Every day, thousands of Ninja Van riders weave through streets and barangays nationwide. They know every corner shop, sari-sari store, and neighborhood grocery store on their routes.
But what if they could do more than move parcels? With an extensive network and a trained fleet of riders, they could also provide brands with real-time visibility into what is actually happening on store shelves-whether products are in stock, displayed correctly, or losing space to competitors.
This is the idea behind Ninja Van’s newest operational engine, Ninja FieldSight, an AI-powered, real-time retail intelligence solution. Combining Ninja Van’s delivery footprint with computer vision and analytics, FieldSight enables FMCG brands to monitor product availability, verify retail execution, and track competitor activity – without the high costs, heavy retainers, and long lag times of traditional market research agencies
Addressing the FMCG Blind Spot
High-priority retail doors and neighborhood stores account for a significant share of everyday consumer purchases. Yet, even across an FMCG brand’s most critical store locations, a blind spot persists: a lack of continuous, real-time visibility into what actually happens on the shelf between delivery runs. Out-of-stock products go unnoticed, promotional displays are improperly executed, or competitors gain shelf space, long before brands become aware.
‘The future of FMCG retail success is no longer just about making sure packages are being delivered to the stores. It’s also about understanding what happens on the shelf once they get there,’ says Danielle Hung, Head of Business Planning and Operations, Ninja Van.
Traditional field audits have long been used to bridge this gap, but they come with high overhead costs, prolonged recruitment, and tedious deployment cycles. Brands are left waiting during long report turnaround times, with no ability to view their data while still fresh. ‘Long data lead times deliver yesterday’s news weeks too late. By the time insights reach decision-makers, the information is often already outdated,’ Hung noted.
Reinforcing Delivery Network with Data
Instead of building a separate field force, Ninja Van leveraged something it already had: one of the country’s largest logistics networks. FieldSight builds on its B2C and B2B delivery infrastructure, with thousands of Ninja Van riders plying the roads daily.
As riders pass target retail touchpoints, FieldSight automatically prompts them to capture shelf images through a proprietary AI bot on their phones. Uploaded photos are instantly processed by Vision AI to validate that they are high-resolution, accurately labeled, and backed by geo-tagged, time-stamped visual proof.
‘We don’t send temporary auditors into unfamiliar streets,’ Hung added. ‘Our riders are already part of their neighborhood’s daily rhythm. That allows us to collect retail intelligence naturally as part of our existing operations’
Faster Insights, Deeper Reach, Real-Time Deployment
FieldSight gives FMCG brands strategic advantages in terms of speed, reach, accuracy, and flexibility, shifting retail strategy from reactive troubleshooting to proactive shelf management.
Because touchpoints are identified based on rider proximity and data is transmitted immediately, SKU availability can be confirmed in near real time. This replaces weeks-long report cycles with daily feedback loops, ensuring they can respond with timely corrective action. Through automated shelf-share measurement, live dashboards and interactive heat maps, brands can reduce stock-outs, improve on-shelf availability, protect promotional investments and respond more quickly to competitor activity.
While traditional audits provide market intelligence through slow, manual reporting cycles, FieldSight ensures ground-level data is accessible. Brands gain a real-time window to competitor pulse, including rival pricing, neighborhood promotions, and new product launches.
Moreover, every audit is backed by high-resolution, geo-tagged, and time-stamped visual verification, creating a reliable audit trail that confirms shelf placement and planogram compliance. Unlike manual self-reporting-where data can be altered, misattributed, or delayed-FieldSight is designed to eliminate human error, field fraud, and blind spots.
Whether conducting a rapid hyper-local spot check or a coordinated nationwide audit, FieldSight scales to business needs. Brands can launch customized campaigns across selected territories or simultaneously nationwide, with as little as 24 hours’ notice and no lengthy recruitment or deployment period.
Winning at the Counter: From Data to Brand Impact
By combining historical audit data with real-time shelf insights from FieldSight, brand managers can anticipate supply gaps and intervene before empty shelves compromise brand trust, erode customer loyalty, and drive shoppers to competitors.
True brand impact happens when products remain reliably within arm’s reach at the exact moment of purchase. FieldSight extends visibility beyond logistics, giving brands confidence not only that products have reached their destinations, but that they are present, visible, and retail-ready on store shelves.
Powered by its nationwide delivery network and advanced AI, Ninja Van is redefining operational excellence-transforming everyday deliveries into real-time retail intelligence that drives stronger execution and better business outcomes.
Your product left the warehouse. But is it actually on the shelf? FieldSight turns your delivery footprint into real-time retail intelligence as they happen.