The planogram is generally left at the store as a model for setting up the dairy product displays in the most aesthetic manner possible. To have the appropriate ammunition to make a convincing case for certain product positioning at a particular store, marketing needs to know the volume of different products and how they're selling, so they can advise the grocery manager of more effective product positioning. Or, by the same token, perhaps the grocer keeps running out of product, which would justify more shelf space with both the grocer and Dean earning more profits. Marketing is also using DataTracker to track how well an advertising campaign may be working for a new product. According to Kieffer, the sales department has reaped the most gains from DataTracker, particularly in analyzing and identifying low-profit products and customers.
Sales can then react immediately to rectify the situation.
Simply being able to analyze and identify the 10 least profitable SKUs can add a significant profit to a division's bottom line each year. Before DataTracker, my controller and I spent more than three weeks manually trying to find a problem relating to distribution and promotion programs with one of our customers. Once the problem was corrected, it brought a sizable impact to the bottom line. If we had DataTracker at this time, we would have eliminated weeks of manual investigation and found the problem with a click of the mouse. Dean Foods plans to roll out DataTracker company-wide very soon.