The Importance of Data Visualization
Give me reporting that’s easy to understand.
Something simple.
A visual dashboard that I can just look at and “get” it.
That’s what our consumer product customers are asking for and that’s exactly what Tom Theis, Senior Manager – Revenue Growth Management for The J.M. Smucker Company spoke about when he took the stage at Blacksmith’s annual Smoke Jumpers conference.
Tom is a champion of insight generation.
Data visualization is the technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message.
“When your sales team or the executives ask for information, they need it to be easy to obtain and easy to understand.”
He is also incredibly proficient in using the Blacksmith TPM analytics engine, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to refine the analytics approach at Smucker’s.
He collaborated with Blacksmith’s team on its latest analytics tool.
🌟 The goal: Enable exceptional analytic capabilities for non-power TPM users within Blacksmith Applications customer organizations.
With the foodservice analytics tool, and by expanding the user group at Smucker’s, response times are faster than ever before. When questions come in, answers quickly follow.
Tom explained to his fellow Smoke Jumpers*, “You can click, filter, even slide bars back and forth. No IS degree required. It’s simple.”
Furthermore, the tool and reporting tactics have enabled Smucker’s to drive their deduction balance down to an all-time low.
Timely updates foster quick action. Smucker’s has embraced the foodservice analytics and its output.
The entire deductions team at Smucker’s is running reports that deliver enhanced data visualization. These dashboards provide answers to questions that once seemed challenging to assess via simple and straightforward means.
🌟 The charts and graphs are intuitive.
🌟 Comprehension is a breeze.
🌟 The reporting is highly shareable.
Smucker’s sales team is also advocating for CPG data analytics. Data accuracy is strong. Tom notes, “While it has taken some time to get everyone on the same page, folks are very confident now.”
CPG organizations need analytics to generate insights and improve business performance more than ever before.
The following report has been blurred due to data sensitivity:
Reach out to learn more about enabling your organization through analytics.
*Smoke Jumpers: Blacksmith Applications’ commitment to helping the industry improve trade processes and strategy includes the creation and maintenance of a share-group, Smoke Jumpers. CPG companies gather together to discuss industry change.
This article is based on Tom Theis’s keynote presentation at Smoke Jumpers XV.
