Glossary A–ZLetter S
Sales uplift measurement
Sales uplift measurement checks whether more of a product was sold during a campaign than would have been expected without it.
The additional sales are called the uplift. The basis is till data, meaning actual sales, not visits or impressions.
In retail, with screens at the shelf or in the checkout area, this kind of measurement is an obvious choice because advertising and tills are under one roof. An example: a manufacturer promotes a yoghurt for four weeks on screens in some of its stores. Afterwards, units sold in those stores are compared with similar stores without screen advertising and with the period before.
An increase on its own does not prove an effect. Price promotions, weather, public holidays, advertising in other media or empty shelves also influence sales. The measurement only becomes meaningful with a carefully chosen comparison group, a sufficiently long period and a disclosed method. When shown results, operators should ask what the comparison was, how many stores took part and whether other activities ran at the same time.