Business Intelligence Blog

Allegro Funds, an Australian private equity firm, acquired Number One Shoes and Hannah’s retailers in 2017. With a network of 110 bricks and mortar stores across New Zealand and a combined market share of 30 per cent – the business is the perfect fit for Allegro, which specialises in investing in mid-market companies with transformation potential. In 2018, Phocas, a business intelligence (BI) solution, was deployed in the business to give front line staff, managers and leaders better visibility and insights into how the stores are performing – at store level, regionally and nationally.

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Topics: Case Study, Job Role - Executive, Industry - Retail

Next Monday following Thanksgiving is ‘Cyber Monday’. This day has quickly become one of the largest online shopping days of the year. With a 17.9% year-over-year increase in sales, this year’s Cyber Monday is expected to be the largest online shopping day in history. To all the retailers participating – we trust your e-commerce, stock and shipping procedures are ready for the extra attention. For those considering getting involved in 2020 –get started now –and use DIFOT to ensure your customers have a good experience.

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Topics: Job Role - Sales, Industry - Retail, Job Role - Inventory/Operations, Industry - Consumer Goods, KPIs

Whether you work for a retail, distribution or manufacturing organization, selling more product at the highest profit margin is a constant goal. Companies understand that the rise in e-commerce technology presents an opportunity to sell more on a global scale and deliver products faster and easier to more customers. Smart businesses are keeping up with the interplay between experiential and transactional to remain competitive.

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Topics: Industry - Manufacturing, Business Intelligence Basics, Industry - Wholesale Distribution, Industry - Retail

The key principle behind M&A is that joining two companies is more valuable than operating them separately. But we all know there are so many decisions regarding the two businesses that need to be made to secure the value of the consolidation. One of these considerations is often about software or IT and what data analytics solution the 'new' company should choose.

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Topics: Job Role - Finance, Industry - Electrical, Industry - HVAC/Plumbing, Industry - Building & Industrial Supplies, Job Role - Executive, Industry - Retail, Industry - Mechanical and Industrial

To compete in today's competitive market place, it is critical that executives have access to an accurate and holistic view of their business. The key element to sifting through a massive amount of data to gain this level of transparency is a robust analytics solution. As technology is constantly evolving, so too are data analytics solutions. 

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Topics: Industry - Wholesale Distribution, Job Role - Sales, Strategy, Management and Performance, Job Role - Executive, Industry - Retail

Some companies are known for good customer service, and then there are companies who are obsessed with their customer service. At Phocas, we create simple to use SaaS solutions that are personalized. And we back-up these solutions with an active customer online forum to give feedback, as well as ongoing support and training.

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Topics: Industry - Wholesale Distribution, Job Role - Sales, Strategy, Management and Performance, Job Role - Executive, Industry - Retail

Data is critical to business operations, but that idea is not always shared by everyone across the organization, and in reality, it may not be their fault. Despite more companies spending more money on data analytics solutions, the percentage of people in these businesses who actually touch data or reporting remains small.

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Topics: Industry - Manufacturing, Industry - Wholesale Distribution, Job Role - Sales, Job Role - Executive, Industry - Retail

Over the course of our lives, we develop many types of relationships. Some of them long-term, others are more fleeting. The same is true in business. Low-profit customers can come at a high cost, so it’s critical to have a comprehensive and accurate understanding of your customers to minimize at-risk relationships and maximize profitability.

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Topics: Industry - Manufacturing, Industry - Wholesale Distribution, Job Role - Sales, Industry - Retail, Job Role - Marketing

To maintain an efficient supply chain and satisfy customers, companies must be assured of timely and accurate delivery from their suppliers. Many purchasing managers are turning to data analytics to evaluate the performance of their suppliers which leads to better relationships and stronger returns.

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Topics: Industry - Manufacturing, Industry - Wholesale Distribution, Job Role - Sales, Industry - Retail

To have fun this Valentine’s Day, we collated feedback from customers to develop a group love letter. The Phocas team is always available to discuss a data analytics solution with you, this day and every other day.

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Topics: Industry - Manufacturing, Industry - Wholesale Distribution, Job Role - Sales, Industry - Retail