Harnessing Analytics in Breweries: Making Decisions with Data
In the brewing industry, the balance between time-honored traditions and new-age innovations is crucial. One significant advancement today is the use of modern analytics systems. By tapping into data, breweries can make more informed choices, allowing for rapid responses without hastily reacting to every fluctuation. Here's how this plays out…

Swift Decisions with Confidence
A well-structured analytics system captures a wealth of data. From production rates, ingredient usage, and sales figures to customer feedback and market trends, there's an immense amount of information available for breweries to tap into. With real-time analytics, decision-makers can see what's happening as it unfolds.

For instance, if a particular batch of brew is selling faster than expected in a certain region, the system will highlight this trend almost instantly. Armed with this knowledge, breweries can adjust production schedules, optimize distribution, and even allocate marketing resources more effectively to seize the opportunity.

Trends vs. Temporary Shifts
However, while the power to make swift decisions is an asset, it's equally crucial to discern between genuine trends and temporary shifts. Just because a brew suddenly spikes in sales one week doesn’t necessarily mean it's the new favorite.

Because a modern analytics program will show the full picture, breweries can differentiate between a short-term surge (perhaps due to an event or a one-off promotion) and a genuine, longer-lasting shift in consumer preference.

To illustrate the 1st two points, let’s look at the following example:

Both of these beers have average weekly demand over the period of 95 units. However, they have very different patterns.
• Beer A was relatively flat but has recently seen a steady decline.
• Beer B had a couple very low weeks but quickly bounces back to the normal range.

With a good data and analytics program, we can quickly see these trends and action accordingly:
• We should dive into Beer A to see what is causing the recent dip in sales, it looks like it is not a temporary blip and looks to be getting worse.
• Since we can see that Beer B has some inconsistent demand patterns, we shouldn’t over react to the limited downturns

Root Cause Analysis
Beyond trend spotting, a robust analytics system helps breweries dig deeper to understand the 'why' behind the numbers. This is where the magic of root cause analysis comes in.

For example, we saw that Beer A has recently had a decline. Instead of just assuming all demand is down across all regions, let’s look at the detail.

When we break it down to show the actual sales vs the goal like this, we see that it is just 2 regions that are driving the majority of the downturn.

Armed with this insight, we can be more precise and target our response, this should help us be much more effective.

The Balance of Intuition and Data
While data is powerful, it's important to remember the human element. Breweries have been successful for centuries based on human intuition, craftsmanship, and an understanding of the audience. Modern analytics don't replace this; instead, they complement it.

By marrying the age-old intuition with the clarity offered by analytics, breweries can strike a balance. They can act swiftly, backed by data, without succumbing to kneejerk reactions that might not serve them in the long run.

Modern analytics systems offer breweries a lens into the future, powered by insights from the past and present. It's a tool that allows for agility without impulsivity, ensuring decisions are timely yet well-considered.

Here’s to making more informed decisions powered by data and analytics … Cheers!