Channel check

Gathering evidence from the distribution chain: distributors, retailers, suppliers and customers.

Its purpose is to test a specific claim. A check that asks whether a new product is actually moving, or whether a price increase has held, produces something the filings can't.

Sampling is the whole difficulty. Six shops in one city is an anecdote. You'll be tempted to treat it as data because it was expensive to collect, and that's understandable, but it's still an anecdote.

Decide what would change your view before making the calls.