How knowledge is enabling Dickies to make higher selections, quicker

Based in 1922, Dickies is among the oldest and most commemorated manufacturers within the clothes business. It’s recognized for its sturdy and comfy workwear—and a mode that resonates as a lot with popular culture icons because it does with auto mechanics. 
 
I just lately spoke with Calvin Anderson, Vice President of International Digital Technique at Dickies, to learn how knowledge helps the enduring firm cement its standing as the worldwide chief in functional-yet-fashionable work garments. 
 
Calvin’s ardour for—and understanding of—knowledge stems from a relentless, hands-on method to fixing enterprise issues. He joined Dickies lower than two years in the past, however as the next Q&A attests, he has rapidly change into the driving pressure behind Dickies’ digital transformation.

Q: What’s Dickies’ historical past with enterprise intelligence (BI) and utilizing knowledge to tell selections?

A: Dickies turned 100 this yr and was family-owned till it was acquired in 2017 by VF Corporation. Dickies’ tradition has all the time had an unbelievable thirst for knowledge insights, however the surroundings that hosted that knowledge grew severely tangled over time. This left us with outdated code, a slew of patches, and difficult documentation—the results of which was a scarcity of information belief, and an every-man-for-themselves surroundings with low synergy. 

Q: What have been among the use instances in your knowledge that you simply have been contemplating as you started in search of a BI resolution?

A: Probably the most thrilling locations for knowledge is round buyer traits and behaviors. As a result of a lot of Dickies’ enterprise is wholesale, we had to usher in most of the e-commerce fundamentals to energy a contemporary, digital surroundings. This meant issues like designing an surroundings that generates distinctive buyer IDs, making certain that the rising ranges of information are ruled appropriately, constructing out viewers segments, and creating client journeys. 

With this knowledge, we discovered a lot about our customers. We noticed a shocking variety of girls shopping for males’s garments for themselves, which has enabled us to relook at our girls’s product choices. Seasonality for product sorts, equivalent to shorts or outerwear, got here into focus. Moreover, we have been in a position to put core client KPIs in entrance of the entire enterprise with a purpose to assist business staff members align and focus their efforts.

Q: How is Domo serving to you make the most of all that knowledge?

A: Domo has cracked the code in delivering pleasant knowledge to non-experts. It’s really easy to search out your means across the app. The drill functionality is extremely straightforward. Whereas we’ve supplied many inner trainings, the fact is most customers simply soar in and begin taking part in with the info. We actually don’t need analytics to really feel like a chore. As a income proprietor, checking in in your stats must change into a path of low resistance. That’s been the magic of Domo for us. The UX (person expertise) is simply so intuitive. 

Q: What led you to choose Domo as a BI companion?

A: I all the time say that knowledge discovery ought to begin on the macro and waterfall into the micro. Domo has an unbelievable potential to indicate your high KPIs after which allow you to click on proper into them to see what’s affecting the noticed development.

The power to go as deep as wanted to search out an issue, then screen-grab it, tag a colleague, and go away a remark is highly effective. It turns into a terrific surroundings for collaboration.

Moreover, in as we speak’s fast-moving surroundings, a mobile-first design is a should. We’re in a enterprise surroundings the place we’re always being requested to make extra selections—and higher selections—quicker. Individuals want their knowledge on the go. No platform does a greater job at cell than Domo’s app.

Q: You simply began with Domo just a few months in the past. What are your largest successes with Domo to this point?

A: As of now, our largest success story is person adoption. Engagement is greater than it’s ever been. The in-app collaboration is at a stage I’ve by no means seen earlier than. Our enterprise is embracing utilization, aligning behind a single supply of fact, and dealing to interchange all ad-hoc reporting with automated Domo dashboards. 

Q: What does the way forward for knowledge appear to be at Dickies?

A: My goal is to have each piece of information in a single trusted surroundings that’s environment friendly for the amateurs and democratic for people who wish to self-serve. All verticals ought to be capable to see and perceive our enterprise.

An instance of this surroundings working is perhaps a state of affairs the place nice evaluations and social media engagement draw sudden consideration to a product. That product picks up momentum and begins quickly promoting in all channels. We might instantly see that mentioned product is a extra worthwhile product as a result of the identical knowledge surroundings that tracks social and gross sales additionally reveals profitability. We might then develop a plan to handle stock, capitalize on client demand, and drive direct gross sales.

Knowledge selections like this could move from vertical to vertical, similar to an organism naturally responds to its surroundings. This may solely occur if knowledge is deep, broad, and accessible throughout the group. It’s the total “circle of life.” So as to function this fashion, our knowledge should draw from in all places, and contact every thing.