ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Catalina Information Resources has launched a reporting service designed to track the early performance of new products and line extensions. The service, called New Product FastTrac, is designed to enable manufacturers to track performance within 48 hours in over 1,200 stores. The service is a series of reports that help marketers identify key factors affecting new product performance: volume, sales, price, distribution and purchase incidence. Other information includes comparisons of new vs. benchmark products, gap analysis and trends. Manufacturers using the service receive three reports each week for 13 weeks, 48 hours after the data are last collected. Data are monitored in 10 retail accounts spanning over 1,200 stores in southern and northern California, Chicago and New York. CIR said that users benefit from the quick turnaround of the information because it allows them to take early action if a product is off course and to replicate successes in other markets.
