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Tidemark Planning
and Analytics for Retail


Bridging Finance and Operations with SKU Level
Forecasting and Analysis for Better Profitability

As a Fortune 500 retail chain with hundreds of stores nationwide, this fast-growing chain struggled with its planning platform. Their system exported data from a legacy system into macro-filled Excel workbooks. The process was slow, complex and difficult to administer.

To solve this issue, the retailer replaced its planning platform with Tidemark. Tidemark's modern cloud architecture allowed for greater processing power so users could analyze more data faster. In addition to more processing power, the platform's intuitive user experience and ability to work on any device gave store managers greater insight and allowed them to be self-sufficient. Managers could see real-time data and analyze profitability and purchasing at the SKU level.

This retail chain now has data available in a single system. Actual-to-variance reporting has improved dramatically which has given managers a better understanding of what's selling, what isn't, and where potential profit is hiding at a near real-time basis. In addition to greater insight, forecasts take less time and effort to produce and finalize.

Why not Cubes? Watch Short Video

 
 

How is Tidemark is Different?

Tidemark's modern cloud architecture allows for unlimited dimensionality. This allows you to drill down to near real-time SKU-level data rather than work off outdated summary level transactions. Tidemark's intuitive user interface fosters collaboration between decision makers to ultimately act on the story behind the numbers.

Tidemark

Processing Power

  • Uses Apache Hadoop to process large data sets across clusters of computers
  • Leverages Spark to power high-level tools for predictive and machine learning capabilities

Unlimited Dimensionality

  • Access to as many CPU's and as much memory you want so you can analyze detailed data rather than summaries or subsets

Granular Analysis

  • Get to the low level detail in a data warehouse efficiently

User Experience and Process Framework

  • Expose all information with a mobile first user interface that gives finance the control they need to execute on data-driven plans

vs.

Legacy

Not Enough Processing Power

  • Can't work with hundreds of millions of records in a data warehouse

Summary Level Transactions

  • Data is not a fully comprehensive view of what's happening within the organization

Rigid

  • Can only work with the structure provided
  • Changes in the hierarchy can take a very long time

Excel-Based User Interface

  • Does not account for real-time data and collaboration is difficult (users can't share or contribute efficiently)

Packaged Processes Specifically for Retail Planning and Analytics


Store Planning & Analysis

  • Get access to transparent reporting of financial results at the region and store levels.
  • Understand performance by store and region to better identify variables that affect different geographical customer relationships.
  • Quickly make adjustments to promotions and stocking at the store level.


Merchandise Planning & Department Analysis

  • Drill down to the department and SKU level to understand what products are contributing to overall sales.
  • Understand sales volume forecasts and breakdowns by category to adjust product promotions, placement and inventory forecasts.
  • Understand the make up of Unit Cost Price calculations to improve margin and/or cut prices to increase competitiveness. 

 

 

People Planning

  • Track current and planned headcount budgets across departments.
  • Analyze payroll, benefits and tax to pinpoint variables that affect performance.
  • Plan benefits and merit increases.
  • Leverage predictive modeling to see where to hire and retain, what skills to improve, and how wage and merit changes impact business performance.

Tidemark Applications