The monthly outlook survey in the retail trade and automobile trade and repairs is part of the harmonised European Union programme of business and consumer surveys to which the 27 Member States of the European Union contribute.

As such, the questionnaires, classifications and processing methods are largely harmonised in the national institutes of the countries belonging to the system.

The wording of the questions is designed in such a way as to facilitate quick answers (most of the questions are qualitative with three possible answers in the form "up, down, same", or "higher than normal, normal, lower than normal").