Nielsen Marketing Research’s Home Scan tracking service is now live and its first four weeks of data have just been gathered. The first Home Scan report will be available in late August or early September.

The 7,250 participating households across the country have been supplied by Nielsen with Telxon UPC hand-held scanning wands to track what products come into each household. Scanned grocery and drug purchases are transmitted to Nielsen at least once a week using a company supplied coupler that attaches to the mouthpiece of a phone. Clients can buy as much or as little from Home Scan at any time.