go. Consistency across reps and stores is what makes the footage comparable later.
The audit workflow, step by step
- 1. Rep arrives at the location and opens the submission link for that store or route.
- 2. Rep films the shelf walk-through following the standard brief, narrating issues as they go.
- 3. Rep submits the clip along with any quick notes before leaving the store.
- 4. Clip lands in a central queue, tagged by location and visit date.
- 5. Head office or the account manager reviews submissions the same day, flagging anything needing follow-up.
- 6. Flagged issues go back to the rep or the store contact for correction before the next visit.
What to look for during review
| Check | What a video shows that a report alone might not |
|---|---|
| Planogram compliance | Actual spacing and adjacency, not just a count of facings |
| Signage condition | Whether pricing or promo signage is intact and legible in context |
| Competitor presence | What's immediately next to the product on the shelf |
| Stock condition | Damaged or disordered packaging visible on a slow pan |
Why same-day review matters
A shelf issue flagged the same day can often be corrected before the next customer walks past it; one reviewed a week later as part of a batch report usually can't be. Reviewing submissions as they arrive, rather than waiting for a weekly roll-up, is the main difference between a video audit trail that actually drives fixes and one that's purely a record for later.
How to do this in Whoosh
Give each route or region its own submission link so reps always use the right one for their stores. Reps film and submit from their phone browser at the shelf, no separate app to manage, and clips arrive tagged by location so a manager can review a whole route's visits in one sitting rather than hunting through a shared drive.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
Do reps need a special app to submit shelf videos?
No — the submission link opens a recording page in the phone browser, so there's nothing extra to install on a rep's device.
How long should a shelf check video be?
Thirty to sixty seconds is usually enough for a single display; longer only if the location has multiple sections to cover.
Can a store manager submit alongside the field rep?
Yes — some teams use the same link for both, which is useful for cross-checking or for locations the field rep can't visit as often.
How do we keep footage organised across many locations?
Tag submissions by location and date at the point of submission rather than sorting them afterwards; the review step above assumes this is already in place.