mrezafd/da-analyzing-sales-and-profits-trends-at-superstore

This repository presents a comprehensive analysis of Superstore, a fictional retail company in the United States, covering the period from 2014 to 2017. Leveraging SQL queries and Looker Studio for visualization.

Analyzing Sales and Profits Trends at Superstore (2014–2017) Using SQL and Looker Studio

Introduction

Superstore is a fictional retail company based in the United States, specializing in the sale of Furniture, Office Supplies, and Technology products. This repository contains an in-depth analysis of Super Store’s sales and profits trends from 2014 to 2017, utilizing SQL queries and Looker Studio for visualization.

Dataset

The dataset used for this analysis is publicly accessible on Kaggle through here. It comprises 9,995 rows of data spanning a four-year period, from January 3, 2014, to January 5, 2018. The dataset includes information on customers, orders, products, sales, and profits.

Business Objectives

1. Strategies to Maximize Profitability: Explore ways to improve profit optimization tactics.
2. Uncovering Emerging Trends: Identify and understand the latest trends in the retail industry.
3. Turning Insights into Action: Discuss how to effectively utilize insights to create actionable recommendations.

Analysis Highlights

1. What are the total sales and total profits of each year?

• Key Insights: The business experienced consistent growth in sales and profits from 2014 to 2017.

2. Which Category is Best Selling and Most Profitable?

• Key Insights: "Technology" emerged as the best-selling and most profitable category.

3. Top Selling Sub-Categories

• Key Insights: Identified profitable sub-categories and areas for potential improvement.

4. Most Profitable Customer Segments

• Key Insights: "Home Office" and "Corporate" segments showed higher profit margins.

5. Preferred Ship Mode

• Key Insights: "Standard Class" was the most commonly used shipping mode.

6. Regional Profitability

• Key Insights: "West" region led in sales, but "East" region had a slightly higher profit margin.

7. City-Level Sales Analysis

• Key Insights: Identified major revenue-generating cities and growth opportunities in smaller cities.

8. Product Profitability

• Key Insights: Highlighted top-performing products and areas for cost optimization.

Deliverables

1. Business Objective Overview: A concise explanation of primary goals.
2. Thorough Documentation: Detailed documentation of data cleaning, manipulation, and analysis.
3. Informative Dashboard: A visually engaging dashboard featuring key visualizations and discoveries.
4. Practical Recommendations: Actionable recommendations stemming from the insights and analyses presented.

Conclusion

The analysis of the business’s performance over the years, product categories, sub-categories, customer segments, shipping modes, regions, cities, and individual products has provided valuable insights into its operations and profitability. Here are some key findings:

1. Profit Growth: The business has exhibited consistent growth in both sales and profits from 2014 to 2017. This demonstrates its ability to expand its market presence and financial performance over time.

2. Category and Profitability:| “Technology” emerges as the best-selling category with “Office Supplies” as a close contender. However, “Technology” and “Office Supplies” also prove to be the most profitable categories, indicating the potential for maximizing profitability in these segments.

3. Sub-Category Analysis: Some office supplies sub-categories like “Labels,” “Paper,” and “Envelopes” show high profit margins, while others like “Tables” and “Bookcases” exhibit negative margins, suggesting opportunities for cost management and optimization.

4. Customer Segment Insights : While “Consumer” accounts for the highest sales, “Home Office” and “Corporate” segments are more profitable, highlighting the importance of understanding profit margins within specific customer segments.

5. Preferred Ship Mode: “Standard Class” is the most commonly used shipping mode, indicating its popularity and cost-effectiveness. This information can guide logistics optimization.

6. Regional Performance: The “West” region leads in both sales and quantity, but the “East” region has a slightly higher profit margin, emphasizing the need for efficient cost management. “Central” lags behind with the lowest profit margin.

7. City-Level Analysis: Major cities like New York City and Los Angeles contribute significantly to sales, while smaller cities present growth opportunities. Understanding the local market dynamics is crucial for expansion.

8. Product Profitability: The “Canon imageCLASS 2200 Advanced Copier” and “Fellowes PB500 Electric Punch Plastic Comb Binding Machine with Manual Bind” are top-performing products, while some products like the “Zebra ZM400 Thermal Label Printer” may require cost optimization.

Recommendations

1. Profitability Maximization Strategies:

   • Focus on increasing sales within the "Technology" and "Office Supplies" categories.
   • Implement cost control measures in sub-categories with negative profit margins.
   • Explore pricing strategies and product bundling to maximize profit margins on key products.
   • Consider diversifying the product portfolio with high-margin offerings.

2. Trend Identification:

   • Stay updated on industry trends in office equipment and supplies to remain competitive.
   • Invest in research and development to align product offerings with emerging market trends, such as eco-friendly office supplies or remote work solutions.

3. Actionable Insights Utilization:

   • Create targeted marketing campaigns and promotions to cater to the “Home Office” and “Corporate” customer segments, focusing on high-margin products.
   • Optimize logistics and inventory management based on the popularity of “Standard Class” shipping.
   • Explore expansion opportunities in cities with higher sales potential, like Seattle and San Francisco.
   • Conduct a detailed cost analysis of products with lower profit margins to identify areas for improvement.
   • Optimize logistics based on the popularity of "Standard Class" shipping.

If you're interested in seeing a more insightful Dashboard analysis of the superstore, you can click HERE.