Demand Intelligence · Brands and distributors
What shoppers typed vs what sold
RetailBI tells you what sold at the register. Demand Intelligence tells you what shoppers typed - including the searches that came back empty. Keep the Index. Add the ask. Demand Intelligence is not a RetailBI replacement.
Coriolis is not affiliated with Gearfire or RetailBI.
How is Demand Intelligence different from RetailBI? RetailBI (Gearfire) tells you what sold - guns that rang at the register or checked out online. Their monthly Index tracks new guns sold at the same stores as last year. Demand Intelligence (Betsy / Coriolis) tells you what people typed when they searched - including searches that came back empty. One is what sold. The other is what they asked for. Demand Intelligence is not a RetailBI replacement. We do not sell Gearfire's sales data. NICS background-check counts are not gun sales. If you only watch NICS or what sold, you still cannot see what people typed before anyone bought - so you guess on stock, production, sales calls, ads, and forecasts. Not 4473 software. Not NICS. Not your bound book.
Three numbers. Stop mixing them up.
Same three numbers as on FFLintel. Checks are not sales. Sold is not "asked for." An empty search is real demand that never rang the register.
| Number | What it is | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| NICS | FBI background-check counts | Gun sales |
| RetailBI Index | New guns sold last month at the same stores as last year | What people searched for |
| Search intent | What people searched for - including searches that came back empty | A sales report |
More detail: NICS vs firearm sales · RetailBI Firearm Sales Index.
What RetailBI measures
Fair, from their public pages: NICS mixes permits, used guns, transfers, multi-gun checks, and denials. So their Index - new guns sold at the same stores as last year - is a better read on sales than raw NICS. RetailBI rolls up what sold across their dealer network for brands. Useful for share, category, and inventory planning from real sales. We do not invent how many stores report to them. Read their public Index and RetailBI pages.
RetailBI remains the right tool for what sold at the register and same-store new-gun performance. Demand Intelligence is not a RetailBI replacement.
What Demand Intelligence measures
Demand is what people typed. Demand Intelligence pulls anonymized searches from GunSearchEngine, GunSearchAgent on dealer sites, and related search tools - including empty searches. Not a register. Not a same-store sales Index. Not 4473, NICS, or bound book.
Plans are public on Demand Intelligence (Insight / Growth / Platform - seats $49/user/mo, 1 Client Admin free). Coriolis builds Demand Intelligence for brands and distributors. Elsewhere we call the AI work AI Studio.
Betsy - our 2A AI
Betsy powers Demand Intelligence. She turns what people typed (and empty searches) into moves you can make - add a SKU, run another lot, call accounts, move ad spend. Coriolis builds that. We do not invent usage stats.
Demand Intelligence vs RetailBI
Side by side. Use both when you need what sold and what people typed.
| RetailBI (Gearfire) | Demand Intelligence (Betsy / Coriolis) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the numbers come from | Guns that sold at the register or online | What people typed and clicked - including empty searches |
| When you see it | After the sale | While they search |
| What "demand" means here | Units sold (their Index) | What they typed, including empties |
| How often it updates | Monthly Index | Ongoing in the portal and API |
| What it is not | Not a search tool for shoppers | Not a register or same-store sales Index |
Longer write-up: RetailBI vs Betsy on GunSearchEngine.
What "what sold" misses on Monday
Same jobs as on our OEM demand page. Empty searches and rising terms can show up before the monthly Index prints.
| Job | What sold asks | What they typed asks |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory | What sold last period at stores in their network? | What are people typing that is thin or empty in live stock? |
| Production | Which SKUs moved at the register? | Which calibers, loads, and models are getting asked for before the Index prints? |
| Sales | Who bought? | What are people searching that you can call accounts about before the monthly print? |
| Ads | Which ads matched what sold? | What words should product pages and ads use? |
| Forecast | Same-store new-gun trend | What people typed and empty searches the sale never saw |
Unmet demand: the empty search
Unmet = they searched, and nothing in stock matched. The Index cannot see a gun that was not on the shelf. Those searches also happen on the dealer site - GunSearchAgent writes them down. Brands who want the full market use Demand Intelligence.
Who this is for / not for
- For: brands and distributors who already watch what sold and still need to see what people typed - including empties.
- Not for: someone who only wants a monthly sales Index and will never change a SKU or an ad based on searches.
- Fair: RetailBI remains the right tool for what sold at the register. We are not asking you to drop it.
Questions we get
- How is Demand Intelligence different from RetailBI?
- RetailBI tells you what sold - guns that rang at the register or checked out online, including their monthly Index of new guns sold at the same stores as last year. Demand Intelligence tells you what people typed when they searched, including empty searches. One is what sold. The other is what they asked for.
- Is Demand Intelligence a RetailBI replacement?
- No. Keep the Index for what sold at the register. Add the ask for typed intent and empty searches. We do not sell Gearfire's sales data.
- I searched retailbi alternative — do I rip out sell-through?
- No. Searching "alternative" often means you want a second number, not to rip out what sold. Add Demand Intelligence beside what sold.
- Is Coriolis affiliated with Gearfire or RetailBI?
- No. We are not affiliated with Gearfire or RetailBI. We do not sell their sales data.
- Do you sell Gearfire's sales data?
- No. RetailBI sales data is theirs. Demand Intelligence is anonymized searches from GunSearchEngine, GunSearchAgent on dealer sites, and related search tools.
- Is this ATF / 4473 software?
- No. Not 4473 software. Not NICS. Not your bound book. Those stay with the systems licensed for them.
- How do I see guns and ammo people searched for but could not find?
- That is empty-search demand - they looked, nothing matched. Request a Demand Intelligence demo, or see Unmet Demand on the Demand Intelligence page. Dealer sites can also write empty searches down with GunSearchAgent.
- What should brands use instead of only NICS or what sold?
- Use three numbers and do not mix them up: NICS is checks, not sales. RetailBI Index is sold units at the same stores. Search intent is what people typed - including empties. Keep what sold. Add the ask.
Keep the Index. Add the ask.
Request a Demand Intelligence demo on the Coriolis form. See Unmet Demand on the product page. More on the three numbers: fflintel.com.