Honest comparison
Spreadsheets vs datapraxio
Where each way of working shines.
| Spreadsheets | datapraxio | |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing orders | Built by hand, store by store, every week | Prepared automatically; people review the exceptions |
| Forecasts | Last year's sales plus a guess | Learned from sales patterns for each product and store, with your adjustments on top |
| Promotions | Stock decisions made once the offer is live | Extra demand estimated up front and planned with the stock |
| Stock targets | A flat rule such as two weeks of cover | Sized for each product from how it really sells and how reliable suppliers are |
| Spotting problems | When a shelf is empty or a customer complains | Early warnings before the shortage reaches the shelf |
| Sharing the plan | Files emailed around; several versions | One shared plan for planning, buying, marketing and finance |
| Remembering decisions | In someone's head or an old email | A record of every change, approval and reason |
| Growing the business | Needs more planners as products and stores grow | Handles more products and locations with the same team |
| Training a new planner | Months of learning the spreadsheet's quirks | A guided, consistent way of working |
When spreadsheets are perfectly fine
If you manage a few dozen products in one or two locations, a well-kept spreadsheet can be exactly right. A planning system starts to pay back when the number of products, stores and suppliers grows beyond what one person can hold in their head — or when promotions, seasons and several teams make the plan change every week.
Not either-or
datapraxio sits alongside your existing systems and data. You can start with one area, such as ordering or promotions, and grow from there.