2022 Target Case Competition
The case focuses on Target’s home category department. Some of the problems included the need to create a technology-integrated in-store experience, an improved supply chain for faster delivery, and a consistent cross-channel experience for shoppers.
My team (team 2) placed 3rd for the competition.
Sponsors: FOX CSPD and Target
Details of the activity:
The case was released in late January, and the executive report summary was due on February 23rd. Prior to the deadline, our team conducted research on Target’s presence on social media, brainstormed how the Target App could be improved, and interviewed store managers to identify supply chain issues. After gathering the data and information, I focused on improving Target’s social media presence. We identified from our interview with store guests that most did not engage with Target on social media and did not have the Target app. From this, I suggested creating a campaign on Instagram and Tiktok where users can post videos of the Target home good finds with the hashtag to create free awareness of the Target home category and the goods available.
We also identified that the Target app was very cluttered and had a redundant use of space. We did not create new functions, but we reorganized the app, so it is more user-friendly and the content is more curated to the user when they first open the app.
For supply chain, Target employees said that there is a lot of excess supply in the backroom and that in-store inventory data was not updated and consistent with the overall Target servers. All Target stores receive a standard shipment that is not curated to the demand and the size of the store and location. The inventory data discrepancy caused issues such as false data for store managers and guests and lead t excess supply ass well. We suggested that Target needed additional servers for real-time transaction data with more cloud architects to manage the severs. We also suggested that the shipments for each store are based on the transactions from each specific store to eliminate excess supply and meet demands.
We were selected as a finalist for our executive report, and we presented it on Zoom to Target managers on March 30th.
For third place, our team $800 dollars which will be split evenly.
What I learned
I learned that an easy way to identify the problem is to conduct research/interviews to gather data. We have all this data recorded, but to understand it we need to organize and visualize it through graphs and pie charts. I also learned that data discrepancy can impact both consumers and stores as well, and how important it is for the data to be real-time and updated on both user ends.
How this activity relates to coursework and career goals
We applied what we learned from MIS3406 (Cloud Architecture) for data to be communicated faster with additional servers. We also applied association rule mining, from MIS2502 Data and Analytics, for product recommendations on Target’s app to increase purchases.
This experience relates to my goal to become a consultant because it challenged me to identify key issues and be able to present solutions in simple terms that are understandable for an audience that may not be as technical.