Maven Northwind Traders Analysis

As a BI Developer for Northwind Traders, a global import and export company that specializes in supplying high-quality gourmet food products to restaurants, cafes and specialty food retailers around the world, I was asked to build a top-level KPI dashboard for the executive team. Its purpose was to allow them to quickly understand the company's performance in key areas, including:

• Sales trends
• Product performance
• Key customers
• Shipping costs

The dashboard was built to evolve and accommodate new data over time, but I’ve been encouraged by my manager to have insights & recommendations ready to share with the VPs.

Here are some key findings from the analysis:

Sales by Category: Beverages ,Dairy Products & Meat-Poultry emerged as the top-selling categories, while Grains & Cereals showed potential for growth. We can use exploit the success of this category by allocating additional marketing and promotional efforts towards these categories to maintain and further increase their market share. We can develop targeted marketing campaigns and promotions to raise awareness and drive sales for Grains & Cereals.

Best Selling Products*: The analysis revealed the top five best-selling products, with "Côte de Blaye" taking the lead. These insights can guide us in promoting these products further and exploring opportunities for cross-selling.

Sales Trends*: By understanding these seasonal fluctuations, we can strategically align our operations and marketing efforts to capitalize on peak periods while also addressing areas that require improvement.

Shipping Cost Analysis: This analysis highlighted opportunities for cost optimization, with United Package being the primary shipping service for most shipments. Renegotiating contracts with United Package and by exploring other packages like Speedy Package which has less shipping charges, we can achieve significant savings in this area.

Top 5 Customers*: Our top customers, including QUICK-Stop, Save-a-lot Markets, Ernst Handel, Hungry Owl All-Night Grocers, and Rattlesnake Canyon Grocery, play a crucial role in our success. Assigning dedicated account managers, offering tailored promotions, and engaging in collaborative initiatives with top customers can help in building strong partnerships. We can also implement customer retention strategies, loyalty programs, and prompt issue resolution to foster long-term loyalty with these customers.