FREE TOOL · 2-MINUTE SELF-ASSESSMENT
The shelf stress test
The shelf finds every weakness in a product's math eventually. This two-minute test finds them first. Eight questions, scored against published industry benchmarks, entirely in your browser - nothing you answer is stored or sent anywhere.
WHERE THE SHELF WILL LOOK
Directional self-assessment from published industry ranges - not advice, and not the full analysis.
GET THE WEEKLY BRIEF
Practical CPG margin, pricing, and retail intelligence, once a week, with the math shown. Your grade rides along so we know what to cover next. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
You're on the list.
A letter grade is a napkin. CPG Canary runs the full workup.
Sixteen research agents against live shelf pricing, retailer 10-Ks, and a failure-pattern library, in about 15 minutes. And if the product is still an idea, Test Kitchen pressure-tests the concept before production money moves.
Start your 14-day free trialScored against published ranges: the ~35% gross-margin survival floor and 40-50% healthy range from the retail margins guide, the 20-30% private-label price gap from the private label guide, category velocity floors (~2-3 units per store per week in shelf-stable grocery, 5-7 in crowded refrigerated sets) from the velocity benchmarks guide, trade spend at 15-25% of gross sales from the trade-spend guide, conventional slotting of $250-$1,000 per SKU per store from the slotting guide, and the recurring patterns in why CPG products fail. Estimates, not advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the shelf stress test?
A free two-minute self-assessment for CPG food and beverage founders. Eight questions grade your product's retail readiness across margin, COGS accuracy, private-label exposure, differentiation, velocity, trade spend, authorization cash, and failure patterns, scored against published industry benchmarks. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing you answer is stored.
What do the grades mean?
A (14-16 of 16 points) means the fundamentals buyers actually check are in place. B (10-13) means survivable, with exposed flanks. C (6-9) means the shelf will find the gaps before you fix them. D (0-5) means the structural work should happen before the next purchase order. Every dimension is scored against a published range, like the ~35% margin survival floor, 15-25% trade spend, and category velocity floors.
Is this a real analysis?
No. It is a directional self-assessment from published benchmarks. The full CPG Canary analysis researches your actual product - live shelf pricing, retailer 10-Ks, and a failure-pattern library - in about 15 minutes.