Rocky Watt, Director of Business Intelligence and Reporting“While gathering data is relatively easy, translating it into real-world decision-driving insights is a difficult process. Actionlink makes that process easier at all levels,” says Rocky Watt, director of business intelligence and reporting at ActionLink. “From field managers to executives, all levels of management have the corresponding information to truly become a ‘data-enabled’ organization.”
Equipped to handle various levels of retail management, it offers four core solutions that culminate in a well-integrated plan. Staff readiness provides a brand ambassador and training programs to equip associates with the knowledge they need to represent and sell client products effectively. Its store readiness solution unites merchandising and displays functionality and compliance requirements, creating an in-store environment that truly represents the brand.
This solution proved highly beneficial for a client who was on a contract with a key retailer. The contract specified areas within the store where their merchandise would be displayed, with store associates attending to customers regularly. ActionLink was brought in to perform an audit of the contract and analyze each activity.
It realized that a substantial amount of money was invested in managing key aspects like merchandising, functionality, and sales. However, correlating the actual sales data with the activities revealed that the main success drivers were functional and compliant displays. This helped the client significantly reduce the contract spend.
ActionLink also offers a shopper readiness solution, creating engaging experiences and consultative selling approaches that boost sales. Its strategic solutions provide interactive dashboards that help clients harness insights to improve program results.
Retailers often grapple with understanding the full scope of their market, with data integration and quality being major obstacles, especially for companies with diverse product categories and international footprints. Using information derived from partnerships with key data providers, ActionLink helps clients understand the evolving behavior patterns of shoppers. Its seamless reporting systems empower organizations to integrate data from diverse platforms into a unified view. With robust scalability and security features, it accommodates both small and large-scale deployments, meeting clients’ analytics requirements as their organizations expand.
By leveraging real-time data analytics, ActionLink enables clients to pivot and react to unexpected situations. Data gathered by the field teams and virtual representatives, including photos and videos, is made available to them for immediate consumption through reporting tools like PowerBI, with a quality control team ensuring data appropriateness at all times. Integration with Microsoft Azure and SharePoint services facilitates easy sharing of data among teams and devices, fostering collaboration among decision-makers. Complete transparency of data helps them keep a tab on the different activities carried out in real-time.
From field managers to executives, all levels of management have the corresponding information to truly become a ‘data-enabled’ organization
ActionLink’s ability to constantly evolve with the changing retail landscape helps it resonate with clients and serve them better. Content creators and training department leaders keep the team up to speed with the latest technologies. Its data engineering team, consisting of SQL database administrators, data engineers, custom developers, and API experts, excels in customizing dashboards and user interfaces while maintaining scalability.
As a transformative force in the world of retail data analytics, ActionLink continues to empower organizations to unlock the complete potential of their data. Its dynamic range of capabilities is an invaluable asset for partners and clients, propelling them toward success.
