The MOART Vendor Sentiment Index (VSI) is the quarterly survey of consumer goods brands measuring confidence across 18 major North American retailers and 12 product categories. This page archives every VSI edition with methodology, historical readings, and analytical takeaways.
The VSI tracks four operational dimensions across the vendor base: gross margin compression vs prior period, chargeback exposure as percentage of invoice value, retail media ROI per dollar deployed, and OTIF compliance rate. The composite index reads on a 0-100 scale where 50 represents neutral conditions, sub-50 signals contraction, and 60+ signals expansion.
The Q2 2026 VSI reads 47.3, the first sub-50 print in six quarters of MOART tracking. Read the full edition: Vendor Sentiment Index Q2 2026.
Headline findings:
The VSI is built from quarterly surveys of 200+ consumer goods brand respondents who sell at one or more of the 18 tracked retailers. Respondents represent brands ranging from emerging DTC to billion-dollar CPG. Survey responses are weighted by retailer revenue contribution and category mix to produce the composite index. MOART validates aggregate findings against retailer-level operational data from our own program work.
The 18 retailers in the VSI panel: Walmart, Target, Costco, Sephora, Kroger, Home Depot, Lowe's, TJX (TJ Maxx/Marshalls/HomeGoods), Sam's Club, Best Buy, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Ulta, Bluemercury, Wayfair, REI, Anthropologie, and Tractor Supply.
The 12 categories: beauty and personal care, food and beverage, supplements and wellness, consumer electronics, home and kitchen, baby care, pet care, apparel and accessories, footwear, sporting goods, hardware and tools, and outdoor and garden.
Cross-border brands entering North American retail face structural disadvantages without aggregate vendor data. The VSI gives international brand operators visibility into what their North American peers are experiencing at retailer relationships — useful for budgeting, negotiation positioning, and category-specific strategy.
MOART uses VSI data to benchmark our client programs against the broader vendor base. When a MOART client at Walmart is hitting 96 percent OTIF and the VSI shows the median is 89 percent, that is competitive intelligence. When a MOART client's Costco roadshow generates 3x VSI median sell-through, that is replicable methodology.
VSI findings frequently connect to MOART's deeper operational playbooks:
Q3 2026 VSI publishes late August 2026. To receive future VSI editions, subscribe to MOART updates at moartgrp.com/contact or follow MOART on LinkedIn.
