Consumer Packaged Goods

In the competitive CPG sector, category managers need to have accurate, up-to-date information on customer preferences, so that the manager can quickly adapt to their changing demands. AWhere enables managers to gather information on the trends in the marketplace and come up with innovative products or marketing in anticipation of customer's changing demands. AWhere can also help managers to be better informed about actions that a company's competitors are taking. As well, AWhere can help category managers share selected strategic information with business partners and their suppliers.

AWhere is category intelligence software that creates maps from point of sale data - spreadsheets or databases and then mashes it up with data from census, syndicated data, supply chain, marketing, weather and merchandising. AWhere was designed for the category managers, who understood their data but did not have the tools to visualize and compare it with other consumer, loyalty, % ACV, or sales data. By rendering the data in a manner that makes it practical, it can more effectively shape strategic planning and execution.

AWhere can enable category managers to make more informed business decisions, and give a company a competitive advantage. AWhere is used to improve the timeliness and quality of information and enable managers to better understand the position of brands in comparison to its competitors. The manager can begin to ask better questions about category performance. What products should I promote and where? Why do some products sell better than others based on location? Where would a new product gain sales traction most rapidly?

A category manager could use AWhere to extrapolate information from indicators in the external environment and analyze age and household income data to forecast the future trends in their category. Ongoing category sales success is often predicated on identifying the location and densities of target consumers. The visual representation of census data immediately show gaps in sales coverage where opportunities are not being leveraged based on the concentrated location of target consumers.

If you are trying to visualize your data using spreadsheets or plain charting; then you should see the power of spatial data visualization. You can’t react to your information if you can’t easily see the information locked up in your data. Spatial visualization for consumer data, store level sales or buying trends immediately allows you to make specific decisions that maximize margin and actual sales revenue.

AWhere can help companies analyze the following: changing trends in market share, changes in customer behavior and spending patterns, customers' preferences, company capabilities and market conditions. AWhere can be used to help analysts and managers determine which adjustments are most likely to affect trends. AWhere can also be designed to provide managers with information on the state of economic trends or marketplace factors, or to provide managers with in depth knowledge about the internal operations of a business.

The value AWhere provides revolves around the ability to leverage location intelligence for faster, highly effective and more profitable decision-making. Combining business data with customer loyalty information enables category decision-makers to track marketing effectiveness, discover trends, identify patterns, manage inventory supply chain and visually analyze business metrics.

AWhere can help companies develop consistent and "data-based" business decisions--producing better results than basing decisions on "guesswork." In addition, AWhere can enhance communication among departments, coordinate activities, and enable companies to respond more quickly to changes (e.g., in financial conditions, customer preferences, supply chain operations, etc.). Having access to timely and accurate information is an important resource for a company, which can expedite decision-making and improve customers' experience.

Spatial visualization for store level sales or causal data trends immediately calls out specific trends such as out of stocks, missing distribution or gaps between expected sales and actual sales. AWhere features a short learning curve, an affordable price point, and easy team collaboration, as a user can map their data and then share the map along with all related data as interactive My Maps™ with other members of the team.

AWhere can provides a comprehensive examination of all major components of marketing strategy and their integration. By utilizing AWhere, category managers can enhance their category’s profitability and marketplace position. Managers can examine the elements of marketing strategy, such as a market-focused culture, consumer and competitor analysis, value delivery, channel design, pricing, relationship management, brand management, and marketing communication. AWhere integrates these core elements to create a cohesive marketing strategy within the context of an effective overall business strategy.