What Is Product Visibility? A CPG Guide to Successful Store Launches

Research suggests that over 85% of newly launched CPG products are off the shelf within two years. A key reason behind this failure is poor product visibility at the point of sale. This challenge is more severe in crowded retail environments where limited shelf space and poor execution reduce product visibility at the point of sale. 

Product visibility relates to how prominently and reliably a product appears on retail shelves, across both regular facings and promotional displays. It directly influences trial rates, shopper recall, and initial sales velocity.

This blog outlines five critical steps CPG brands can take to improve visibility during a new product launch. It also highlights how real-time shelf data can help track and maintain execution at scale, protecting launch investments from being lost in-store.

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Key Takeaways

• Product visibility refers to how well a product is visible and positioned on the shelf, directly influencing shopper decisions.
• In-store visibility is crucial for new product launches, as it significantly impacts sales, trial rates, and long-term distribution success.
• Effective strategies include aligning internal teams, ensuring planogram compliance, and utilizing AI to track shelf presence in real-time.
• ParallelDots’ ShelfWatch provides the visual data CPG teams need to maintain strong visibility throughout a new product rollout.

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What is Product Visibility?

Product visibility refers to how clearly and consistently a product is displayed at the point of sale. It encompasses multiple retail execution elements, including shelf placement, number of facings, positioning at eye level, the presence of POSMs, and the use of promotional signage. Together, these factors influence whether a shopper notices the product during their store visit.

On-shelf visibility becomes a strategic necessity for new product launches. Shoppers encountering a product for the first time typically have no prior familiarity or brand loyalty. Given that over 70% of purchase decisions are made in-store and at the Point of Sale, visibility becomes the key enabler of trial. Even the best product, with strong branding, pricing, and advertising, can fail if it is poorly positioned or simply not seen by shoppers on the shelf.

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Why Does Product Visibility Matter?

Below are the key reasons why product visibility is crucial for CPG brands launching new products:

1. Drives Product Trial

High visibility increases the likelihood of spontaneous product discovery. When a new SKU is clearly displayed, especially in high-traffic zones or eye-level shelves, shoppers are more likely to notice it and make an impulse purchase. This is particularly important in competitive categories where the shopper’s attention is fragmented across dozens of options.

2. Accelerates Brand Awareness

Prominent placement reinforces brand recognition. For emerging or line-extension products, being consistently visible across multiple stores helps build mental availability, ensuring shoppers begin to associate the product with its category. This foundation is crucial in the early stages of a product's lifecycle, when awareness is still being established.

3. Improves Sales Velocity

Better visibility often translates to stronger on-shelf performance. Increased trial and awareness lead to faster sell-through, which in turn strengthens your product’s case with retailers. Strong sales velocity in the initial weeks post-launch is often a deciding factor in whether a new product retains its shelf space in future planogram resets.

4. Supports Long-Term Distribution

Retailers are more likely to continue stocking a new product if it demonstrates consistent movement. Visibility ensures the product has a fair opportunity to perform. Without it, even a well-conceived product might appear underwhelming in terms of sales, leading to early delisting.

5. Protects Launch Investment

CPG brands invest significantly in launching new SKUs across R&D, packaging, trade promotions, and marketing. Visibility ensures that this investment reaches the shopper. A strong product offering can be rendered invisible without effective retail execution, resulting in a missed return on investment.

Visibility does not merely focus on shelf presence. It also helps maximize the chances of conversion in the final mile of the shopper's journey. Without visibility, new products struggle to perform, even when demand exists. For CPG brands seeking a successful launch, ensuring strong product visibility across retail locations is crucial.

Also Read: What is Share of Shelf? Why CPG Brands Must Measure it?

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How Can CPG Brands Improve Product Visibility at Launch?

New product launches demand more than strong marketing and distribution. In-store execution must be precise, timely, and aligned with launch plans. Even a well-placed SKU can underperform if it's not consistently visible across locations. 

CPG teams need to follow a structured, data-driven approach to visibility to stand out on crowded shelves and capture early shopper attention. The following steps outline how brands can do just that effectively and at scale:

Step 1: Secure Optimal Shelf Space Through Retailer Collaboration

Retailers decide where and how your new product appears in-store. Effective collaboration can help your product win premium shelf space at launch.

To increase the chances of success:

• Utilize Data: Utilize past performance and category insights to inform shelf placement and determine the optimal number of facings.
• Negotiate Presence: Seek eye-level placements or endcap displays that boost visibility and shopper interest.
• Align Incentives: Structure trade promotions or retailer-specific support that ensures strong launch compliance.

Collaborating early with retailers ensures your product receives the space and visibility it needs to perform effectively.

Step 2: Ensure Planogram Compliance at the Shelf

Even the best-laid launch plans can fall apart without in-store execution. Many CPGs face gaps between the agreed-upon planograms and actual store-level implementations.

To maintain compliance:

• Track at Scale: Use image recognition tools to verify shelf placement and facing count across store networks.
• Correct Quickly: Identify non-compliant stores and resolve issues rapidly to avoid sales dips.
• Audit Regularly: Perform compliance checks during the first few weeks post-launch to sustain visibility.

Planogram compliance directly impacts how well shoppers can see and choose your new product.

Step 3: Monitor On-shelf Availability in Real-Time

New product visibility means nothing if the product isn’t available on the shelf. Out-of-stocks are one of the biggest threats during launch windows.

Key practices include:

• Set OSA Targets: Define minimum acceptable on-shelf availability rates and monitor daily during the launch phase.
• Use AI to Detect Stockouts: Real-time image-based tracking helps brands spot empty shelves faster than traditional audits.
• Prioritize Restocking: Identify which SKUs or regions need urgent action and coordinate with field teams or distributors.

Ensuring products are in stock and visible is critical in the early days of a launch, when trial rates are highest.

Step 4: Evaluate Share of Shelf vs. Competition

During launch, your product is competing for attention with familiar brands. A strong share of shelf space can give your new item a fighting chance.

Here's how to evaluate and act:

• Quantify Your Share: Track how much space your new product occupies versus key competitors.
• Identify Visibility Gaps: Spot underrepresented stores or regions and address low visibility with field activation.
• Push for Parity: If competitors dominate shelf space, use real-time data to renegotiate presence with retailers.

Maintaining competitive shelf share ensures your product doesn't get lost among established brands.

Step 5: Drive Promotional Compliance Across Stores

Promotions are often part of new product launch plans, but their success depends on store-level execution. Inconsistent displays or missing signage can waste valuable investment.

Best practices:

• Track POSM Placement: Monitor whether promotional materials like shelf-talkers and signage are correctly deployed.
• Audit Price Tags: Ensure launch pricing is accurate and visible across all partner stores.
• Monitor Execution Metrics: Use tools to measure compliance rates, not just campaign duration.

Promotional execution must be tracked, not assumed. Every missed display reduces visibility and impact.

Step 6: Make Use of Real-Time Shelf Tracking Tools

Manual store checks are slow and incomplete. CPG brands require real-time data, powered by AI, to maintain visibility across extensive retail networks.

Benefits of shelf tracking tools:

• Visual Proof: Image recognition confirms product presence, placement, and compliance.
• Coverage at Scale: Monitor thousands of stores quickly and accurately.
• Data-driven Actions: Insights help brand teams make quick decisions to correct execution gaps.

Without visibility into execution, you can’t control or improve it. That’s why AI-powered shelf tracking is essential for modern product launches.

Improving product visibility at launch requires distribution and demands control, consistency, and speed at the shelf. With the right visibility levers in place, CPG teams can protect launch investments and drive early performance.

Also Read: Boosting Store Sales by Improving On-Shelf Visibility - A Complete Guide

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How Does ParallelDots Help CPGs Improve New Product Visibility?

ParallelDots provides AI-powered solutions that help CPG brands gain complete visibility into how their new product launches are executed in-store. ParallelDots’ ShelfWatch uses real-time image recognition technology to capture shelf-level data. This data equips sales and marketing teams with actionable insights to ensure new SKUs are placed correctly, stocked adequately, and promoted effectively across all target locations.

Here’s how ParallelDots supports CPGs in improving in-store visibility during new product launches:

• Real-Time On-Shelf Availability Monitoring: ShelfWatch enables CPGs to track the consistent availability of new products on shelves. This reduces lost sales due to early stockouts, a common risk when launching new SKUs in highly competitive categories.
• Planogram Compliance for New Launches: ParallelDots verifies whether newly launched SKUs are placed according to the agreed-upon planogram. This ensures that priority placements (such as eye-level or category-leading sections) are correctly followed across outlets.
• Share of Shelf Tracking: Brands can monitor the shelf share of their newly launched products in comparison to direct competitors. This insight is critical for understanding whether launch visibility targets are being met at the store level.
• Promotion Execution Accuracy: ShelfWatch captures whether in-store promotional materials (POSMs, endcaps, signage) for new launches are present and implemented correctly, ensuring consistent messaging and visibility across markets.
• Store-Level Execution Insights: The platform provides store-specific compliance scores and visual proof, enabling field and sales teams to take targeted corrective actions during launch weeks when execution momentum is most crucial.
• Scalable Deployment Across Store Formats: Whether the launch spans 100 or 5,000 stores, ParallelDots ensures accurate coverage through scalable AI deployment across both modern trade and general trade environments.

Case Study: 25% OSA Boost for a New Launch in General Trade

A global cleaning products brand partnered with ParallelDots to improve launch visibility across 5,000+ general trade outlets. Facing challenges such as inaccurate self-reporting, limited competition tracking, and inconsistent execution, the brand implemented ShelfWatch to digitize its retail audits.

Results in just 3 months:

• 25% improvement in on-shelf availability
• AI-enabled tracking of over 100+ SKUs
• Increased merchandiser accountability using leaderboards and attendance tools
• Real-time feedback loops that accelerated launch corrections

This successful deployment shows how ParallelDots ensures every launch hits the shelf with precision and stays there.

These capabilities make ParallelDots’ ShelfWatch an essential partner for CPG brands aiming to maximize in-store visibility, accelerate product trial, and support launch-driven sales growth.

Also Read: Perfect Store Execution: Setting New Standards To Win At The Retail Shelves

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Conclusion

In the high-stakes world of CPG new product launches, visibility can make or break success. No matter how innovative your product is or how compelling the marketing, it won’t drive sales unless shoppers can see it clearly, consistently, and where it matters most.

Improving in-store visibility is about intelligence. By combining strategic planning with real-time shelf tracking, brands can close the gap between launch expectations and retail reality.

Whether it's securing prime shelf space, maintaining stock levels, or ensuring flawless point-of-sale material (POSM) deployment, ParallelDots empowers CPG teams to take control of every aspect of in-store execution. 

With AI-driven insights from ShelfWatch, you can maximize your product’s presence from day one and protect your launch investment at scale.

Ready to see how ShelfWatch can improve visibility for your next launch? Book a demo with ParallelDots today.

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