Tag: Excel

Data Consolidation – The Need of the Hour for Brand & Sales Teams

by adminin data consolidation, Excel, Explorazor, root cause analysis

In this blog, we’ll be highlighting some issues that Brand & Sales teams face with data on a daily basis, and making a case for how data consolidation can remedy these core issues:

So Many Data Sources, So Little Time

Brand & Sales teams deal with so many different datasets at a time: there’s primary sales, secondary sales, MS Value, Media Spends, Research Data from Kantar, Nielsen, or IQVIA, depending on the industry; and more. 

To manage the plethora of data, professionals mainly use Excel. The research we conducted at vPhrase, interviewing 100+ experienced industry professionals, validated many of our hypotheses when we initially started out developing Explorazor, the data exploration tool designed especially for frictionless data exploration. Some of these hypotheses were:

  1. Managers use Excel by default – without any additional support

Excel has become one of the constants of life – all operations are conducted on Excel, without any other tool to even support or augment it. Power BI does extend some value, but it’s meant for dashboards and not exploration.  

To think of replacing Excel was not even in the minds of the professionals we interviewed.

  1. Excel is great – but it does pose some problems

For what man, walking the face of this earth, can deny Excel’s greatness? Shakespearean passions aside, Excel is THE standard for a reason – it facilitates data analysis, holds enormous datasets, enables pivot extraction, conditional formatting and n other functions.

However, we believe that there is an easier way for Brand Managers to conduct data exploration and analysis, without leaving Excel entirely.

As such, we spoke about it with Senior Managers – they agreed that while Excel is the go-to for all number crunching, insight extraction and strategy formation, having to work on multiple datasets means more time consumption and manual work. Laptops process data slowly as compared to a cloud server, which also contributes to time consumption. Furthermore, due to fragmented data storage, managers often have to rely on Insights teams for ad-hoc analysis and crucial insights, something they would rather prefer to live without.

After validating both our hypotheses, we presented Explorazor to our audience – and asked them to gauge one central benefit that Explorazor provides:

Data Consolidation – The Answer To Many of Excel’s Drawbacks

Explorazor is a data exploration tool that lets users conduct queries, obtain data pivots, and conduct root cause analysis via point-and-click, on an INTEGRATED, CONSOLIDATED dataset. There are various industry terminologies going around, like data stitching, data consolidation, unifying datasets, combining datasets, etc., all refer to the same thing. The Explorazor team cleans, standardizes, and combines the datasets for a single-platform usage through Explorazor.

A clarification here: Explorazor complements Excel, and does not replace it.

An Integrated or Consolidated Dataset Means 

  1. Better correlation between data points

Your primary sales is doing good, but your call average has actually been declining since COVID. Such data correlation is easily obtained on platforms like Explorazor. 

Similarly, Dolo made huge sales during the pandemic, but it actually sold more due to HCP recommendations and ad campaigns, rather than calling and field sales efforts. Now that the pandemic has receded, it comes to light that the rural areas have largely been ignored and a sizable chunk of sales comes only from select urban areas.  

Such data exploration and correlation is much easier on an integrated dataset.

  1. Better root cause analysis

We’ve written a separate blog just covering this point. Explorazor helps users arrive at the ACTUAL root cause of events, because users can conduct drill-down and drill-across on the entire data at a time. 

It’s all about better decision-making.

  1. Time and Effort Efficiency 

Managers spend more time testing hypotheses and conducting ad-hoc analysis independently, without having to revert to Insights Teams. Explorazor lightens the laptop burden of processing huge datasets by storing data on server, accessible via browser. 

An Integrated or Consolidated Dataset Also Means 

  • Faster analysis, faster laptops
  • Better, and easier analysis
  • Greater Independence for Brand Managers
  • Greater space for Insights Teams to focus on long-term strategies
  • A space for users have ready access to required datasets
  • A space for users to collaborate on projects
  • A data-driven work culture
  • Greater revenue 

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3 Types of Data Analysis Brand Managers can Perform Super-Easily on Explorazor

by adminin Brand Managers, data analysis, Data Exploration, Excel, Explorazor, querying

Explorazor is a data exploration tool designed specifically to help brand managers in their day-to-day data analysis and exploration, which they’d otherwise do on Excel.

The Explorazor platform provides Brand Managers with a single view of all their data. With data analysis made easy and fast through this single-view dataset, Brand Managers are also able to accelerate the speed of their hypothesis testing. All they have to do is use a simple search interface to get the answers they are looking for, in the form of relevant pivots/charts.

Explorazor - Making data analysis easy for Brand Managers!

Here are the 3 Types of Data Analysis Brand Managers can Perform Super-Easily on Explorazor:

  1. Category vs Your Brand 

Let’s say you, as a Brand Manager, need to look at your brand’s performance in relation to the performance of your brand category. This is helpful in tracking the market, detecting consumer trends, and comparing how relatively strong a market is, with its overall sales. 

Let’s look at an example of how Explorazor makes it easy and quick to search your data and get answers instantly.

Above is how a search query and the result look on Explorazor. You can see the keyword-based query conducted which, if translated to an interrogative sentence, reads as ‘What is the Market Sales Value of our brand Alpha Supplement and how has it performed with respect to its Category, on a quarterly basis?’ 

  1. Competition vs Your Brand 

The next type of data analysis is Competition vs Your Brand. Once you’ve identified your competitors, consistently measuring their performance helps you benchmark your own growth vs. theirs. 

Further to querying, Explorazor allows you to pin your answers to the project dashboard, which means that all pinned answers are updated every time the data refreshes. The need to re-query the same thing is eliminated.

Let’s look at the ‘Competition vs Your Brand’ query here. As you can see, there are more inputs in this search query than in the last one. The query reads as ‘Comparing the average Market Sales Value, Net Spends on TV, average Share amongst Handlers of our brand Alpha Supplement as against other brands, for the last quarter.’

Using the customization options above, one can also convert the table into a chart of their choice. 

One can easily pin the query using the available icon on the top right, and add the particular query to the dashboard.

  1. Compare Primary Sales, Secondary Sales and Market Sales

To compare and analyze primary, secondary, and market sales values in Excel requires separate access to 3 different datasets. The results have to be then collated to get a complete understanding. 

Since all datasets are connected in Explorazor, you can simply access the single integrated dataset and obtain answers swiftly, with a single query.

Here we are comparing the average Market Share Value, Net Spends on TV, average Share amongst Handlers of our brand Alpha Supplement as against competitor brands, for the last quarter.

The default tabular format provides a clean and familiar look for Brand Managers to analyze the data, and is downloadable as a CSV file too, in case it needs to be transported to Excel for further exploration.

Directly Proportional – Quality & Speed 

The quality of decision-making is directly proportional to the speed and convenience of the hypotheses testing process. Systematically investigating the validity and reliability of multiple areas of interest simultaneously serves as a solid foundation for incremental improvements that may have otherwise not been possible. De-cluttering a Brand Manager’s mind space by providing an integrated data view and freeing up their time through data cuts at their fingertips will work wonders for both the brand and the manager – and that is what Explorazor is all about. 

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3 Data-Related Challenges Brand Managers Face and How to Solve Them

by adminin Brand Manager, data analysis, data cuts, Data Exploration, data-related challenge, Excel, Explorazor, pivot

Tell us a better love story than Brand Managers and data.

Brand Managers possess some of the strongest number-crunching skills in the industry. Everything’s solved and managed in Excel; sales, logistics, marketing; development, execution, evaluation. Operations and decisions are dependent purely on data, and these invite data-related challenges as well.

Let’s look at 3 data-related challenges Brand Managers face, and the possible solution to each:

Data-Related Challenge 1 – Data Fragmentation

The swiftness of strategic decisions suffers the most when data is fragmented across files and sheets. The data currently residing in Excel is stored under different column headers and cannot be combined. Internal and external data reside separately, and pivots have to be repetitively extracted from each individual dataset to move further with the analysis.

Fragmented, unsynchronized datasets also affect the quality of insights derived. One reason we can think of is the sheer (and avoidable, as you will see in the solution) manual effort BMs put in, in bringing the data at one place to perform analysis on it.

Solution

We have a tailored method to organize your data. Explorazor by vPhrase Analytics is a data exploration platform built specifically for Brand Managers to query their data better and extract instant data cuts from it. What Explorazor does is combine all the datasets currently residing in Excel, and provide unified, single-view access for Brand Managers to explore. Examples of such datasets would be primary sales, secondary sales, Kantar, IQVIA, and more. 

Explorazor relieves Brand Managers from having to constantly switch between files and sheets to find relevant data cuts. Correlating reasons for market loss, estimating the right media budget spend, gauging discounting effectiveness, finding best-performing regions, etc. become much easier. We imagine that a seamless experience will encourage Brand Managers to explore further and deeper into event root causes, key focus areas, and other ad-hoc analyses.

Data-Related Challenge 2 – Data Standardization

Metric definition is the first hurdle in the data standardization process. What Nielsen defines as an Urban area and a Rural area and what internal company definitions for the same terms are, are mostly dissimilar. Information capturing done by field sales personnel contains numerous kinds of errors. The spellings are different, the name of a state is mentioned in a shorter form, capitalization issues, etc etc. 

Raw data standardization is a necessary prerequisite for efficient data analysis, and right now it is a task that Brand Managers would love to sweep off their table.

Solution

Our team at Explorazor ensures that all your data is modeled and standardized so data analysis can be conducted without having to worry about missing data points.

Redundant, duplicate, inaccurate, and irrelevant data is expelled, leaving a de-cluttered dataset that serves as a base for higher-quality analysis and insights extraction.

A clean dataset is also helpful when creating routine dashboards and presentations for senior management.     

Data-Related Challenge 3 – Large (and Clumsy) Data Dumps

The data dumps that Brand Managers work on are too large – Excel cannot output results fast on our laptops, as one would like. Loading – and ensuring that the data is saved – takes excessive time. An abundance of formula insertion slows the workbook down. 

Thinking about quick pivots? Think again. Then again, and then again, because your laptop is slow and you have lots of time on your hands…

Solution

Loading huge Excel files is no joke. To create pivots, and to create them now, is one of the prime reasons we believe a solution like Explorazor will go a long way in assisting Brand Managers save time. All data resides on servers and is accessible via a browser, so laptops breathe freely again. Brand Managers, using a simple search interface on Explorazor, can conduct ad-hoc analysis and test out hypotheses at accelerated speeds. 

If you want to take the pivots to Excel – permission granted. All pivots are downloadable as CSV files. Convert pivots into charts using simple customization options and pin them to pinboards. Each project within Explorazor allows its separate pinboard creation.

Explorazor is built for Brand Managers

Explorazor alleviates data-related challenges which Brand Managers face, as well as: 

  • Saves their time by taking the processing load off their laptops
  • Eases their data exploration journey by providing unified access to all their datasets
  • Enhances the quality of their insights by standardizing all current and incoming data
  • Increases their independence by letting them conduct ad-hoc analyses on their own, without over-reliance on BI/Insights teams 

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Modeling Basic FMCG KPIs in Excel

by adminin Brand Managers, Data Exploration, Excel, Explorazor, FMCG

This blog will introduce you to how Brand Managers model basic FMCG KPIs in Excel.

There are a lot of articles that touch upon the life of a Brand Manager and the various responsibilities they shoulder. Here we will put a microscope on just one of the numerous calculations that Brand Managers undertake, and learn how they find business improvement areas through data analysis.

If you are a Brand Manager, we recommend you skip to the end of this blog to ‘Basic FMCG Modeling Made Easy’ or read ‘Complementing Excel – How Brand Managers can Simplify Data Exploration and Analysis’.

Let us understand how to obtain Gross Margin, Net Margin, and Operational Profit. Arriving at these numbers helps Brand Managers analyze where they are losing their margin – is it at the production level, is it the cost of sales and marketing, or is it the head office costs? Brand Managers thus have a sense of direction to initiate further data exploration and make optimal, data-driven decisions.

Let’s begin:

Part 1 – Obtaining Net Margin

  1. Unit Gross Margin 

Unit Gross Margin Depends on two things – 

  1. The average price we are getting from the middlemen, or if we are directly selling to the customers, from them 
  2. Subtracting the unit production cost from this average price 

So Unit Gross Margin = Avg product price (say Rs. 70) minus its production cost (say Rs. 40) = Rs. 30

Note: The unit production cost is again dependent on two things – 

a. The total fixed cost divided by the total quantity produced, plus 

b. The unit variable cost

There are further sub-calculations in each component. For example, Total Fixed Cost (FC) includes salaries to be paid, which is typically generated as: taking the number of full-time employees or full-time equivalents (FTE), setting an average salary per FTE, and assuming some social securities as a percentage of the salary. The salary excludes the bonus earned by the employee.

  1. Gross Margin 

Once we have the unit gross margin and the total number of products sold, we get the Gross Margin easily enough.

Gross Margin = Unit Gross Margin x Total Products Sold

The Gross Margin will be calculated for various channels we are selling through, and a year-on-year, or month-on-month record will be maintained too.

As you can see, such calculations require Brand Managers to be detail-oriented, organized, knowledgeable and possess a deft hand at Excel.  

  1. Sales and Marketing Costs 

Obtaining the Gross Margin has covered the Production Cost. We have yet to factor in the sales and marketing costs, so let’s do that. Sales and marketing costs depend on the size of a brand’s market share. A bigger market share means we are selling more, which means that the costs attached to sales and marketing per unit is lesser. 

Marketing elements would include –

  • Social Media
  • TV ads (computed as the number of campaigns multiplied by the cost of 1 campaign)
  • Outdoor campaigns
  • Loyalty programs
  • Market research
  • Mailing

Components of cost of sales would be –

  • Salaries
  • External services (cars, phones, fuel, etc)
  • Materials & Energy
  • Other related services

These would be calculated for both retail chains where we supply directly as well as for the traditional stores that we reach via wholesalers.

  1. Net Margin

Part 2 – Obtaining Operational Profit

Deducting Head Office costs from the Net Margin gives us the Operational Profit. Head Office costs include –

  • Salaries
  • Material and Utilities
  • Maintenance
  • Rent (for offices and warehouses)
  • Depreciation and amortization of assets

Part 3 – Zooming Out

Converting all numbers into percentages for easier visual view, the final output would be like this:

Basic FMCG Modeling Made Easy

The above KPI modeling and profit calculation require a Brand Manager to continuously switch between multiple tabs and insert various formulae to get the figures. The same process can be augmented through Explorazor, our data exploration tool. 

Explorazor combines and hosts all datasets, for example, market research, internal sales, Nielsen data, etc. in an integrated manner. Brand Managers thus obtain a single view of the entire dataset. From there, they can extract data cuts instantly through a simple search function of using column names as keywords.  

Explorazor also allows 

  • Visualizing pivots as charts
  • Pinning the charts to a pinboard, and 
  • Downloading them as CSV files

Moreover, all data resides on servers and is accessible via a browser. Laptops are thus relieved from the burden of processing huge datasets. Brand Managers are further liberated when their reliance on BI teams is reduced. The acceleration of ad-hoc exploration is experienced immediately with Explorazor.

Explorazor is built for large enterprises, with single sign-on, row and column level security, data encryption, and on-cloud and on-premise availability.

Do you want to see other features added to Explorazor? Write to us at sales@vphrase.com. If you want to see the product in action, take an interactive Product Tour.

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4 Common Expectations that Brand Managers Have from A Data Exploration Tool

by adminin Brand Managers, Data Exploration, Excel, Explorazor, pivot

Excel is all-prevailing. A 2022 survey by Microbizmag estimates that Microsoft Productivity Services, which includes Excel, are used by 1.1 billion people on the planet. That’s approximately 1 in every 8 people alive. Launched in 1985, Excel is still the ultimate number-crunching tool today, with little competition. Capture data, mix-and-match, collaborate with colleagues on complex issues – Excel does it all. 

But there’s another part to it 

People do face some problems using Excel. It is tedious to delve into the seemingly never-ending maze of rows and columns, day in and day out. Many have to make do with that, but for Brand Managers, things can be simplified. 

There are solutions in the market that can help ease the daily operations of Brand Managers who use Excel to explore data and arrive at decisions. The proposal here is a data exploration platform that allows Brand Managers to mitigate Excel’s shortcomings, without having to completely revolutionize the way they work currently. 

Let’s approach this on an assumption that a Brand Manager is interested in such a tool, and naturally has certain expectations of it. Can the tool fulfill these expectations?

After speaking with many Brand Managers.. 

From top firms like Unilever, Abbott, SC Johnson, Asian Paints, and many others, we found the following 4 common expectations that Brand Managers have from such a data exploration platform if they are to consider using it:

1 – Brand Managers want data exploration on integrated datasets 

The planning and strategizing components are strenuous enough, in addition to the many other responsibilities BMs shoulder. They don’t need another tool to come in and create a mess; if they do go for a tool, it ought to simplify their routine activities.

Solution –  A method of simplifying data exploration that tools like Explorazor offer is the integration of multiple data sources under a single roof. Brand Managers would then no longer have to scour through multiple Excel sheets to find a singular piece of data. Simply hop on a platform that unifies all datasets, and extract the desired responses from it. 

2 – Brand Managers want the data exploration tool to respond quickly

A fair question that BMs would ask now is ‘How long will it take me to extract the right data points to obtain a response?’ 

The basis for such a question is that Excel typically hosts enormous volumes of data, and the whole process from data uploading to insights extraction is very slow. 

Solution – Explorazor’s simple search function yields real-time responses. Ask for any specific data cut simply by posing a question to the system, and a relevant chart/graph/table is readily presented. Since the whole dataset is integrated, one is already at the right place – there is no need to spend time finding the right sheet. 

One can download these data cuts as CSV files too if needed

3 – Brand Managers want pivot tables 

Not much needs to be said regarding pivot’s importance, and it’s perfectly safe to say that no tool would be worth its value if it doesn’t support pivots.

Solution – Create pivots on Explorazor by simply mentioning the column names you want a pivot on. Additionally, Explorazor’s pivot feature empowers Brand Managers to obtain cross-sectional data tables by using metrics from multiple data sources at a time.

4 – Brand Managers want a data exploration tool! (hidden expectation)

Brand Managers are incredibly busy, resourceful individuals who would love to have technology ease their daily tasks. 

Solution – Explorazor does not require a radical shift in the current working method of Brand Managers. It is just a unifying platform that brings together diverse data and analytics that drive value for an organization and seeks to simplify a Brand Manager’s data exploration journey as well.

Let’s Connect

Why not take some time to see Explorazor in action yourself? 

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