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IBM > Case Studies > Delivering a boost to profit margins with new insight into customers
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Delivering a boost to profit margins with new insight into customers

Technology Category
  • Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries
  • Food & Beverage
Applicable Functions
  • Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
  • Predictive Replenishment
Services
  • Data Science Services
The Challenge
The Hershey Company in Brazil (Hershey’s Brazil) faces stiff competition from local chocolate manufacturers. To maximize sales to its customers—primarily food retailers and wholesalers—Hershey’s Brazil sought a better way to capture customer-specific data, such as profit-and-loss information and local patterns in demand, and use the insight to shape more effective sales strategies. Hershey’s Brazil wanted to better understand its customers in order to make the best business decisions and increase sales.
About The Customer
The Hershey Company, commonly referred to as Hershey’s, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America and one of the top ten largest chocolate manufacturers worldwide. It was founded in 1894 and its products are sold in around 90 countries. The Hershey Company in Brazil (Hershey’s Brazil) faces stiff competition from local chocolate manufacturers. To maximize sales to its customers—primarily food retailers and wholesalers—Hershey’s Brazil sought a better way to capture customer-specific data, such as profit-and-loss information and local patterns in demand, and use the insight to shape more effective sales strategies.
The Solution
Hershey’s Brazil sought a solution that would allow it to compete at its best in the challenging Brazilian marketplace. They chose to work with CTI Global, a local IBM Business Partner, as they felt they could provide them with a good solution, great expertise and valuable knowledge transfer. Their experience of implementing similar solutions for other large enterprises in Brazil was another key selling point for them. With IBM Cognos TM1, Hershey’s Brazil can drill down into sales data to determine the best price point for each customer, in each region of Brazil.
Operational Impact
  • Hershey’s Brazil has been able to change its planning calendar, moving from an annual budgeting process to a more flexible, real-time monthly budgeting process.
  • In the future, Hershey’s Brazil intends to expand the use of the IBM solution to cover cash-flow management, costs, and the sales and operations planning process.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Increases profit margins with optimized sales performance
  • Drives faster, more informed decision-making, boosting sales effectiveness
  • Sharpens competitiveness, helping the company gain valuable market share

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