Leading US-based automotive dealer improves sales and inventory visibility with Power BI X PreludeSys

About the client

The client is one of the largest automotive dealers in the western United States, specializing in buying and selling used cars. The company’s core business involves purchasing and reselling vehicles from local auctions. The client maintains a large inventory.


Client challenges
  • The client needed a dedicated tool to assess the quality of cars acquired from auctions, which led to difficulties in identifying and addressing any systematic issues in the purchasing process.
  • A lack of standardized processes for cleaning and validating data hindered the accuracy and reliability of their reporting systems.
  • The client did not have reports or visualizations available to analyze buyer patterns, sales performance, or inventory trends, which hindered their ability to make data-driven decisions.
  • The client wanted to establish a system for demand forecasting that would enable them to manage stock levels.
Solution
  • A tailored grading software was developed that assesses purchased cars based on factors such as net sales profit and time in inventory.
  • Python-powered data analysis crafted a robust demand forecasting model, offering a dependable reference for optimizing stock levels through predicted demand for inventory planning.
  • Embedding Python code in the Power BI data model facilitated seamless integration and dynamic visualization, enhancing data analysis through dynamic reports and dashboards.
  • Power Query was used for data preparation and cleaning, ensuring accurate, consistent, and reliable data for reporting and analysis.
  • Created dedicated Power BI views for comprehensive insights into sales and inventory trends, enhancing understanding of buyer patterns and inventory management.
  • Integrated Power Apps into Power BI for user-friendly data entry, streamlining the grading process by enabling direct input of grading data into the database.
Results at a glance
Enhanced visualization of buyer patterns, inventory trends Enabled proactive sales and inventory management Improved data quality and reporting accuracy
Benefits
  • Data quality issues were resolved during data preparation, enhancing accuracy and reliability and improving overall reporting quality.  
  • The demand forecast reports served as valuable references for inventory planning. The client could proactively manage stock levels, which reduced the risk of overstocking or stockouts.
  • Power BI’s sales and inventory reports empowered the client with detailed insights into grading results, informing strategic decisions on inventory management.
  • The client gained the ability to visualize trends in the auction sources, allowing them to identify patterns and make informed decisions based on historical data when buying cars.  
  • Power Apps integration in Power BI streamlined grading data entry, enhancing the user experience and simplifying the process of inputting data into the database.  
Technology
  • Azure SQL DB
  • Power Apps
  • Power BI