CxVG Owning the Numbers: Data-Driven Decisions

VALUABLE RESOURCES The quantity of materials on this topic would make for an insurmountable pile. To help you navigate through the masses, here are resources worthy of making your “must-read” list.

Myra Kressner Vision Group Network Co-Founder

James Maxey CxVG Facilitator

My secondary goal was to present some best visualization best practices. A few of these best practices are: 1. Selecting the best chart for the data you are presenting is important. This article does a great job of summarizing various types. 2. I personally prefer bar over column charts (unless you are looking at performance over time) because they are easier to read and compare values. 3. Pie charts are not encouraged because they can be cluttered and it’s difficult to compare categories. 4. Dashboards should be straightforward and only have three to five visualizations where the most important one is on the top left and moves the center. 5. There should be a text box on each visualiza- tion noting the most important data point. 6. If you create a visualization that does not have a specific metric to communicate, then it should be removed from the presentation.

After we completed the April 3rd meeting, I took a moment to look back on my career where I presented various

Another category manage- ment technology resource is the Association of Retail and

Consumer Professionals (ARC) , which includes the Category Management Association (CMA) and Shopper Insights Management Association (SIMA). According to CMA/SIMA, “While category man- agement focuses on assortment, pricing, and placement, shopper insights add a deeper layer of understanding, ensuring strategies are aligned with real consumer behavior. Having dedicated technology solutions, training, and resources for shopper insights ensures that both functions can operate with precision, driv- ing better business outcomes through integrat- ed, data-driven decisions.” The ARC Master Community is a hub is for shar- ing, connection and leadership across the retail and consumer landscape with members in over 20 countries.

charts and matrices to communicate depart- ment or category performance. During this reflection I realized how much has changed in both technology and focus. Babir’s presentation effectively demonstrated how he has embraced his data and the tools available to motivate/ reward employees ultimately improving the business performance. The goal of my presen- tation was to demonstrate some of Tableau’s functionality and some interesting potential convenience store demonstrations. It is so important to have effective visualizations to drive business decisions. There’s an interest- ing article from Deloitte regarding five benefits of visualization .