What is ACV?
ACV (All Commodity Volume) · Also called all commodity volume, ACV distribution, % ACV, ACV weighted distribution
ACV distribution is the share of total store sales in a defined market that comes from stores carrying your product. It weights distribution by store sales instead of counting every store equally.
What it is
ACV stands for All Commodity Volume, the total sales of a store across everything it sells. When brands say “our ACV,” they usually mean % ACV distribution: the stores that carry your item, weighted by their total sales, as a share of all store sales in the market.
It is not your brand’s sales share, and it is not the percentage of stores that carry you. Ten large, busy supermarkets can add up to more ACV than a hundred small independents.
Every ACV number belongs to a specific geography, channel, time period and data source. Each data source sets its own rule for when a store counts as “carrying” an item, and a listing does not guarantee the product was on the shelf every day. Check all four before you compare two figures.
Why it matters
ACV is the clearest way to show reach. It tells a buyer or investor how much of the market can actually find your product.
Pair it with per-SKU sales velocity to read your growth correctly. If sales rise while velocity stays flat, new distribution is probably doing the work, not stronger demand in existing stores.
Before you take on new doors, estimate the inventory, launch support and cash they will need. More distribution helps only if you can supply it and keep demand going.
Formula
% ACV distribution = Total store sales in carrying stores ÷ Total store sales in the measured market × 100
Use all-commodity store sales, not category sales. Distribution weighted by category sales is a different measure, often called PCV.
Worked example
Same store count, different ACV
- A market has $1,000,000 in total store sales.
- Brand A is in 10 stores that account for $300,000 of those sales: $300,000 ÷ $1,000,000 = 30% ACV.
- Brand B is in 10 smaller stores that account for $100,000: $100,000 ÷ $1,000,000 = 10% ACV.
- The store counts match, but the weighted distribution does not. That does not mean Brand A has three times as many shoppers.
Common mistakes
- Quoting a store count as if it were ACV. Buyers know the difference.
- Comparing ACV figures from different channels, geographies, periods or data sources as if they measured the same thing.
- Using category sales in place of total store sales, which gives you a different measure.
- Reading sales growth without checking ACV. Growth that comes only from new distribution can hide an item that is slowing down store by store.
Common questions
- Is 50% ACV good?
- There is no universal target. Judge the figure against your category, your stage, your geographic goals and the market it measures. A regional brand can have strong regional ACV and low national ACV at the same time.