You are a business analyst at a retail company which has been experiencing stagnant sales over the past year. The company collects data from various sources and the management team is keen to leverage this data to identify opportunities for improvement. Based on this scenario, which of the following proposals would best utilize business intelligence to help this firm improve sales and customer satisfaction?

Question

You are a business analyst at a retail company which has been experiencing stagnant sales over the past year. The company collects data from various sources and the management team is keen to leverage this data to identify opportunities for improvement. Based on this scenario, which of the following proposals would best utilize business intelligence to help this firm improve sales and customer satisfaction?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

We start by understanding the scenario: a retail company with stagnant sales seeks to leverage data through business intelligence to uncover opportunities for improvement.
Option 1: Implement a real-time transaction processing system to speed up check-out times both online and in physical stores. While faster checkout can enhance the customer experience and may have a downstream sales impact, this option focuses on operational efficiency at the point of sale rather than leveraging integrated data to uncover trends, customer preferences, or broader opportunities for growth. It’s more about process efficiency than BI-driven insight.
Option 2: Develop a BI dashboard that consolidates sales data, customer feedback, and social media interactions to identify trends, customer preferences, and areas needing improvement. This choice directly aligns with the purpose of business intelligence: aggregating disparate data sources to reveal actionable insights about performance, customer sentiment, and market signals. By combining sales figures with feedback and social signals, the firm can detect patterns, segment customers, and prioritize initiatives to boost sales and satisfaction.
Option 3: Upgrade the company's network infrastructure to ensure faster data transfer rates between stores and the central office. Improvements in network speed are valuable for data reliability and responsiveness, but they are a foundational IT capability rather than a BI-enabled strategy. On their own, faster networks do not automatically translate into insights or targeted actions for increasing sales or improving customer satisfaction.
Option 4: Increase the social media advertising budget to boost online sales and brand visibility. While this may influence sales, it represents a marketing tactic rather than a BI-driven approach. It does not inherently involve analyzing data across sales, feedback, and social channels to illuminate root causes or opportunities for improvement; it’s more about expenditure and reach than integrated data-driven decision making.
In summary, option 2 stands out because it embodies the core function of business intelligence: integrating multiple data streams to reveal insights that inform strategic improvements in sales and customer experience, whereas the other options address related but narrower aspects (operational speed, infrastructure, or marketing spend) without leveraging BI analytics in a holistic way.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Which of the following is NOT one of the advantages of using business intelligence?

Managers can use BI to answer tough business questions. Which of the following describes the value of knowing where the business has been?

Which of the following are considered power users of business intelligence?

Business intelligence (BI) is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data sets to help enterprise users make better business decisions.

Which form of BI uses real-time metrics for its data?

What types of BI decisions include forecasting claim amounts, medical coverage costs, classifying the most important elements that affect medical coverage to predicting which customers will buy new insurance policies?

Business intelligence applications are used to gather information on competitors and their suppliers.

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler