Product Segmentation & Profitability Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Analyze customer segments, regional sales, and product-level performance to uncover patterns in profitability and guide strategic decisions around marketing and inventory optimization.

BACKGROUND: The paper company distributes office products and technology equipment across the United States, including the high-selling TI-84 Plus calculator. Leadership sought insights into which customer segments generate the most profit, which product lines drive revenue, and how sales differ by region.

This project combined raw Excel data with calculations and visual storytelling in Tableau to answer key business questions:

1. Which customer segments are most profitable?

2. How does profitability vary across product categories?

3. Where are TI-84 Plus calculators selling best?

4. How does profit change across time and regions?

TECH STACK:

1. Microsoft Excel: Used to preview and inspect raw data structure prior to import

2. Tableau Desktop: Interactive dashboard creation with aggregation and segmentation analysis

3. Visualizations: Bar charts, area charts, maps, and product-level comparisons

PROCESS:

1. Data Cleaning (Tableau):
   ◇ Previewed and verified raw order data structure using Excel
   ◇ Applied filters and dimension hierarchies to explore profit by region, segment, and product
   ◇ Built interactive dashboard to highlight segment performance and geographic trends

2. Segmentation & Analysis:
   ◇ Segmented customers into Individual Consumer, Small Business, and Corporation
   ◇ Isolated TI-84 Plus calculator sales by state and segment
   ◇ Visualized quarterly profit trends across product categories
   ◇ Highlighted seasonal spikes, especially around back-to-school periods

KEY INSIGHTS:

1. Segment Performance:
   Individual Consumers drove the highest volume of TI-84 Plus purchases, especially in states like Oregon and Maryland

2. Product-level Profitability:
   The TI-84 Plus calculator and accessories were among the highest-margin products in the company’s portfolio

3. Geographic Demand:
   Although sales were generally solid across the U.S., some states experienced softer demand, highlighting geographic and segment-specific variations in performance

4. Seasonal Trends:
   Q3 (July–September) saw the highest profit margins, reflecting back-to-school demand

CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS:

⚠️ Raw Data Granularity
✅ Addressed using Tableau’s filtering, hierarchy grouping, and aggregation

⚠️ Segment-Specific Focus Required
✅ Created dedicated dashboard for TI-84 Plus sales by segment and state

⚠️ No Prebuilt KPIs
✅ Built visual KPI tracking by category and segment using Tableau worksheets

DATA SOURCES:

• File: PaperCompanyData.xlsx

• Source: Internal sales exports from company CRM system

• Timeframe: 2020 calendar year

DATA DICTIONARY:

• Segment: Customer group (e.g., Individual, Small Business, Corporation)

• Ship Mode: Shipping method

VIEW THE LIVE DASHBOARD:

Want to explore all the visualizations interactively?

👉 Click here to view the full Tableau dashboard — powered by Tableau and built to help call center managers monitor performance and efficiency in real time.

BEHIND THE DASHBOARD:

Curious how the dashboard was built?

👉 View the Tableau workbook (.twb) and full calculation logic — includes all calculated fields, data transformations, and layout structure used to create the dashboard.