Making Sense of Retail Link Data

Retail Link is an internet based tool created by Wal-Mart, which allows suppliers to access point of sale data and other important information. The benefits of analyzing sales data cannot be overstated – there are case studies documenting sales increase by more than 40% per SKU.

But using Retail Link data can be a challenge. A user must navigate the system, find the correct data, download the data and then create an actionable report. This is a lot of work. Especially if you have a dozen other retail customers who make the same data available. Retail Link users consistently praise the benefits of having access to the raw data, but complain that  they do not have the time or tools to turn the data into action. This is now changing with the availability of Accelerated Analytics®.

According to an article written by Mike Troy and published in DSN Retailing Today, Retail Link has approximately 100,000 registered users, who work at 40,000 companies and run 350,000 weekly queries. Retail Link contains over 583 terabytes of data over 104 weeks. “Use Retail Link and it will grow your business at Wal-Mart, “says Dan Phillips Wal-Mart’s VP of Merchandizing Systems.

In fact, Retail Link is so sophisticated, about 50 user groups have been formed in the U.S. as an ad-hoc training and support tool. And several third party vendors provide end user training seminars on how to use Retail Link effectively.

Fortunately, now there is a tool you can use to fully gain the benefits of Retail Link, while at the same time, dramatically lowering costs.

Accelerated Analytics® can automate all of your Retail Link tasks. Accelerated Analytics® will provide automated data downloads, pre-formatted reports, exception highlighting and an executive dashboard. Plus, using Accelerated Analytics® your entire team can collaborate in real-time on the same set of reports.

Best of all, Accelerated Analytics® will allow you to combine ALL of your retail customer’s data. Imagine a single report or dashboard with JC Penny’s, Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, all on one report. And because Accelerated Analytics® is a hosted service, there is no software or hardware to purchase. We can have you up and running in a matter of days for a low monthly fee.