CPG 101: What XAOC Means and Why It Matters for CPG Brands
Bedrock Key Takeaways
- TL US XAOC is a Nielsen geography used to summarize data from total multi-channel markets.
- TL US XAOC provides a big picture overview of national sales trends and market sizes that is invaluable to CPG retailers and manufacturers.
- Nielsen also includes exclusive access to extremely important retailers — such as Whole Foods — that is not available from other syndicated providers.
Your First Data Purchase should include TL US XAOC (Nielsen) or TL US MULO (IRI/SPINS)
The modern CPG industry is powered not just by sales, but also by data. With the right data at their disposal, brands can discover hidden opportunities and analyze trends. That’s why syndicated data providers who aggregate retail data play such an essential role for CPG brands. For proof, one need look no further than the total Nielsen market channel XAOC, which helps make sense of sales trends on a national scale. So what does XAOC mean, and how can it benefit your brand? Let’s take a closer look.
What XAOC means
Total US XAOC is a geography used by the syndicated data provider Nielsen to summarize multi-channel markets. It aggregates all national cross-outlet market data from the following channels:
- Food/Grocery
- Drug
- Mass Merchandisers
- Walmart
- Club Stores
- Dollar Stores
- Military DECA.
The term XAOC itself stands for “eXtended All Outlet Combined.” It is one of three Nielsen channels: the others are AOC, which only covers Food/Grocery, Drug and Mass Merchandiser products; and the aptly-named XAOC including Convenience channel.
Why XAOC was established
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, syndicated data was not as widely available as it is today. Back then the largest available national market data sources took the form of channels like AOC, but excluded data from Walmart. Manufacturers and retailers working outside of these channels had to find alternative sources to understand the trends occurring in places like Club Stores and Dollar Stores.
In 2012, everything changed when Walmart opened access to its POS data. Syndicated data providers like Nielsen gained a wealth of information that delivers a more comprehensive picture of national retail markets. As providers expanded their POS data offerings with channels like XAOC, technological advancements to scanner data quality helped analysts create far more granular reports. Since then, more retailers have shared their scan data with Nielsen and others.
As a result, the CPG industry became far more data-driven. Manufacturers could understand their sales performance with a far higher degree of accuracy than ever before and give insight-based assortment, pricing, promotion and distribution recommendations to their retail partners. Perhaps most importantly, startups with limited resources could locate and target distribution voids left neglected for decades.
Why XAOC is vital for the CPG industry
XAOC is just one multi-market channel available to CPG businesses, but it’s a significant one. With this access, retailers and manufacturers gain raw data that offers a big picture of national sales trends. If a specific category starts earning more dollars or market sizes begin to change, XAOC is where analysts will see it unfold.
On top of these benefits, Nielsen includes exclusive retail data in its AOC and XAOC channels that are not available from other providers, including POS data from:
- Whole Foods
- Smart & Final
- Byerlys / Lunds
- Kinney Drugs
- Dollar General
- Family Fred’s
- PetSmart
- Petsense
- Other Key Pet Channel Retailers.
What Bedrock can do with XAOC data
XAOC serves as the market benchmark that you will use to compare your performance against. If you are beating the national average, you’ll use that point in your sales pitch. Traditionally, CPG analysts will convert this information into something useful and actionable. Unfortunately, this output often takes the form of regular reports and sales presentations — not always the best use of an analyst’s time.
At Bedrock Analytics, we believe CPG brands are best served when analysts spend more time on strategic initiatives and less time on reports. To that end, our visualization platform automatically converts XAOC data into compelling sales stories that transparently represent where your brand fits across today’s market. If you’re new to syndicated and retail data, Bedrock can help you make the most of XAOC today – ask us how.
If you want to learn more about the ways Bedrock can help you, watch the product tour above and then book a demo with us today!
