Kellogg Sales
Business Challenge
The Kellogg Target Sales Team was responsible for managing increasing amounts of demand data which reduced the time the team had to spend analyzing the data and recommending strategies to maximize sales. The team needed a resource to increase both their effi ciency and eff ectiveness.
Solution
A fast and e ffective demand intelligence solution that improves retail team effi ciencies by importing and processing demand data, providing one-click customizable dashboards for comprehensive historical data analysis, and generating concise, fact-based, easy-to-understand reports for supplier audiences.
Business Benefits
• Improve team efficiencies by reducing data extraction time
• Provide C-level executives and buyers with easy-to-understand strategic reports every Monday morning that serve as the basis for the week's strategies
• Track and assess promotional event performance
• Optimize promotional forecasts
• Reduce out-of-stocks
• Tailor promotional events to demographic and regional demand preferences
• Establish effective communication with retailer that builds sales volume
In implementing SOLYS, the Kellogg Target Sales team sought to spend less time retrieving data and more time analyzing it. Ryan Truesdale, Target Sales member for Kellogg, notes, "SOLYS has absolutely saved us time. It has accelerated our understanding and made it simpler to identify insights."
The Kellogg Target Sales Team has utilized SOLYS to identify in-stock issues. The Lost Sales Report is shared with the Target buyer to illustrate where sales are falling short and to determine what steps can be taken to improve upcoming promotions. For example, using the Lost Sales Report the Target Sales Team has demonstrated that out-of-stocks have sometimes undermined the promotional performance of a hot price point featured in a front cover ad. The buyer has then readjusted promotional forecasts accordingly. Internally, the SOLYS reports have helped the team improve the accuracy of demand projections, product orders and in-stock levels.
Visualizing Opportunities
The Kellogg Target Sales Team has also increased its efficiencies with the SOLYS Item Synopsis report. In minutes, this report provides item detail perspective that previously took the Sales Team hours to pull from InfoRetriever. The report has also helped the Sales Team identify opportunities to customize coupons, promotions, displays and upsales based on item performance in specific regions.
SOLYS has helped improve internal communication and executive level visibility as well. SOLYS' Executive Overview gathers data critical to the C-level on a weekly basis and has made it easier for the Sales Team to communicate what the key business drivers are.
Ultimately, because SOLYS processes and formats demand data into customizable reports, the greater team e fficiencies have granted the Sales Team the time they need to strategically analyze demand data. Further, it has provided the Sales Team with an effective communication tool that demonstrates in-depth analysis to the executive level and buyer. With this analysis the team can best optimize inventory levels, promotions, price points and in-stock levels to grow sales volume.
