In June and July 2015 The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a global survey of 300 leaders in data analytics. The respondents include companies with over $500 million in annual revenue, represent 20 different industries, and hold senior positions in their companies – including 50% C-level executives. The goal was to assess trends in the use of market-facing analytics.

1. sap.com
What are the biggest business
and data-related challenges
executives see?
Executives offer Top 5 success factors for
market-facing data initiatives
report data and analytics silos
within their organisations
Leading practitioners in advanced analytics are
combining internal data with external data…
External data sources
% of all respondents
Social media data
Third-party marketing analytics
Data from public/government databases
Credit rating data
Geolocation data
Aggregated tracking data from third parties
46%
39%
35%
33%
33%
21%
Internal data sources
% of all respondents
Customer data
Sales transaction data
Pricing data
Supplier/Supply-chain data
E-commerce data (internal)
CRM data
Manufacturing data
Mobility analytics
Sensor-based data
56%
44%
36%
33%
31%
29%
26%
24%
19%
…to create leading-edge analyses of
their competitors and markets
Source: A commissioned study conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit
on behalf of SAP, September 2015.
For more results and recommendations, read the EIU Thought
Leadership Paper sponsored by SAP, “Competing smarter with
advanced data analytics.”
Competing smarter with
advanced analytics
In June and July 2015 The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a global survey of 300 leaders in data
analytics. The respondents include companies with over $500 million in annual revenue, represent 20
different industries, and hold senior positions in their companies – including 50% C-level executives.
The goal was to assess trends in the use of market-facing analytics.
The first generation of data analytics:
Historically, the focus of data has been inside the company’s four walls due
to internal data being:
• Available, controllable, and more easily integrated
• Focused on internal operations – supplier efficiency, transaction
analytics, etc.
2
Modernised
software
1
More experience
in data analytics
4
New third-party
data sources
But four emerging
trends are enabling
creative new uses of data
that enable companies to
go on the attack.
3
Cloud-based
computing power
What market-facing initiatives are advanced
analytics practitioners experimenting with?
50% are beating competitors’
pricing with price optimisation
44% are tracking competitors’
brands with social media
42% are using predictive analytics
to forecast market demand
…and report significant benefits.
Survey respondents report high levels of
satisfaction with their advanced analytics
initiatives…
Also, 1 in 5 report new customers and increased
market share as major benefits.
80%
91%
overall satisfaction
say they are likely to pursue further market-facing
advanced analytics initiatives
41% cost savings
33% creation of new business opportunities
26% increased revenues
Select the right initiative
Deploy a team with the right skills
Use the best software
Obtain executive support
Collaborate between IT and business units
42%
38%
34%
33%
33%
43%
Other top challenges include
gaining sufficient executive support
developing a holistic view
lack of personnel with sufficient
expertise
41%
41%
41%
www.sap.com/accelerate-insight