ARBIS CategoryInsights
Retail Analytics & Category Management
A harmonized, reliable database for retailer, panel, and eCommerce data, serving as the foundation for fact-based decisions.
- Sustainably secure data quality
- Significantly reduce manual effort
- Strengthen negotiation power with retailers
Reference:
What is ARBIS CategoryInsights?
In practice, inconsistent formats, calendar discrepancies, and manual processes often hinder sound decision-making in Category Management. ARBIS CategoryInsights solves this by providing a harmonized, uniform database. Retailer, panel, and eCommerce data are consolidated, quality-assured, and delivered in a structured format.
- Informed Decision-Making: Creates a reliable foundation for assortment optimization, performance comparisons, and post-promotion analysis—all without manual effort.
- Efficient Data Harmonization: Standardizes heterogeneous sell-out and distribution data across various retailers, channels, and timeframes for maximum comparability.
- Quality-Assured Foundation: Combines automated processes with expert oversight from ARBIS specialists to guarantee a stable data source, even when retailer reporting logics change.
Market Analysis & Strategy
The Challenge:
Inconsistent data structures hinder strategic management:
- Varying reporting frequencies and deviating retailer calendar logics.
- Manual workarounds in complex Excel files instead of a clean database.
- High time expenditure for data preparation rather than analysis and action.
- Lack of comparability leads to slower and uncertain assortment decisions.
Currently, a significant portion of working hours is spent manually processing heterogeneous data sources, which severely limits the significance of performance comparisons and negotiations.
The Solution:
Central Data Hub with ARBIS CategoryInsights
ARBIS CategoryInsights acts as a central data hub for retailer, panel, and eCommerce data. The solution handles not only technical integration but also the essential service of creating a consistent decision-making basis from heterogeneous sources.
Data is continuously sourced, harmonized, and quality-assured. Where automated interfaces are missing, ARBIS experts perform the categorization professionally. This additional quality layer is an integral component, as it actively detects and compensates for changes in retailer logics or structures. This ensures your database remains stable and comparable, while users can work flexibly within custom dashboards, reports, or structured Excel exports.
Reduced Manual Effort
Better Decision-Making
Valid Comparisons
Internal Synergies
Stronger Argumentation
Measurable Added Value
ARBIS CategoryInsights creates transparency and efficiency across the entire value chain. By harmonizing heterogeneous data sources, companies achieve significant improvements in both daily operations and strategic planning:
- Significant Reduction in Manual Preparation Recurring Excel merges, pivot logics, and individual workarounds are eliminated in favor of a consistent database.
- Reliable Performance Comparisons Unified time logics and hierarchies enable valid comparisons across retailers, channels, and timeframes.
- Optimized Argumentation & Decision-Making Key Account Managers access verified figures, creating a solid foundation for well-founded assortment and listing decisions.
- Clean Post-Promotion Analysis Promotional periods and their effects can be analyzed precisely, without distortions caused by calendar discrepancies or inconsistent formats.
- Reduced Internal Coordination Effort A shared data source reduces parallel files, version conflicts, and inquiries between Category Management and KAM.
- Scalability Without Extra Effort Adding further retailers or categories does not proportionally increase manual workload; the data logic remains stable and extensible.
Selected Features
Cross-Retailer Data Harmonization
CategoryInsights consolidates sell-out, distribution, and eCommerce data from various retailer sources into a uniform structure. Deviating formats, different levels of granularity, and heterogeneous attribute logics are systematically standardized, making data comparable across retailers, channels, and timeframes.
Quality-Assured Data Maintenance
Data processing combines semi-automated workflows with professional oversight by our experienced team of experts (30 years of industry know-how). Changes in retailer logic or data formats are actively detected and addressed. This additional quality layer ensures that a reliable database is maintained, even when retailer data is incomplete or changing.
Product and Category Hierarchies
The tool supports leading retailer or panel hierarchies as well as customer-specific product structures. Items, categories, and assortments are mapped consistently. Changes, successor products, and new structures are actively maintained, making comparisons of product groups, brands, and markets visible at the touch of a button.
Custom Dashboards and Structured Exports
Users can work directly within the tool using configurable dashboards or utilize structured Excel exports as a core output. Exports are clearly time-referenced and can be specifically tailored for different user groups or distributed automatically.
Integration and Downstream Processing
CategoryInsights can serve as a primary data hub for other systems. Harmonized data can be automatically transferred to BI systems or other analytical environments. Additional retailers, further data sources, and customer-specific extensions can be integrated flexibly.
Trust & Practical Application
ARBIS CategoryInsights is utilized by leading consumer goods manufacturers to bring clarity to complex sell-out and distribution data. Developed for real-world FMCG requirements, the solution proves itself in daily operations—from analyzing regional focus promotions to strategic assortment management on a national level.
Selected References:
Frequently Asked Questions about ARBIS CategoryInsights
Which types of data are processed?
ARBIS CategoryInsights processes retailer sell-out, pricing, and revenue figures, as well as distribution data from both stationary retail and eCommerce. This is supplemented by panel data (e.g., from Circana or NielsenIQ). The specific database depends on the connected retailers and agreed-upon sources. Additional external or internal data sources can be added upon request.
How up-to-date is the data?
Currency depends on the respective retailer source. Most clients work with weekly data, which is aggregated and provided in the same rhythm. Daily data, for example from eCommerce channels like Amazon, can be integrated and is professionally converted into the existing time logic for consistency.
How are different calendar logics handled?
Different time models—such as varying quarterly definitions, week-start logics, or retailer-specific calendar systems—are harmonized. ARBIS CategoryInsights utilizes technically and professionally proven best practices to ensure that time-based comparisons across different retailers are as accurate as possible.
How is data quality ensured?
ARBIS CategoryInsights combines semi-automated verification mechanisms with professional oversight by experienced ARBIS staff. Changes in retailer formats, article structures, or hierarchies are actively detected and seamlessly integrated into the existing data logic.
Do all users have to work directly in the tool?
No. While ARBIS CategoryInsights offers dashboards and reports within the tool, it also provides data as structured Excel exports. In this case, Excel serves as the final analysis and working format, not as a processing stage.
Can different users see different data?
Yes. Depending on roles and permissions, different time periods, aggregation levels, and data subsets can be provided. All views are based on the same harmonized data source.
Can ARBIS CategoryInsights be integrated into existing BI systems?
Yes. ARBIS CategoryInsights can be used as an upstream data hub. Automated transfer of harmonized data to BI systems or other analytical environments is possible.
Is cloud or on-premise usage possible?
Both are possible. ARBIS CategoryInsights can be operated as a cloud solution or on-premise, depending on the requirements of the respective organization.
How complex is the implementation?
The effort depends on the number of retailers, data sources, and desired logics. The focus lies on initial data connection, harmonization, and quality assurance. Extensions can be implemented step-by-step. Generally, a Go-Live is possible within 8 to 12 weeks.
Which companies is CategoryInsights suitable for?
CategoryInsights is designed for FMCG manufacturers with complex retailer structures, multiple data sources, and high requirements regarding comparability, data quality, and scalability in Category Management.
Schedule your consultation now
Would you like to determine if a harmonized database with ARBIS CategoryInsights is the right fit for your organization? We would be happy to discuss your specific use case and demonstrate how your analysis and reporting processes can be sustainably optimized through reliable retailer data.