The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) today launched the Retail Pulse Dashboard, an initiative developed by KPMG Canada designed to allow Canadian retailers to access an assortment of information across multiple retail sectors, regions, and timeframes, in both official languages.
The platform, according to a release, collects and consolidates data from various sources, including Statistics Canada, about everything from national retail sales and job numbers to economic data and consumer spending.
“The last couple of years have been a time of profound change for the retail industry and it’s more important than ever for retailers to leverage the power of data and seize opportunities to yield long-term success,” said Diane Brisebois, president and chief executive officer of the council.
The dashboard, she added, will make it easier for businesses to find key retail data points in one place. “Regularly updated overview information on the retail industry is available to everyone,” she noted. “RCC members, however, have access to much richer data, enhanced filtering, comparisons, and customization.”
Kostya Polyakov, national industry leader for consumer and retail for KPMG in Canada, said the platform “collects and delivers near-real time and real-time industry intelligence, across the metrics that matter to retailers, so they can make better, more informed business decisions.”
Describing it as a “game-changer,” RCC member Sarah Jordan, CEO of Mastermind Toys, a retailer with 68 locations across the country, said, “to stay competitive and growth orientated, it is critical for us to have several channels to get the insights we need so we can continuously refine and innovate our brand storytelling and customer experiences.
“Spending less time gathering rich data from different sources and allowing more time to react quickly to trends is such a welcomed advantage, especially given the pace of the retail environment.”