Retail sales analysis table. Retail Analysis

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Traders now have very good tools at their disposal - software that allows for analysis in many areas. However, the program is just a tool, and you need to know how to use it. Whatever software and personnel resources a store has for conducting analysis, it is necessary to effectively set analysis tasks and choose the most appropriate methods for each task. It is very important to diagnose the situation in the store in a timely manner and solve the problem today, because tomorrow it may be too late: you will have to look for more expensive measures. In this article, we bring to the attention of readers the systematization of analysis methods in accordance with goals, which will help trade analysts take a fresh look at already familiar procedures. We will consider one of the tasks of the analysis in detail - this is an assessment of the effectiveness of actions to and the need to redevelop the hall, since these issues are invariably relevant for traders.

In small trading companies, analysts do not have the ability to highlight any indicators and consider them in dynamics, and therefore do not analyze and act on intuition, not relying on numbers. And in large stores and chains, employees have enormous opportunities, have a complete picture of the store’s activities in various sections, but do not always use necessary tools. Sometimes it happens like this: the analysis is carried out on a variety of indicators, the results are presented in numerous tables and graphs. But they exist more for reporting: "Yes, this is how we live." This is the other extreme. Far from all the necessary conclusions are squeezed out of the results of the analysis; accordingly, only a part of the measures to improve the work of the store is planned. In general, when it comes to the possibilities of analysis using modern software, we are often reminded of a bearded Finnish joke: a farmer from the wilderness bought a modern and powerful chainsaw in a store. Two weeks later, he comes to the store to return it with the words: “You deceived me! They said that she could easily cut ten cubic meters of firewood, but I can barely make six!” The seller rushes to check the chainsaw, turns it on. Hearing the sound of a chainsaw running, the farmer exclaims in surprise: “What is that sound?”
Let's consider for what tasks and with what frequency various types of analysis are used in a retail company (see Table 1). It will not be superfluous to recall that the main principle of the analysis is its top-down nature. This means that at the first stage, the analysis is carried out in large blocks to see the main trends in the store, and then the process goes deep into product subgroups and lines by type or brand. Immediately become visible strong and weak spots, problems, the solution of which can be spent a lot of effort, and the result will be insignificant. So, it can bring little value within a product group if this group is in an unfortunate place on the trading floor, takes up too much or too little space (the area does not correspond to the value of the product group), or is inefficiently located in accordance with the type of demand for the product.

Tab. 1

Analysis method	Tasks for which this method is used	Frequency of analysis
Analysis of the dynamics of turnover, profit, average purchase amount and number of purchases by day of the week		Ongoing or monthly. When assessing seasonality and determining store development trends, it is better to present quarterly dynamics on a single sheet.
Analysis of amounts and structure of checks	Evaluation of the "work" of the retail space of the store, the effectiveness of merchandising. and pricing policy of the store. Identification of groups of store buyers and analysis of shopping baskets (composition of checks of various groups of buyers). Analysis of the most common positions in receipts (largest receipts, receipts of various customer groups, receipts at any time of the day). Separation of jointly purchased goods.	Monthly (when the analysis is carried out less than once a month, the data for the analysis of the structure of checks are taken by months, and not as a whole for the period).
Analysis of the structure of turnover and profit (ABC - analysis)	Determining the value of product groups, subgroups, brands for the store. The choice of methods of work with each group, subgroup, brands. Optimization of the assortment (assessment of the need to deepen the assortment in any direction or remove commodity items). Distribution of areas and shelf space. Development of site standards for the implementation of network standards.	Quarterly.
Analysis of the elasticity of turnover	By product groups: Determination of the "contribution" of commodity groups to the increase or decrease in turnover. Identification of groups most sensitive to various events: changes in the market, in the consumer environment, development of technologies, etc. Identification of the groups most affected by the opening of competing stores or other tenants in the mall. Evaluation of sales of goods with a pronounced seasonality. Adjustment of the pricing policy of the store. For individual brands: Changing the assortment and layout, choosing brands for additional points of sale. Identification of brands that are consumed by only a small part of buyers.	Quarterly. (In practice, it is often carried out to analyze sales of seasonal goods or in case of a change in the situation in the store for the worse).
XYZ analysis	Allows you to evaluate the stability of sales of product groups or individual goods and compare the stability of product sales various types demand, different price categories and different turnover. It is used to determine the value of the commodity group (product) and select the appropriate working methods, determine the standard of inventory and the frequency of ordering goods.	Monthly.
Analysis of the effectiveness of the use of retail space	Shows the "work" of retail space: problem areas and potentially promising areas. It is used to redistribute space in the trading floor and on the shelves.	Quarterly.
Area Elasticity Analysis	Assessing the effectiveness of layout and/or display changes made in the store.	By product groups and subgroups - after changes. For stamps - possibly quarterly.

Analysis can give managers a lot of trouble if the data is not grouped correctly, and often the reason for this is inefficiently compiled the store's product catalog. For example, very often there is a violation of the hierarchy in the levels of classification, incorrect grouping, which does not reflect the commonality of demand and use, the conditions for the sale of goods. Then the costs of analyzing the activities of the store increase, especially this affects the work on optimizing the assortment and compiling planograms. The grouping in the product catalog should, firstly, be logical (then it will become convenient for analysis), and secondly, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the location of goods on the trading floor and on the equipment. It is extremely important to ensure the possibility of information exchange, preservation of information in case of illness or departure of any employee, and this should also be taken into account when compiling a product catalog.

Based on the results of the analysis of current activities, the need for changes in the organization of the trading space often becomes visible. But since any changes are associated with costs, traders have doubts: is it worth it? The shop still works and seems to work well. Will the costs pay off, and will there be particularly costly changes (in terms of material, time and labor resources) tangible result? How will buyers react to the changes? Here it is important to clearly define when you can get by with changes in the layout, and when exactly redevelopment is necessary: changes in the location of product groups, perhaps even rearrangement or partial replacement of retail equipment. Trial-and-error changes can be costly for a store, so it's best to plan them on paper. Everything needs to be seriously weighed and calculated. Changes in the layout of the store and reconstruction are carried out in the following cases:

It is planned to expand the store, increase the sales area or change the service system.
Changes external environment require a more modern environment in the store. In addition to maintaining interest, the need for change in the store may be due to changes in the composition of customers or their habits. This can change not only the layout and general atmosphere hall (interior and equipment), but also the range and culture of service. True, it sometimes happens that a store owner takes a fleeting desire or whim of a limited group of people for the demand of the time. In practice, all attempts to satisfy such whims led to costs, but did not provide sales growth. Real Results they gave only changes that make the store convenient and rational for the bulk of buyers, changes based on the principle of “restored logic” (when the order of the product groups is changed) or “the best is the enemy of the good” (negative aspects associated with movements within the store are eliminated).
When analyzing trade and technological processes in the store, unnecessary operations and unreasonably high costs are revealed.
The store is not reaching its full potential due to poor layout and there are opportunities to increase profits. Some points can be determined visually, by observing buyers, buyers will tell about some inconveniences in focus groups and interviews. In general, in a building or room of a complex configuration, potentially problematic, little-visited areas can be seen immediately when looking at the plan. They need to be influenced by a combination of planning and merchandising techniques to direct the flow to these places. The data obtained as a result of the analysis also helps to estimate lost profits.

The attractiveness of the retail space for buyers, the quality of the layout and the "impulse" of the trading floor is assessed using the following indicators:

Average time a customer spends in a store.
The buyer in the store must not only make the necessary purchases, but also familiarize himself with the goods and services. short period stay within the walls of the store shows that the buyer failed to “hook”, or that the goods are inefficiently located in accordance with the type of demand (the target ones are close to the entrance and the checkout line). You can estimate the time spent by visitors in the store using visual observation or experiment. A number is attached to baskets and trolleys, the time is marked when this basket was taken and when it “left” the trading floor.

The average number of buyers and the distribution of the number of visits by day of the week.
Shows the force of attraction of the store, its attractiveness for buyers from the middle and far trade zones. Of course, location, assortment and prices play a huge role here, but the importance of the planning factor is also present. The dynamics of the number of buyers is analyzed by day of the week, and traditionally, convenience stores have the smallest peaks on weekends. If such a store has high prices, then the curve on the graph can be quite smooth, the growth of visitors on weekends is insignificant. This means that when buyers have free time, they prefer to go to other stores.

The percentage of people who made a purchase out of the total number of store visitors.
Basically, this indicator is used in non-food stores. The ratio of "buyers / visitors" obtained with the help of counters very well characterizes the efficiency of not only the retail space organized on the principle of self-service, but also the halls with free access to goods. In salons where samples are presented, but you can buy them only with the help of a seller, the “buyers / visitors” ratio depends on the convenience of the location of the settlement nodes and the quality of service, because sometimes people refuse to buy impulse goods due to the fact that the seller needs to wait or even look for. In a building and finishing materials store, furniture and interior store with partial self-service, the number of items in the check can be affected by such a simple thing as the optional requirement for customers to take a basket or cart when he enters the trading floor. Store employees in the old way consider the store to be a salon and think: “People come to see big things, think, ask the price. Why would they take baskets?” But it is impossible to enter a trading floor with a directed route, when customers can only exit through a line of cash desks, without a basket, even from the point of view of product safety. Not to mention impulse purchases: if you like one little thing, you can still carry it to the cashier in your hands, but what about two or three items?

Average number of items per check.
Fully reflects the success of the shopping environment. At our seminars, we usually unroll two-three-meter checks - here it is, a visual result of the work, the effect of "magnets", "walkers" and "lure"! It is important to remember (especially in large stores) that the problem is only partially solved by merchandising methods. The merchandiser has the ability to manage merchandise and POS materials, but the larger, more powerful tools—routing, color exposure, lighting, and accenting—should be used much earlier in the store design phase.

The structure of checks can be considered satisfactory if the share of the smallest checks is not so large: with 1-3 positions and with a small amount. At the first stage of check structure analysis, checks with different number of positions are considered (see Fig. 1A). The situation in the store, shown in the example, is very pessimistic: checks with only one item account for almost half of the total number of purchases.

Determination of shares of checks with different number of positions in the total number of checks Fig. 1A Determination of shares of checks with different number of positions in the total number of checks Pic. 1A

Of course, the store staff will find an excuse for such results: “Yes, most of our customers leave with one purchase, but with what! All plasma panels or refrigerators!” Refrigerators are either a washcloth or a pack of washing powder - it is easy to check by looking at the distribution of purchase amounts in checks containing 1 position, their shares in% (see Fig. 1B), as well as the composition of checks with one position. We also check the distribution of checks with different purchase amounts in the total number of checks (Fig. 1B), and this allows us to determine which shares are large, medium and small purchases. It often turns out that the majority of buyers leave with goods for a small amount, or the basic, necessary goods are in the basket, and the impulse ones, which the buyer did not meet in the store, remain on the shelves. We have seen a similar structure of checks many times in stores where the goods were inefficiently located according to the type of demand, with an unsuccessful route, as well as in halls with zones based on the “large-small” principle. Of course, store prices seriously affect the number of purchased goods, but according to our statistics, in 87% of cases, the structure of checks was changed in better side after the rearrangement.

When analyzing the distribution of purchase amounts, ranges can be derived mechanically, with a single step (50, 100, 150, 200, etc.), or you can take into account the perception of the amount by buyers and draw limits on the amounts that matter from the point of view of the psychology of price perception. With the course of inflation, the first limit becomes almost insignificant - up to 10 rubles, it is pushed back to 30 rubles in those regions where consumers take into account the dollar exchange rate. Further ranges can be as follows

From 1 to 100 rubles.
From 100 to 500 rubles.
From 500 to 1000 rubles.
From 1000 to 3000 rubles.
From 3000 to 6000 rubles.
Over 6000 rub. and so on.

The breakdown of the ranges must be regularly updated according to internal and external changes.

Uniform distribution of indicators of turnover from 1 m2 of area in various departments.
On the plan of the store, zones are distinguished that bring the same turnover per 1 m2 of retail space. An example of a "store cash card" is shown in Figure 2 (in conventional units). An uneven picture, as a rule, does not indicate that there are shock working areas, but that there are many weak, lagging places. Without a doubt, the turnover in various departments depends seriously on the type of product, the nature of the demand for it, and the like (compare sanitary ware and hardware). But less profitable areas cannot be taken for granted, they must be worked on. In the vast majority of cases, after the work done, when the lower indicators are pulled up and the picture is evened out, the leading sections give even more.

Absence of zones with low efficiency of the use of retail space.
The indicator of the effectiveness of the use of retail space is one of the most important in the analysis of the store's activities. Let us briefly recall the essence of the analysis. This coefficient is calculated as the ratio of the share of the commodity group in the turnover (in %) to the share of this group in the occupied area (in %). For large-sized goods, the area is taken in square meters, for small-sized goods - in linear meters, according to the total length of space on the shelves of the racks. A coefficient value greater than one indicates the effective use of the area, less than 0.6 indicates problems. The exception is specific product groups, such as baby food, for such groups, a coefficient value of less than 0.6 is considered acceptable.

When the results of the analysis are presented in a graphical form (see Fig. 3), and the values are plotted on the store plan, you can see poorly functioning or completely “dead” areas where customers do not reach due to layout features or poor placement of product groups in the hall. In shopping centers, such zones can be identified using counters of visitors. In some merchandising guides, there is a concept of "hot" or "cold" zones. Sometimes "cold" zones are simply called poorly performing areas. Let's make a reservation right away: there should simply be no problem areas in the planned store or shopping center! Their appearance should be nipped in the bud - at the first stage, by the designer and only at the second stage - by the trader, because even an excellent project can be "killed" by an inefficient assortment and pricing policy and slow actions of the staff.

The creation of a route and zones according to the commonality of demand and use, the correct distribution of goods of various types of demand leads, firstly, to an increase in the average number of items in a check. If the store does not differ in "outrageous" prices, the average number of items increases by at least 1 unit. The share of checks with a large number of positions and large amounts is growing. The possibilities for growth in trade turnover as a result of redevelopment are different in different regions. The percentage of growth is low when the flow to the store is small: you can change anything inside the trading floor, but if the store is located in a bad place, only those visitors who are in stock will fall for these changes. Greatest magnification turnover falls on those groups that suffered because of an unfortunate place in the hall. Changes in turnover as a result of the redevelopment of the hall are easier to track on groups of smaller goods and goods that have impulse demand (for example, household goods, dishes, interior items, tools and accessories, household chemicals, perfumes and cosmetics, children's goods, etc.). For the sale of high-value and targeted goods ( Decoration Materials, plumbing, large Appliances etc.) are also influenced by other factors, like in a store, prices, the activities of competitors, the state of affairs of the manufacturer. Therefore, it is more difficult to isolate the influence of the planning factor.

When making a forecast of the expected growth in turnover as a result of redevelopment, the following methods are used: firstly, it is possible to estimate the increase in the average check due to impulse purchases. As a conservative estimate, an increase in turnover can be taken into account due to the fact that at least 10% of the existing number of buyers (the average number of receipts per quarter is taken) will additionally purchase goods for an average impulse amount. In non-food stores, you can also see the ratio of visitors / buyers and estimate the increase in turnover if the number of buyers increases by at least 5-10%. That is, every tenth or twentieth visitor (the figure depends on the situation in the city and on the optimism of the analyst) of those who came to see a refrigerator, tile or a set of upholstered furniture and previously left empty-handed, will now leave the store (in accordance with its specialization) with a purchased epilator, tape measure or decorative cushion with the image of kittens in a basket.
According to the results of the month, and then the quarter, it is already possible to consider the impact of redevelopment or rearrangements on sales. The following indicators are evaluated:

dynamics of turnover and profit by product groups;
change in the ratio of visitors / buyers;
change in the average bill (by day of the week);
changes in the number of items in the check;
change in the structure of checks (the share of the smallest checks should decrease and the share of medium-sized checks should increase).

Sometimes it happens that in the first days after a reshuffle or major changes in the calculation, sales fall. You should be prepared for this and not rush to urgently return the goods to their original places. But if the process dragged on for more than 10-14 days, this (ceteris paribus) indicates that a mistake was made in something. You can check whether it is justified to increase or decrease the area for any product group by looking at the area efficiency map obtained in the period after the changes. With the right changes, there will be more green areas on it, red ones may disappear altogether. Also, for verification, the area elasticity coefficient is used, calculated as the ratio of the change in turnover for a product group to the change in its area (or length) of the calculation. A coefficient value of more than 1 indicates the "responsiveness" of the trading area to permutations.

Kira & Ruben Kanayan,

Leading consultants of the company "Union-Standard Consulting", Moscow,
authors of the book Retail real estate: challenges of the time and prospects »,
books ""
and books ""

It is a mistake to believe that the analysis of performance indicators is carried out exclusively in large retail chains. V retail private shops are also necessary if the goal of their work is successful and continuous development.

How to do sales analysis

The analysis of the retail sale of goods is carried out according to several comparative criteria. Regularly, at a certain interval (weekly/monthly/quarterly), analyze:

conversion data.
Information on the average check.
Sales data from 1 sq. m.
Sales levels in kind and rubles.
Total return percentage.
Payroll data.

Now let's go through each item individually.

Conversion rates

In marketing, conversion is the percentage of total store visitors to the number of visitors who make a purchase. An example of such an analysis:

The store was visited by 200 people during the working day, and the number of purchases for the same day was 60. Divide 60 by 200 and multiply by 100. The conversion rate is 30%.

The conversion rate is a direct indicator of the professional approach of employees, in particular salespeople. The higher it is, the better level staff preparedness. Changes should be monitored on a monthly basis. But at the same time, take into account seasonality, holidays and working days.

The conversion rate is a direct indicator of the professional approach of employees, in particular salespeople.

The increase in conversion occurs in the warm season, at the time of the appearance of new products, on weekends, and during sales. A decrease in the indicator occurs during the cold seasons, with incorrect advertising of the product, a low level of training of sellers, on weekdays, as well as with a low demand for a particular product in a certain season (for example, contrary to the saying, sleds do not sell well in summer).

Marketers have set an acceptable conversion rate for each of the areas of retail, as it is not always possible to bring it to 100%. For example, it is simply unrealistic to ensure that every visitor to a furniture store leaves with a purchase. A lot of people just come by to check it out. Therefore, use a common sense approach in your conversion rate.

Average retail conversion rates:

Grocery stores - 100%.
Shoes and clothes - 30%.
Salons for the sale of cars - 5%.
Household appliances and furniture stores - 20%.
Luxury stores with high prices - 10%.
Internet trading - 10%.

There is another rule that says: the more expensive the goods sold, the longer their lifespan, therefore, the lower the conversion rate. For example, no one buys a fur coat every month or replaces the kitchen every week. While food is bought almost every day.

Keep the first conversion measurement as a baseline. Compare changes with it monthly and take measures to correct it.

Average check indicators

The value of the average check shows not only the efficiency of the staff, but also the interest of buyers in the presented assortment. The calculation is made from the ratio of revenue (in ruble equivalent) in the reporting period to the number of purchases (by the number of receipts). To keep abreast, the manager must be aware of the dynamics of the average bill.

With positive and steadily growing data, you can be confident in the development of trade. With negative and zero movement, it is worth analyzing and identifying the cause of such indicators.

The analysis should take into account the level of inflation, the markup and the overall situation. For example, a decrease in the average check at the time of sales is a normal phenomenon, and there is no need to sound the alarm. Retail can be stimulated by promotions. In order for the latter to be successful, it does not hurt to analyze the most purchased goods, and build schemes of events based on the data obtained.

Sales figures per square meter

The indicator is calculated in order to analyze the effectiveness of using each square meter of retail space. To obtain data, you need to divide the revenue for the selected period (in ruble equivalent) by the size of the trading floor. Do not include parking and warehouses in the calculations. Let's look at an example:

Monthly volume retail sales amounted to 765,000 rubles. The trading area where the goods were sold, 200 sq. m. 765,000 rubles / 200 sq. m \u003d 3,825 rubles per month brings 1 square. m.

To get a complete picture, you need to calculate several months at once, this will allow you to determine the overall dynamics. Maintain a table of indicators in order to take corrective measures in time. Again, consider the situation of each month, for example, in holidays and indicators that are not suitable for the sales of your range of seasons can quite naturally fall. Or a competitor with more attractive prices has opened nearby, which is no longer so pleasant.

Sales volume in physical terms

Take into account indicators not only in ruble terms, but also in natural terms (for example, liters, pieces, kilograms). A good indicator to track the level of sales volumes. If you keep records exclusively in rubles, the data will be distorted, as prices may change.

Take into account the indicators not only in ruble terms, but also in physical terms.

Return rates

The analysis is carried out taking into account the reasons. According to average statistics, about 5% of the purchased goods are returned by customers, and this is considered the norm. Everything above is a reason to think about changing the supplier or changing the trading strategy.

The return rate is increasing due to:

Low technical quality (for example, the purchased product quickly broke down).
Theft (that is, there is no return itself, and the money has been taken from the cash register).
Misconception in which the buyer was introduced by the seller (for example, unreliable transmission of data about the characteristics of the goods).

With high return rates, an investigation should be organized to identify the sources of problems.

Wage intensity indicators

For calculations, take the wage fund (full of all staff, including taxes and mandatory contributions) for any period and divide by the revenue of the same period. What happens, multiply by 100%.

This indicator is necessary, as it allows you to reasonably analyze the effectiveness of the business and its costs. In our country normal rate retail - 10%. If during the calculations the figure turned out to be less - you are doing everything right, if more - you need to identify, study and eliminate costs.

The main reasons why the level of wage intensity may increase are:

Underdeveloped loyalty program (unprofitable discounts and promotions).
"Bloated" State.
High rental costs.
Low markup on goods.
High level of staff turnover (normal level is not more than 10% per year).
High payments on loans and borrowings.
High salary.

The calculation of wage intensity will allow you to determine the effectiveness of the store and take timely necessary measures. Control your business according to the above indicators and then you can only keep a profitable development vector.

The Retail Program is designed to expand market share in a highly competitive consumer goods marketplace. With smart analytics from TIBCO Spotfire, you gain new opportunities and eliminate all risks. Productive insights are easy to find with interactive dashboards, clear visualizations, and predictive and event-driven analytics. You can perform retail sales analysis from any device.

Review

Solutions

Optimization

Control

datamining

Analysis and optimization

Geo-analytics for supply chain optimization

Geo-analytics is designed to optimize the supply chain of retail products. As part of Spotfire, the system overlays stores and distribution centers on a map. You can receive various data: traffic jams, weather changes, distances, etc. Through the use of TIBCO tools, everyday tasks are optimized. For example, a car route is automatically built with specified restrictions on the distance or the total number of stores. You can determine how the theoretical decision to close the distribution center can affect the situation as a whole.

Warehouse optimization

The Warehouse Optimization feature visualizes picking routes for products in the warehouse. In this way, management can identify and eradicate unprofitable paths. You can set limits for the program in terms of weight, use with refrigeration only, etc.

The optimal route can be selected using the What if? scenario. The results are dynamically evaluated and visualized.

Gravity simulation

Gravity modeling analyzes based on population demographics at two locations. The program predicts the movement of people, information and commodities between points.

In this way, you gain a better understanding of the number of customers served by different retailers and think about the positioning of the store and product in this place. You can also predict the impact of a theoretically new store on others.

market basket

This tool is designed to explore groups of important relationships between purchased products. With an improved understanding of predictive and reaction variables, you gain the ability to calculate metrics such as:

optimal transparency of the organization;
weighting variables;
revenue (total and by points).

Shop Profile Clustering

Using this tool brings the following benefits:

improved store and assortment planning;
optimization of store space to meet the demand of customers from each segment;
identifying effective promotions depending on the specifics of the target audience segment;
formation of the optimal assortment;
correlation of warehouse stocks with respect to demand;
elimination of unprofitable returns due to lack of space in the warehouse;
identification of external attributes and internal factors that govern optimal performance.

data mining is a universal planning and forecasting system that detects spectacular solutions from previously unprocessed content.

Shopping cart analysis

With this method, you find combinations of products that customers buy at the same time. So you can effectively think over the location of products on the shelves.

Creation of employee loyalty model

Creating a model of employee loyalty is the main task in increasing the productivity of the workforce. Due to the tools of regression analysis, the Data Mining system models, determines the correlation coefficients, and tests the accuracy of the model. The result is a highly effective action forecast that can increase staff productivity.

Toll route revenue modeling

To make a route forecast, Data Mining uses a time series algorithm that takes into account all possible influence factors. Thanks to the built-in stress testing technologies, the user delves deeper into the essence of changing parameters.

Separation of the client base

The business is designed to generate and gradually increase sales. Data Mining helps speed up this process by zoning the customer base according to various criteria and parameters. Dendograms, temperature maps and network diagrams are used to visually represent clusters and interactive processes.

The user can receive a system of recommendations that take into account the preferences of customers. So he will be able to offer goods to a specific segment of customers at the right time at the best price. The probability of buying is greatly increased. The program scans purchases daily and supplements the model with new data, generating lists of recommendations. Referral systems are not just for direct sales. They are used in Internet mailing lists and telemarketing.

Product Analysis

Data Mining performs classic product analysis using Pareto charts, graphs and other multivariate analysis methods. You can buy retail software from the professional supplier "ASU-ANALYTICS". Data technologies quickly pay for themselves with the productive solutions they bring.

Analysis of the grocery retail business (supermarket, self-service stores), professional analytics tools.

Today, grocery retailers (supermarkets, self-service stores, etc.) already have very good tools at their disposal - software that allows analysis in many areas. However, the program is just a tool, and you need to know how to use it. Whatever software and personnel resources a store has for conducting analysis, it is necessary to effectively set analysis tasks and choose the most appropriate methods for each task. It is very important to diagnose the situation in the store in a timely manner and solve the problem today, because tomorrow it may be too late: you will have to look for more expensive measures.

In this article, we bring to the attention of readers the systematization of analysis methods in accordance with goals, which will help trade analysts take a fresh look at already familiar procedures. We will consider one of the tasks of the analysis in detail - this is an assessment of the effectiveness of merchandising actions and the need to redevelop the hall, since these issues are always relevant for merchants.

Let's consider for what tasks and with what frequency various types of analysis are used in a retail company (see Table 1). It will not be superfluous to recall that the main principle of the analysis is its top-down nature. This means that at the first stage, the analysis is carried out in large blocks to see the main trends in the store, and then the process goes deep into product subgroups and lines by type or brand. Strengths and weaknesses immediately become visible, problems that can be solved with a lot of effort, and the result will be insignificant. Thus, it may be of little use to optimize the assortment within a product group if this group is in an unfavorable place on the trading floor, takes up too much or too little space (the area does not correspond to the value of the product group), or is inefficiently located in accordance with the type of demand for the product.

1. Shows the "work" of retail space: problem areas and potentially promising areas.

2. It is used to redistribute space in the trading floor and on the shelves.

The grouping in the product catalog should, firstly, be logical (then it will become convenient for analysis), and secondly, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the location of goods on the trading floor and on the equipment. It is extremely important to ensure the possibility of information exchange, preservation of information in case of illness or departure of any employee, and this should also be taken into account when compiling a product catalog.

Based on the results of the analysis of current activities, the need for changes in the organization of the trading space often becomes visible. But since any changes are associated with costs, traders have doubts: is it worth it? The shop still works and seems to work well. Will the costs pay off, and will especially costly changes (in terms of material, time and labor resources) give a tangible result? How will buyers react to the changes? Here it is important to clearly define when you can get by with changes in the layout, and when exactly redevelopment is necessary: changes in the location of product groups, perhaps even rearrangement or partial replacement of retail equipment. Trial-and-error changes can be costly for a store, so it's best to plan them on paper. Everything needs to be seriously weighed and calculated.

Changes in the layout of the store and reconstruction are carried out in the following cases:

It is planned to expand the store, increase the sales area or change the service system.
Changes in the external environment require a more modern environment in the store. In addition to maintaining interest, the need for change in the store may be due to changes in the composition of customers or their habits. At the same time, not only the layout and general atmosphere of the hall (interior and equipment), but also the range and culture of service can change. True, it sometimes happens that a store owner takes a fleeting desire or whim of a limited group of people for the demand of the time. In practice, all attempts to satisfy such whims led to costs, but did not provide sales growth. Only changes that made the store convenient and rational for the bulk of customers, changes based on the principle of “restored logic” (when the order of the product groups was changed) or “the best is the enemy of the good” (negative aspects associated with movements within the store were eliminated) gave real results.
When analyzing trade and technological processes in the store, unnecessary operations and unreasonably high costs are revealed.
The store is not reaching its full potential due to poor layout and there are opportunities to increase profits. Some points can be determined visually, by observing buyers, buyers will tell about some inconveniences in focus groups and interviews. In general, in a building or room of a complex configuration, potentially problematic, little-visited areas can be seen immediately when looking at the plan. They need to be influenced by a combination of planning and merchandising techniques to direct the flow to these places. The data obtained as a result of the analysis also helps to estimate lost profits.

The attractiveness of the retail space for buyers, the quality of the layout and the "impulse" of the trading floor is assessed using the following indicators:

Average time a customer spends in a store.

The buyer in the store must not only make the necessary purchases, but also familiarize himself with the goods and services. A short period of stay in the store indicates that the customer was not “hooked” or that the goods are inefficiently located in accordance with the type of demand (the target ones are close to the entrance and the checkout line). You can estimate the time spent by visitors in the store using visual observation or experiment. A number is attached to baskets and trolleys, the time is marked when this basket was taken and when it “left” the trading floor.

The average number of buyers and the distribution of the number of visits by day of the week.

Shows the force of attraction of the store, its attractiveness for buyers from the middle and far trade zones. Of course, location, assortment and prices play a huge role here, but the importance of the planning factor is also present. The dynamics of the number of buyers is analyzed by day of the week, and traditionally, convenience stores have the smallest peaks on weekends. If such a store has high prices, then the curve on the graph can be quite smooth, the growth of visitors on weekends is insignificant. This means that when customers have free time, they prefer to go to other stores.

The percentage of people who made a purchase out of the total number of store visitors.

Basically, this indicator is used in non-food stores. The ratio of "buyers / visitors", obtained with the help of counters, very well characterizes the effectiveness of not only a retail space organized on the principle of self-service, but also halls with free access to goods. In salons where samples are presented, but you can buy them only with the help of a seller, the “buyers / visitors” ratio depends on the convenience of the location of the settlement nodes and the quality of service, because sometimes people refuse to buy impulse goods due to the fact that the seller needs to wait or even look for.

In a building and finishing materials store, furniture and interior store with partial self-service, the number of items in the check can be affected by such a simple thing as the optional requirement for customers to take a basket or cart when he enters the trading floor. Store employees in the old way consider the store to be a salon and think: “People come to see big things, think, ask the price. Why would they take baskets?” But it is impossible to enter a trading floor with a directed route, when customers can only exit through a line of cash desks, without a basket, even from the point of view of product safety. Not to mention impulse purchases: if you like one little thing, you can still carry it to the cashier in your hands, but what about two or three items?

Average number of items per check.

Fully reflects the success of the shopping environment. Two-three-meter checks - here it is, a clear result of the work, the action of "magnets", "walkers" and "lure"! It is important to remember (especially in large stores) that the problem is only partially solved by merchandising methods. The merchandiser has the ability to manage merchandise and POS materials, but the larger, more powerful tools—routing, color exposure, lighting, and accenting—should be used much earlier in the store design phase.

Determination of shares of checks with different number of positions in the total number of checks Fig. 1A. Of course, the store staff will find an excuse for such results: “Yes, most of our customers leave with one purchase, but with what! All plasma panels or refrigerators!” Refrigerators are either a washcloth or a pack of washing powder - it is easy to check by looking at the distribution of purchase amounts in checks containing 1 position, their shares in% (see Fig. 1B), as well as the composition of checks with one position. We also check the distribution of checks with different purchase amounts in the total number of checks (Fig. 1B), and this allows us to determine which shares are large, medium and small purchases.

It often turns out that the majority of buyers leave with goods for a small amount, or the basic, necessary goods are in the basket, and the impulse ones, which the buyer did not meet in the store, remain on the shelves. We have seen a similar structure of checks many times in stores where the goods were inefficiently located according to the type of demand, with an unsuccessful route, as well as in halls with zones based on the “large-small” principle. Of course, store prices seriously affect the number of purchased goods, but according to our statistics, in 87% of cases, we managed to change the structure of checks for the better after rearranging.

From 1 to 100 rubles.
From 100 to 500 rubles.
From 500 to 1000 rubles.
From 1000 to 3000 rubles.
From 3000 to 6000 rubles.
Over 6000 rub. and so on.

The breakdown of the ranges must be regularly updated according to internal and external changes.

Uniform distribution of indicators of turnover from 1 m2 of area in various departments.

On the plan of the store, zones are distinguished that bring the same turnover per 1 m2 of retail space. An example of a "store cash card" is shown in Figure 2 (in conventional units). An uneven picture, as a rule, does not indicate that there are shock working areas, but that there are many weak, lagging places. Without a doubt, the turnover in various departments depends seriously on the type of product, the nature of the demand for it, and the like (compare sanitary ware and hardware). But less profitable areas cannot be taken for granted, they must be worked on. In the vast majority of cases, after the work done, when the lower indicators are pulled up and the picture is evened out, the leading sections give even more.

Map of indicators of average turnover from 1 sq. m of retail space in the departments of the store Fig. 2

Absence of zones with low efficiency of the use of retail space.

The indicator of the effectiveness of the use of retail space is one of the most important in the analysis of the store's activities. Let us briefly recall the essence of the analysis. This coefficient is calculated as the ratio of the share of the commodity group in the turnover (in %) to the share of this group in the occupied area (in %). For large-sized goods, the area is taken in square meters, for small-sized goods - in linear meters, according to the total length of space on the shelves of the racks. A coefficient value greater than one indicates the effective use of the area, less than 0.6 indicates problems. The exception is specific product groups, such as baby food, for such groups, a coefficient value of less than 0.6 is considered acceptable.

Map of the effectiveness of the use of retail space in the store Fig. 3 When the results of the analysis are presented in a graphical form (see Fig. 3), and the values are plotted on the store plan, you can see poorly functioning or completely “dead” areas where customers do not reach due to layout features or poor placement of product groups in the hall. In shopping centers, such zones can be identified using counters of visitors. In some merchandising guides, there is a concept of "hot" or "cold" zones. Sometimes "cold" zones are simply called poorly performing areas. Let's make a reservation right away: there should simply be no problem areas in the planned store or shopping center! Their appearance should be nipped in the bud - at the first stage, by the designer and only at the second stage - by the trader, because even an excellent project can be "killed" by an inefficient assortment and pricing policy and slow actions of the staff.

The largest increase in turnover occurred in those groups that suffered because of an unfortunate place in the hall. Changes in turnover as a result of the redevelopment of the hall are easier to track on groups of smaller goods and goods that have impulse demand (for example, household goods, dishes, interior items, tools and accessories, household chemicals, perfumes and cosmetics, children's goods, etc.). Sales of expensive and targeted goods (finishing materials, sanitary ware, large household appliances, etc.) are also influenced by other factors, such as the depth of assortment in the store, prices, competitors' activities, and the state of affairs of the manufacturer. Therefore, it is more difficult to isolate the influence of the planning factor.

According to the results of the month, and then the quarter, it is already possible to consider the impact of redevelopment or rearrangements on sales.

The following indicators are evaluated:

dynamics of turnover and profit by product groups;
change in the ratio of visitors / buyers;
change in the average bill (by day of the week);
changes in the number of items in the check;
change in the structure of checks (the share of the smallest checks should decrease and the share of medium-sized checks should increase).

For the successful development of a business of any size, it is necessary to periodically analyze its performance. Based on the data obtained, it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency of the store and build a further strategy for its development.

Analysis of product sales: indicators and metrics

For large businesses, it is most relevant to conduct timely sales analysis in order to prevent problems that may arise in the near future. The analysis is carried out according to several main parameters:

conversion rates;
data on the average check;
percentage of returns;
salary intensity.

The conversion is very important element when evaluating the performance of a trading enterprise. This is the main indicator of the professionalism of the store employees.

The conversion reflects the percentage of the number of people who made a purchase. The higher this percentage, the better the outlet functions.

Average check calculated by dividing the total revenue by the number of all receipts.

The positive dynamics of the growth of this coefficient indicates the correct course of the company's development. You can stimulate an increase in the average check by holding promotions and sales.

An acceptable rate of return is 5% of the turnover.

If this figure is exceeded, it is worth thinking about the reasons for this situation. It is possible that poor quality is purchased, current prices are overly inflated, sellers mislead buyers about product quality, etc.

Grade wage intensity calculated as the ratio of total sales revenue to wages and allows you to identify and reduce costs.

The optimal indicator for retail trade is 10%. If it is higher, then problems such as excess staff, high rates for rent and loan payments, high staff turnover and inflated staff salaries, and a small margin on products are possible.

Retail Sales Analysis: Accounting for Objective Factors

There are important factors when analyzing the sales of an enterprise that are difficult to influence, but they must be taken into account:

Geography. The favorable location of the outlet directly affects the amount of sales. Shops located near the metro and busy parts of the city have high turnover rates. The average check in rural areas will be lower than in the metropolis.
Seasonality. All products in retail trade are designed for a certain time of the year. For example, fur boots sell well in winter, but fall flat in summer. Arranging a sale in the warm season and reducing the price of winter shoes, you can get rid of the item of an outdated collection.
Competition. You can not ignore the conditions and offers of stores located nearby. Competitors are constantly coming up with new tricks to lure customers over. It is important to keep abreast of events and changes taking place in the market.

Profitability of sales

Evaluation of the profitability of a business allows you to draw a conclusion about its effectiveness as a whole. Profitability is calculated in percentage between the cost of goods and the net profit received from their sale.

For example, the purchase and transportation of products cost 100 thousand rubles, after the sale the profit amounted to 10 thousand rubles. The profitability of this type of goods is 10%.

You can improve these indicators by counting all the income and expenses of the enterprise, identifying weaknesses and shortcomings in the operation of the entire system.

To ensure the economic stability of a company of any size, it is necessary to regularly, preferably once a month, analyze sales and compare results with previous indicators. Maintaining scrupulous accounting will allow you to strategically manage your business and withstand tough competition.

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