About
We are here to help regional grocers compete.
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Every year a few more independent and regional grocers get absorbed by Kroger, ACI, or Ahold Delhaize or simply fade away. Scale drives prices lower and smaller retailers have struggled to respond — many moved upmarket to differentiate, which only made their price perceptions worse. We are headed toward a market dominated by seven or eight grocery conglomerates.
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derivzero exists to slow that process. To give independent and mid-size retailers the tools, intelligence, and strategic clarity to stay competitive — and stay independent.​
Eric Karlson created the Retail Preference Index (RPI) — the grocery industry's definitive measure of why shoppers choose one retailer over another. He spent 13 years in grocery retail as a data scientist, client lead, retail strategist, and retail economist — including building the retail strategy team at dunnhumby and leading engagements that helped regional retailers reconnect with their shoppers.
He has completed demand-side forecasts, helped retailers set budgets, led large-scale analytics for pricing and assortment, and worked across grocery, automotive, and utilities applying the same core discipline — understanding what drives customer behavior and connecting it directly to financial performance.
Eric built derivzero and the Grocery Market Navigator after watching retailers make high-stakes decisions with inadequate tools and processes. He built the solution to fill that void.