Optimization is the application of algorithms to sets of data to guide executives and managers in making the best decisions. It’s a trending topic because using optimization technologies and techniques to better manage a variety of day-to-day business issues is becoming easier. I expect optimization, once the preserve of data scientists and operations research specialists will become mainstream in general purpose business analytics over the next five years.
Optimization Analytics Comes to the Mass Market
Posted by
Ventana Research on Aug 13, 2015 12:18:33 AM
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Topics: Analytics, Big Data, Business Analytics, Business Performance, Customer Performance, Financial Performance, Information Management, Operational Performance, Performance Management, Price Optimization
Does Pricing and Revenue Optimization Make My Bottom Line Look Fatter?
Posted by
Ventana Research on Mar 31, 2015 10:00:34 AM
Managing prices has always been an activity of keen interest to businesses, but it has become even more critical to do it well. Over the past decade many companies have found their ability to raise prices has been constrained by intense competition resulting from Internet commerce, global competition and other factors. One tool for dealing with this pressure is price and revenue optimization (PRO), an analytic methodology that calculates how demand varies at different price levels and then uses that algorithm to recommend prices that should optimally balance revenue and profit objectives. Computer-supported PRO began in earnest in the 1980s as the airline and hospitality industries adopted revenue management practices in efforts to maximize returns from less flexible travelers (such as people on business trips) while minimizing the unsold inventory by selling incremental seats on flights or nights in hotel rooms at discounted prices to more discretionary buyers (typically vacationers). Price and revenue optimization algorithms are designed to enable a company to achieve fatter profit margins than are possible with a monolithic pricing strategy. Using PRO, airlines and hotels catering mainly to less price-sensitive business travelers found they could match discounters’ fares and rates to fill available seats and rooms without having to forgo profits from their high-margin customers.
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Topics: analytical application, Analytics, Big Data, Business Analytics, Business Performance Management (BPM), Financial Performance Management (FPM), Operational Performance Management (OPM), Performance Management, Price Optimization, Sales Performance Management (SPM), Sales, Office of Finance
PROS Will Acquire Cameleon to Enhance Sales Effectiveness
Posted by
Robert Kugel on Nov 6, 2013 8:51:03 AM
PROS Holdings, a provider of price and revenue optimization software, has an agreement in principle to acquire Cameleon Software, which offers configure, price and quote (CPQ) applications. The combined company is likely to benefit from a broader geographic presence (PROS is based in Houston while Cameleon is in Toulouse, France) for their sales and marketing efforts. However, the longer-term strategic value of the merger lies in the combination of the related categories of price optimization and CPQ to improve sales effectiveness and financial performance.
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Topics: Analytics, Business Analytics, Business Collaboration, Business Performance, CEO, CFO, CPQ, Financial Performance, FP&A, FPM, Operational Performance, Price Optimization, PRO, Profitability, PROS, Sales, Sales Performance
Oracle Hyperion Products Challenged by New Generation of Expectations
Posted by
Robert Kugel on Oct 16, 2013 7:22:36 AM
Oracle continues to enrich the capabilities of its Hyperion suite of applications that support the finance function, but I wonder if that will be enough to sustain its market share and new generation of expectations. At the recent Oracle OpenWorld these new features were on display, and spokespeople described how the company will be transitioning its software to cloud deployment. Our 2013 Financial Performance Management Value (FPM) Index rates Oracle Hyperion a Warm vendor in my analysis, ranking eighth out of nine vendors. Our Value Index is informed by more than a decade of analysis of technology suppliers and their products and how well they satisfy specific business and IT needs. We perform a detailed evaluation of product functionality and suitability-to-task as well as the effectiveness of vendor support for the buying process and customer assurance. Our assessment reflects two disparate sets of factors. On one hand, the Hyperion FPM suite offers a broad set of software that automates, streamlines and supports a range of finance department functions. It includes sophisticated analytical applications. Used to full effect, Hyperion can eliminate many manual steps and speed execution of routine work. It also can enhance accuracy, ensure tasks are completed on a timely basis, foster coordination between Finance and the rest of the organization and generate insights into corporate performance. For this, the software gets high marks.
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Topics: Analytics, benchmark, Budgeting, Business Analytics, Business Intelligence, Business Performance, CFO, CIO, close, closing, Cloud Computing, compliance, Consolidation, Controller, Data, driver-based, ERP, Finance Financial Applications Financial Close, Financial Performance, Financial Performance Management, financial reporting, FPM, GAAP, Hyperion, IFRS, In-memory, Integrated Business Planning, Mobile, Modeling, Oracle, Planning, Price Optimization, Profitability, Reporting, SEC Software, Social Media, Tax, XBRL, Office of Finance, Human Capital Management, Big Data
Profitability Management vs. Managing Profitability
Posted by
Robert Kugel on Aug 5, 2013 11:32:05 AM
Pricing and profit margins appear to be trending topics, which is normal at this stage of the business cycle. North American companies achieved high levels of profitability coming out of the last recession by staying lean, but this trend has run its course. Margins are being squeezed, and companies are looking for ways to add to the bottom line.
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Topics: Analytics, Business Performance, costing, Financial Performance, FPM, Operational Performance, Planning, Price Optimization, Profitability, Sales, Sales Performance, S&OP, Office of Finance
