Fletcher Jones

The Challenge

Fletcher Jones – Predictive Analytics for Car Sales

Fletcher Jones, a renowned automotive retail company, faced the challenge of predicting car sales and integrating desirability with inventory levels. They lacked visibility into which cars were most likely to sell, impacting price setting, sales tactics, inventory management, and purchasing decisions. They needed a solution to optimize their business plan goals and make data-driven decisions.

The Action

Leveraging historical data, predictive models analyzed car features and time on lot to predict sales likelihood, informing decision-making.

To address the customer’s problem, historical data was leveraged to build predictive models. These models analyzed car features and their influence on the time a car spent on the lot, providing insights into sales likelihood. Feature importance analysis helped determine the most influential car features. The predictive output was integrated with inventory and sales data, enabling informed decision-making to support business objectives.

Data Science Methodologies employed:

Time-series analysis to predict car sales over time.
Decision Trees to identify feature importance for sales likelihood.

The Impact

Leveraging data science and integrating predictive analytics transformed their operations.

The implementation of predictive analytics had a profound impact on Fletcher Jones’ operations and profitability. The outcomes achieved were as follows:

Increased profit margins: By accurately predicting sales likelihood, Fletcher Jones was able to optimize price setting and discount flexibility, leading to improved profit margins on car sales.
Decreased inventory cost: With insights into the likelihood of a car selling and the influential features, Fletcher Jones could effectively manage inventory levels and avoid excessive stock, reducing inventory costs.
Improved business planning: The predictive models supported better pacing and determination of hitting business plan goals. Fletcher Jones could align their inventory with business objectives, ensuring the availability of cars that would meet sales targets.

By leveraging data science methodologies and integrating predictive analytics into their decision-making processes, Fletcher Jones transformed their operations. The ability to predict car sales and understand the impact of specific features empowered them to make strategic decisions, maximize profitability, and optimize inventory management.

Overall, the implementation of predictive analytics enabled Fletcher Jones to stay ahead in the competitive retail industry, providing valuable insights that positively impacted their bottom line while maintaining their reputation as a leading automotive group.