Retailers rarely hand over perfect panels. We start by aligning on what “repeat” means for each category — same SKU within 21 days, or same brand family across channels — before touching any curve.
Once definitions are frozen, we layer known calendar shocks: Chuseok, summer beverage spikes, and school-opening windows. Those overlays keep teams from overfitting a mechanic to a holiday blip.
We document confidence bands whenever sample sizes dip below comfortable thresholds. That honesty slows some meetings down, but it prevents the wrong ladder from going national.
Finally, we leave you with a one-page “definition freeze” artifact so future hires do not quietly change the numerator six months later.