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Google Cloud Platform > Case Studies > Looker Helps ThredUp Drive Operational Efficiencies and Business Process Innovations
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Looker Helps ThredUp Drive Operational Efficiencies and Business Process Innovations

Technology Category
  • Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries
  • Retail
Applicable Functions
  • Logistics & Transportation
  • Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
  • Inventory Management
  • Supply Chain Visibility
Services
  • Data Science Services
The Challenge
ThredUp, an online consignment shop, faced challenges in managing its complex data environment. As a large-scale aggregator of used one-off clothing items, they had a huge number of SKUs and a very broad supply chain. The company's distribution center collected information as clothes were inspected, itemized, categorized, packed, and shipped. By analyzing that data and integrating it with sales and marketing data, company management could discover which types of inventory were most valuable, how best to ensure quality, and how to increase transactional volume. However, their existing data management system lacked the power and flexibility to grow with the business. They needed a business intelligence system that could provide full, real-time analytics to anyone with an account login and would enable users to collaborate on iterative exploration of a shared data repository.
About The Customer
ThredUp is an online consignment shop that sells “practically new” clothing. Based in San Francisco, the company is dedicated to helping busy people while building sustainable clothing practices. ThredUp’s success depends on efficient inventory management, from the moment they acquire a piece of clothing to the moment they deliver it to a customer. Its executives are nimble, and the business has thrived thanks to their ability to adapt. However, until recently, the company’s data management system lacked the power and flexibility to grow with the business. ThredUp has an extremely complex data environment. As a large-scale aggregator of used one-off clothing items, they have a huge number of SKUs and a very broad supply chain — so data is critical to their success.
The Solution
ThredUp implemented the Looker business intelligence (BI) platform to improve its ability to streamline logistics and track clothing through the sales process. The Looker platform demonstrated that it could provide full, real-time analytics to anyone with an account login and would enable users to collaborate on iterative exploration of a shared data repository. Looker also proved it could work with ThredUp’s existing data processes and that the technology would adapt to any process changes as the business grows. By implementing the Looker BI platform, ThredUp knew it could cut down on the resources needed to extract insight from its data. And by speeding up the analysis process, the company could gain significant flexibility to act on data-driven insights and improve business results.
Operational Impact
  • ThredUp can now track and analyze collectively the variables that impact operational efficiency and overall productivity.
  • Inventory managers use Looker to evaluate performance against metrics for each processing station in its distribution center, enabling them to quickly make changes to improve outcomes.
  • The company generates regular productivity reports, maintains a dashboard of activity, and distributes weekly awards in its warehouse to create incentive among employees.

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