Case Studies Top supermarket chain gains insight and boosts profitability with Microsoft Power BI

Edit This Case Study Record

	Top supermarket chain gains insight and boosts profitability with Microsoft Power BI

Top supermarket chain gains insight and boosts profitability with Microsoft Power BI

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Data Management Platforms
Applicable Industries	Retail
Applicable Functions	Business Operation Sales & Marketing
Use Cases	Real-Time Location System (RTLS) Remote Asset Management
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services Data Science Services System Integration
Challenge	Meijer, a major regional supercenter chain, faced challenges in understanding operational performance and customer behavior due to aggressive competition, hundreds of stores, and a wide range of products. The company had a wealth of data but lacked a consistent way to tap into it across the organization. Meijer used various technologies, including a data warehouse based on Teradata, a homegrown BI tool, and reporting software from other vendors. However, business users heavily relied on IT to extract insights from data, leading to delays and inefficiencies. Marilyn Richards, Director of Business Intelligence and Collaboration at Meijer, aimed to create a more self-sufficient environment where business customers could access relevant and timely reporting without waiting for IT to build every report. Read More
About Customer	Meijer is a major regional supercenter chain based in Walker, Michigan, with 230 stores across six states. The company is one of America's largest private companies and has a long history of innovation, including the introduction of the modern supercenter over 50 years ago. Meijer stores offer a wide range of products, including groceries, gasoline, electronics, and pet supplies. Each supercenter includes a pharmacy, and most also feature a gas station. The company has a strong focus on leveraging data to maintain its competitive edge in a challenging retail environment characterized by economic fluctuations, online competitors, and changing consumer lifestyles. Read More
Solution	Meijer decided to transform its BI capabilities by leveraging Microsoft Power BI, SQL Server Analysis Services, and Excel. The company teamed up with Microsoft BI partner obviEnce to kick off the project. Power BI connects to an on-premises SQL Server Analysis Services cube containing 20 billion rows of data refreshed in near-real time. This setup provides store directors with insights into massive volumes of data, including sales across regions, stores, and individual departments, in less than two seconds. The new hybrid-cloud platform, still in the pilot phase, has already shown impressive results. For example, the bakery department used Power BI to compare its sales with regional performance, identifying opportunities to boost profits. The next step is to extend Power BI and Office 365 companywide, providing access to the latest version of Excel and integrating with existing infrastructure, including Teradata and SQL Server. Meijer also plans to use Microsoft Azure Machine Learning with Power BI for predictive analytics and real-time alerts. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Data Management Platforms

Applicable Industries

Retail

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Real-Time Location System (RTLS)

Remote Asset Management

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

Data Science Services

System Integration

Challenge

Meijer, a major regional supercenter chain, faced challenges in understanding operational performance and customer behavior due to aggressive competition, hundreds of stores, and a wide range of products. The company had a wealth of data but lacked a consistent way to tap into it across the organization. Meijer used various technologies, including a data warehouse based on Teradata, a homegrown BI tool, and reporting software from other vendors. However, business users heavily relied on IT to extract insights from data, leading to delays and inefficiencies. Marilyn Richards, Director of Business Intelligence and Collaboration at Meijer, aimed to create a more self-sufficient environment where business customers could access relevant and timely reporting without waiting for IT to build every report.

About Customer

Meijer is a major regional supercenter chain based in Walker, Michigan, with 230 stores across six states. The company is one of America's largest private companies and has a long history of innovation, including the introduction of the modern supercenter over 50 years ago. Meijer stores offer a wide range of products, including groceries, gasoline, electronics, and pet supplies. Each supercenter includes a pharmacy, and most also feature a gas station. The company has a strong focus on leveraging data to maintain its competitive edge in a challenging retail environment characterized by economic fluctuations, online competitors, and changing consumer lifestyles.

Solution

Meijer decided to transform its BI capabilities by leveraging Microsoft Power BI, SQL Server Analysis Services, and Excel. The company teamed up with Microsoft BI partner obviEnce to kick off the project. Power BI connects to an on-premises SQL Server Analysis Services cube containing 20 billion rows of data refreshed in near-real time. This setup provides store directors with insights into massive volumes of data, including sales across regions, stores, and individual departments, in less than two seconds. The new hybrid-cloud platform, still in the pilot phase, has already shown impressive results. For example, the bakery department used Power BI to compare its sales with regional performance, identifying opportunities to boost profits. The next step is to extend Power BI and Office 365 companywide, providing access to the latest version of Excel and integrating with existing infrastructure, including Teradata and SQL Server. Meijer also plans to use Microsoft Azure Machine Learning with Power BI for predictive analytics and real-time alerts.

Impact #1	Meijer employees can now perform ad-hoc analysis and generate reports without relying on IT, leading to faster decision-making.
Impact #2	The bakery department identified opportunities to boost profits by comparing sales with regional performance using Power BI.
Impact #3	The new solution allows store directors to gain insights into massive volumes of data in less than two seconds.

Impact #1

Meijer employees can now perform ad-hoc analysis and generate reports without relying on IT, leading to faster decision-making.

Impact #2

The bakery department identified opportunities to boost profits by comparing sales with regional performance using Power BI.

Impact #3

The new solution allows store directors to gain insights into massive volumes of data in less than two seconds.

Benefit #1	During the Memorial Day holiday, the bakery department increased profits by more than 40% on cookies.

Benefit #1

During the Memorial Day holiday, the bakery department increased profits by more than 40% on cookies.

Download PDF Version

Overview

Top supermarket chain gains insight and boosts profitability with Microsoft Power BI

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit