Overview
The CARS Measurement Framework is a standardized approach to evaluating performance on the Digital Shelf. It helps brands move from raw data to clear, actionable insights by organizing metrics into four essential pillars:
Content
Availability
Ratings & Reviews
Search
By using the CARS framework, brands can assess digital shelf health holistically, pinpoint root causes of underperformance, and drive consistent improvements across retailers.
The Four Pillars of CARS
Content
Strong content helps inform, inspire, and convert shoppers. This pillar evaluates the quality, accuracy, and completeness of product detail pages (PDPs).
Key Metrics:
Content completeness score
Image count and resolution
Enhanced content (A+ or rich media presence)
Title and bullet compliance
Use Case: Identify SKUs with missing or outdated content that may be negatively impacting conversion or search performance.
Availability
If a product isn’t in stock, it can’t be purchased. This pillar measures whether your products are buyable and consistently in stock.
Key Metrics:
In-stock rate
Out-of-stock duration
Buy box win rate (for hybrid or 3P scenarios)
Use Case: Surface high-priority SKUs with availability issues to resolve supply chain disruptions or ordering gaps.
Ratings & Reviews
Customer feedback directly impacts shopper trust and conversion. This pillar measures review coverage, sentiment, and recency.
Key Metrics:
Average star rating
Review count
% of SKUs meeting review threshold (e.g. 50+ reviews, 4.0+ stars)
Use Case: Identify SKUs that need a boost in reviews or have declining sentiment to inform product innovation or review generation efforts.
Search
Strong search performance ensures your products are discoverable where and when shoppers are searching.
Key Metrics:
Share of search (sponsored and organic)
Rank of key SKUs on priority keywords
Hero SKU presence in top 10 results
Use Case: Track whether your top products are winning visibility on high-intent keywords, and where to invest in retail media or SEO improvements.
How to use the CARS framework
Diagnose problems: Identify which area (content, availability, reviews, or search) is holding back performance
Drive accountability: Align cross-functional teams on shared metrics and focus areas
Track trends: Monitor performance improvements over time within each CARS pillar
Prioritize action: Focus resources on the KPIs with the greatest revenue upside
Best Practices
Conduct monthly CARS audits to identify gaps and trends
Use retailer-specific CARS dashboards (e.g., Amazon vs. Walmart) to tailor actions
Integrate CARS into your joint business planning and post-promotion analysis
Creating a CARS Scorecard in CommerceIQ
Within CommerceIQ, you can create a CARS-specific scorecard that aggregates your KPIs into the four CARS pillars: Content, Availability, Ratings & Reviews, and Search. This enables your team to monitor digital shelf performance holistically and take targeted action.
How to get started:
Confirm scope: Make sure digital shelf scorecards are in your CommerceIQ scope.
Partner with your CSM: Work with your Customer Success Manager to configure your CARS dashboard.
Define your metrics: Identify the list of measures you want to track and group them into the CARS buckets:
Content
Availability
Ratings & Reviews
Search
Submit your config file: Your CSM will help you build and finalize the scorecard configuration file.
CommerceIQ builds the scorecard: Once the setup is complete, your custom dashboard will be available in the platform.
Action the insights: Your team can then use the scorecard to identify gaps, prioritize actions, and track improvements over time.
This process ensures alignment on what matters most and provides a consistent way to measure digital shelf health across your business.