Data Integration Strategy and
BI Solution for or Retail Giant
Introduction
A major retail FMCG brand with over 120 supermarket outlets faced difficulties managing data from various sources across multiple platforms, including sales, logistics, warehouses, inventory, products, and employee information. They wanted to first build a centralized data repository or warehouse to consolidate all their data from these different sources. This would enable them to streamline operations and support strategic decision-making, cost optimization, revenue growth, and workforce management at all levels.
Challenges
Data Fragmentation
The client’s data was scattered across various platforms, making it difficult to get a holistic view of their operations.
Performance Concerns
Direct API calls for data retrieval were impacting the performance of BI reports.
Synchronization Issues
Syncing data between BIZOM and SAP posed significant technical challenges due to differing data structures and constraints.
Complex Data Mapping
Overcoming the intricacies of mapping data between separate platforms with different structures required careful planning and execution.
Automation and Control
Ensuring seamless automation in integration pipelines, including managing environment variables, authentication, and dynamic pagination.
Cost Optimization
Balancing the need for comprehensive data integration with the imperative to minimize costs, particularly in Azure Data Factory activities.
Parallel Development
Developing Power BI dashboards concurrently with integration pipelines to meet client timelines and requirements.
Real-time Data Needs
The client required near real-time data updates to support agile decision-making in their retail scenarios.
Benefits
Our Approach in Detail
Reporting Capabilities
The Retail Analytics Integration solution developed by Innovatics featured a comprehensive suite of reports and dashboards, providing deep insights into various aspects of the client’s retail operations. These reports included:
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Reporting Summary
A high-level overview of key performance indicators, giving executives a quick snapshot of the business’s health. This summary included metrics such as total sales, average order value, and year-over-year growth.
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User Summary
Detailed analytics on individual user performance, allowing managers to track productivity, sales targets, and customer interactions for each team member.
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Call Summary
An analysis of customer service and sales calls, including metrics like call duration, resolution rates, and conversion rates. This helped in optimizing customer engagement strategies.
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Productivity / Covered and Ordered
This report compared the number of outlets covered by sales representatives against the number of orders placed, providing insights into sales team efficiency and market penetration.
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Category-wise Sales
A breakdown of sales performance across different product categories, enabling the client to identify top-performing categories and areas needing improvement.
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User-Wise Order vs. Fulfillment
This report compared the orders taken by each user against the actual fulfillment rates, helping to identify any bottlenecks in the order processing and delivery system.
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Sub-categories by Sales
A more granular view of sales performance, drilling down into sub-categories within each main product category. This allowed for more targeted inventory and marketing decisions.
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Variant-wise Sales
Detailed sales data for different variants within product lines, providing insights into consumer preferences and helping optimize the product mix.
These reports were integrated into user-friendly Power BI dashboards, allowing stakeholders at all levels to access relevant data easily. The dashboards featured interactive elements, enabling users to drill down into specific data points for more detailed analysis.
By incorporating these comprehensive reporting features, the Data Integration Solution not only consolidated data from various sources but also transformed it into actionable insights. This empowered the client to make data-driven decisions across various aspects of their retail operations, from inventory management to sales strategy and service optimization.
The ability to view data from multiple angles – user performance, product categories, order fulfillment, and more – provided a 360-degree view of the business. This holistic approach to Retail Industry Data Solutions significantly enhanced the client’s ability to respond to market trends, optimize operations, and drive growth in the competitive retail landscape.
Results in ROI (Estimated Numbers)
25%
reduction in data processing time
15%
increase in operational efficiency
20%
improvement in inventory accuracy
30%
faster decision-making process
Data Sources
Data Sources
Initial client consultation and requirement gathering
1.
Data source analysis and mapping
2.
Solution design and architecture planning
3.
Development of Azure-based pipeline
4.
Integration of data sources
5.
Testing and quality assurance
6.
Dashboard development and user acceptance testing
7.
Deployment and post-implementation support
8.
Integrations
Data Framework
We implemented a data framework that included:
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Data ingestion layer
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Data storage layer
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Data processing layer
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Data visualization layer
The heart of the solution was the Azure-based pipeline that seamlessly integrated data from multiple sources. This pipeline utilized Azure Data Factory for orchestration and Azure SQL Database for storage. The solution incorporated advanced data mapping techniques to reconcile differences between BIZOM and SAP data structures.
Real-time data synchronization was achieved through scheduled data extractions every 30 minutes. The Power BI dashboards were designed to provide intuitive visualizations of key performance indicators, enabling stakeholders at all levels to make data-driven decisions. The solution’s scalability allowed for easy addition of new data sources and outlets as the client’s business expanded.
This comprehensive Retail Industry Data Solution transformed the client’s ability to leverage their data assets, providing a competitive edge in the fast-paced retail sector.
Technology Stack & Softwares
