Price Elasticity

Show of hands, how many of you know how to calculate price elasticity?  Well, if you are like me, you know the general concept but the math is a bit rusty.  So here is a quick and dirty refresher. Price elasticity is a measure of how demand for a product is influenced by price changes.  This… Read more »

Making Data Come Alive

A picture truly is worth a thousand words…especially when you are analyzing data.  Which would you rather have? A spreadsheet with a thousand SKU’s showing sales and gross margins or a picture that instantly tells the story?  If you have spent hours analyzing data in Excel, you probably have a strong preference.  When we work… Read more »

The Perfect Order

The perfect order is a very useful measuring stick for the retailer and manufacturer to measure performance.  According to AMR Research, “the perfect order is the ability to produce orders that are complete, accurate, and on time.”  Research estimates a 3% improvement in perfect order performance will increase profits by 1%.  Elements of the perfect… Read more »

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Many times, when I talk to retailers about sharing data with vendors, I hear some version of “Well they are not asking for it,” or “only if they can show me how they will use it.” It reminds me of the classic quandary…Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or in this context… which… Read more »

Benefits of Collaboration

The benefits of optimizing the retail supply chain using better demand planning and collaboration with suppliers are well documented. Studies of retailers by the Harvard Business, Grocery Manufacturers Association, National Retail Federation (NRF), and AMR Research show results of 15% less inventory, 17% better perfect order performance and 35% shorter cash-to-cash cycles.   Documented benefits… Read more »

Compelled to blog

Hello.  Nearly three years ago I started a technology service organization called Accelerated Analytics (www.acceleratedanalytics.com) with a simple mission….help organizations better use the data they have in their computer systems to drive business success.  To accomplish this objective, I designed and am currently seeking a patent on a software application, for retailers to send point of sale… Read more »