Competition - Analyzing Sales Data in Alteryx

Analyzing Sales Data in Alteryx

📖 Background

Test your Alteryx skills on four real-world datasets focusing on retail sales data. Using Alteryx Designer, you'll prepare, blend, and analyze data to answer questions about sales trends and performance. This will help you to identify key drivers of sales success, enabling informed business decisions and strategic planning.

Make sure to check out these Alteryx courses to help you get started.

If you need to download Alteryx to your computer, you can get the trial version here.

Use this Datalab workbook to download the data and import it in Alteryx Designer on your machine. When you're finished, share your work by attaching your .yzxp file to this workbook. To do so, click File > Show workbook files, and then upload the file.

💾 The data

The data consists of four tables:

• Customer Orders-East: individiual orders from Eastern states
• Customer Orders-West: individiual orders from Western states
• Order details: information on each order ID, including the sales price, number of items ordered, and the product category
• Regions: information on states and their corresponding region

More information about each table can be found here.

➡️ The data can be downloaded from the Files section: click File > Show workbook files.

1. Using Alteryx Designer, create workflows to answer the following questions:

• What were the 10 most profitable orders?
• What day of the week is most profitable, and by how much?
• How do the profits vary by category and region?
• What sub-categories contributed to the most profit in each category?

📷 Dashboard screenshot

🧾 Executive summary

Executive Summary: Profitability Analysis of Customer Orders

This analysis focuses on identifying key profitability trends from customer orders across different regions, product categories, and order dates. Using data from various sources (customer orders, product details, and regional information), the following insights were derived through an Alteryx workflow:

Key Findings:

1. Top 10 Most Profitable Orders: The 10 most profitable orders were identified by calculating the profit for each order, determined by the formula:

   {Profit} = ({Sale Price} - {Cost per Item}) * {Order Quantities}

   These orders generated significantly higher profits due to high order quantities or high-value products.

2. Most Profitable Day of the Week: An analysis of the profitability by day of the week revealed that Wednesday generated the most profit, driven by higher sales volume or higher-priced orders on that day. This insight can help optimize marketing and sales strategies to focus efforts on high-traffic days.

3. Profit by Category and Region:

   • Electronics and Furniture were the most profitable categories, with substantial contributions from both. -Midwest emerged as the most profitable region, showcasing potential geographic advantages or customer preferences within that area. -The results highlight that certain regions may offer untapped potential for specific product categories. st

4. Sub-category Contributions to Profit: Each product category was analyzed to determine the sub-categories contributing most to profitability. Notably:

   • Bookcases (Furniture) and Printers (Electronics) were the top contributors in their respective categories, indicating strong consumer demand for these products. This information can guide product-level sales strategies and inventory management to focus on high-performing sub-categories.

Recommendations:

Focus Marketing on High-Profit Days: Increase promotional activities and inventory availability on the most profitable day of the week to maximize sales potential. Tailor Strategies by Region: Leverage the profitability insights by region to target specific products and enhance regional marketing efforts. Optimize Product Mix: Prioritize high-profit sub-categories like Bookcases and Electronic Games to align with consumer demand and boost profitability.

This analysis provides a comprehensive view of profitability across different dimensions, offering actionable insights to enhance sales strategies, optimize inventory, and improve overall business performance.

🌐 Upload your Alteryx file

Upload your .yzxp file by clicking File > Show workbook files, and then upload the file.

✍️ Judging criteria

🏆 The winners will receive Alteryx SWAG!

⌛️ Time is ticking. Good luck!