Sales Performance Analysis

Overview

Used : Tools: Tableau

Project : Type : Data Preparation | Exploratory Data Analysis | Data Visualization

Relevant Links: Tableau |

Data Description

The dataset consists of 13,318 rows and multiple columns spread across four tables, offering a comprehensive view of sales performance and customer insights:

Products Table: Includes details about Product ID, Category, Sub-Category, and Product Name to analyze product sales and profitability.
Order Table: Tracks transactional data such as Order ID, Order Date, Ship Mode, Customer Segment, Sales, Quantity, Discount, and Profit for sales analysis.
Location Table: Provides geographical details like Postal Code, City, State, Region, and Country/Region for regional performance analysis.
Customer Table: Contains Customer ID and Customer Name for customer segmentation and behavior analysis.

Initial Questions

a. What are the year-over-year trends for sales, profit, and quantity metrics?
b. Which product subcategories drive the most and least sales and profits?
c. What are the weekly trends in sales and profit performance, and how can outliers (high and low-performing weeks) be explained?

Objectives

a. Understand Year-over-Year Performance: Identify growth patterns in sales, profit, and quantity compared to the previous year.
b. Analyze Subcategory Contributions: Evaluate sales and profit performance by product subcategories to identify top and bottom performers.
c. Examine Weekly Trends: Analyze weekly sales and profit trends to identify high and low-performing weeks and their contributing factors.

Insights

a. Year-over-Year Insights

a.1: Sales increased by 20.59%, with a significant 43.72% profit growth, indicating better cost management or higher margins.
a.2: Quantity growth (+26.83%) is consistent with sales growth, suggesting stable demand for products.

b. Subcategory Insights

b.1: High performers like Phones, Binders, and Storage likely contribute disproportionately to revenue and profit.
b.2: Low performers (Fasteners, Labels, Supplies) might have low demand or offer minimal profit margins, requiring reevaluation of their portfolio or pricing.

c. Weekly Trends Insights

c.1: Early weeks and Weeks 21 and 30 show below-average sales, likely due to low seasonal demand or operational inefficiencies.
c.2: Late-year weeks, especially Week 49, outperform average sales, likely driven by holiday season demand or targeted campaigns.

Recommendations

From Insight a: Focus on sustaining profit margins while driving sales volume further through targeted promotions and bundling strategies in growing segments.
From Insight b:
- Increase marketing and promotion for top-performing subcategories like Phones, Binders, and Storage to maintain momentum.
- Assess the viability of low-performing subcategories (Fasteners, Labels, Supplies) and consider repositioning, discontinuing, or redesigning these products.
From Insight c:
- Implement demand-forecasting models to anticipate low-performing weeks and introduce targeted discounts or campaigns during these periods.
- Capitalize on high-demand periods, such as late-year weeks, by ensuring inventory readiness, staffing optimization, and promotional offers tailored for the holiday season.