by Jen Johnston, CHHC, senior marketing services account manager Imagine trying to locate a book in a library where there is no system – no categorization – that groups by subjects, titles, or authors. Library goers would certainly be lost without the Dewey Decimal System! Similarly, managing a retail operation without organization and definition to … Read More
By Julie Bonnell, vice president operations, for the Resolutions blog series Why Images? Have you noticed how images are replacing words in our daily life? Think about the popularity and use of emojis and YouTube and the prevalence of infographics. Why is that? Quite simply, they effectively convey complex information. And more importantly, from … Read More
From the desk of Steve Brester, director of information technology When people use the word “data,” they typically think of information found in a file on their computer, such as data found in a Microsoft Excel® file. Although that is one type of data, there are many other types of data available to you … Read More
By Dave Wendland, vice president strategic relations, for the Resolutions blog series It should be no secret that each shopper’s path to purchase is unique. Their reason for purchase, timing, and chosen outlet are likely different, yet when reviewing sales numbers, many companies make the mistake of homogenizing the data and making unsubstantiated assumptions. As long as … Read More
by Dave Wendland, as seen in HealthCare Distributor magazine, “Out of the Box” column, July/August 2017 It was about three decades ago that I had the privilege of hearing a presentation by an IBM executive who made a rather prophetic proclamation: “The key to success will belong to those who have the data.” And this, from a … Read More
by Mary Hart, senior data assets specialist, for the Resolutions blog seriesIn my previous post about improving your ordering system, I focused on standardizing product entry to improve the ease of use of the system for internal and external users alike. In this post I’m going to suggest going one step further – and I think as long … Read More
by Mary Hart, senior data assets specialist, for the Resolutions blog series Ordering systems are vital to your business, but many times there aren’t associated business rules and processes. Because most systems only allow a limited number of characters, abbreviations for product names must be generated. Often they are derived solely based on whoever enters it and their … Read More
By Donna Boulieu I’m in the right business. I love drugstores! The sights, sounds, and even the smells (think candy and cosmetics with just a hint of rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy — heavenly), but mostly it’s the product mix that draws me in. Like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, “you never know what you’re … Read More
by Julie Bonnell Classifying a product is the simplest definition of taxonomy. The concept seems so simple, but like any simple thing, the devil is in the details. It’s really easy to say “Aspirin belongs in pain relief.” and “Fiber products belong in digestive health.” However, in doing so, what point of view (POV) are … Read More
by Julie Bonnell There is an artisanal chocolate maker in my community. His chocolates are amazing and well worth making a special trip to buy. He is also a bit of a character. He won’t let you into his shop unless he knows something about you. When you come to his shop for the first … Read More