Overview
We are retiring the Retail Audit feature from Repsly. This update applies for any account currently with access to Retail Audit.
This article explains what is changing, when it is happening, and how Matrix Forms, Repsly's modern replacement, delivers a significantly better experience for your field team and the managers who rely on their data.
What is Changing
Retail Audit was a structured tool that allowed field representatives to answer product-related questions about items in a store. While it served teams well, field teams now evaluate products at the shelf differently, and Matrix Forms was built to meet that need more effectively.
Starting next week:
- The Retail Audit feature will no longer be accessible in your Repsly account.
- Any existing Retail Audit configurations will be decommissioned.
- Matrix Forms will be the designated feature for structured, multi-item, in-store product evaluations.
Turning off audits completely (not just stopping new templates or submissions) will remove them from the activity feed, exports, API, and other areas. It will also affect access to some historical data, and this data may be permanently deleted in the future. If you have questions about data retention, please contact Repsly Support at support@repsly.com.
Introducing Matrix Forms: A Better Way to Evaluate Products In-Store
Matrix Forms is a purpose-built feature that brings a grid-based data collection experience to your field team's store visits. Rather than answering questions about one product at a time in a linear form, reps can now evaluate multiple SKUs across multiple attributes simultaneously - all within a single, structured view.
How Matrix Forms Work
Matrix Forms operate on a simple but powerful grid model:
- Rows represent the items, SKUs, or categories your reps are evaluating (up to 25 per matrix block)
- Columns represent the questions your team needs to answer about each item (up to 10 per matrix block)
- Reps navigate the grid on their mobile device and input answers by tapping each cell. Swiping left-to-right moves through the full set of questions.
Web admins can include up to three Matrix questions on a single form, and each question can support Yes/No, Single Answer, Numeric, Photo, and Multiple select response types, covering the full range of shelf-level evaluation needs.
Built for the Realities of Field Work
Matrix Forms were designed with the field rep experience at the center. Key capabilities include:
- Reps can complete Matrix Forms without an internet connection. Responses sync automatically once connectivity is restored - no data is lost between stores.
- Fully supported on both iOS and Android, with a swipe-based interaction designed for fast, accurate in-store entry.
- Responses are organized in a clean grid format that makes back-office review, filtering, and analysis significantly more straightforward than unstructured form responses.
What You Can Do With Matrix Forms
Matrix Forms unlock a more efficient and insight-rich approach to in-store execution. Here is what your team gains with the transition:
Faster Store Visits
Evaluating a full product set no longer requires navigating through a long, sequential form. With Matrix Forms, reps assess all relevant SKUs in a single grid view, dramatically reducing the time spent on data entry and leaving more time for selling, restocking, and building retailer relationships.
Higher Data Accuracy
The structured grid format reduces the risk of skipped responses and inconsistent inputs. When every rep is working from the same column-and-row structure, the data coming back to the office is cleaner, more consistent, and ready for meaningful comparison across stores, territories, and time periods.
More Actionable Reporting
Because Matrix Forms organizes field responses into a consistent grid structure, managers and analysts can quickly identify patterns - which SKUs are consistently out-of-stock, which stores show repeated compliance failures, or where promotional placements are missing. The structured format also simplifies exports for deeper analysis.
Flexible for Any Evaluation Scenario
Matrix Forms are not limited to a single use case. Teams use them to streamline:
- On-shelf availability checks across an entire product line
- Planogram compliance verification by SKU and shelf position
- Promotional display audits across multiple products or locations in-store
- Competitor benchmarking with structured SKU-level comparisons
- New product launch tracking across multiple items simultaneously
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Retail Audit vs. Matrix Forms: Side-by-Side
| Capability | Retail Audit | Matrix Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Data collection format | Linear, question-by-question form | Structured grid — multiple items across multiple attributes at once |
| Rep experience in-store | Sequential inputs, repetitive per product | Swipe-based grid, complete many SKUs in one view |
| Question types supported | Short text, long text, Numeric, Yes/No, Selection | Yes/No, Single Answer, Numeric, Photo, Multiple Answer question types |
| Items per assessment | Unlimited, but single-threaded | Up to 25 row items × 10 column questions per matrix block |
| Platform availability | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Data structure | Flat form responses | Grid-organized, analysis-ready data structure |
| Multi-SKU execution | Manual repetition per SKU | Bulk entry across multiple SKUs in one view |
| Visibility rules / conditional display | Strong conditional logic | Supported within matrix context (row/column visibility rules) |
| Filtering during execution (mobile) | Limited | Enhanced filtering within Matrix (focus on subsets of SKUs) |
| Filtered exports | Limited / requires processing | Native filtered exports (e.g. by product, condition, tag) |
| Targeting by product lists | Not native (manual or form duplication) | Supported - targeting using product lists |
| Targeting by product tags | Not supported | Supported - dynamically include products via tags |
| Rep experience in-store | Sequential, slower for large audits | Fast, swipeable grid; optimized for shelf audits |
| Report filtering | Basic filtering (form-level) | Advanced filtering by product, attribute, tags |
| Report sharing | Standard sharing | Enhanced sharing with structured, filterable views |
| Data analysis readiness | Requires transformation | Immediately analysis-ready (tabular format) |
Getting Started With Matrix Forms
Matrix is available as part of the Grow, Scale, and Flex subscription plans. Customers on these packages have access to Matrix. For more information, visit the Knowledge Base section dedicated to Matrix Forms.
If Matrix is not included in your current subscription plan and you’d like to explore how Matrix can support your needs, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager.