What's your job about?
I started my journey at Foodstuffs as a Merchandise Intern for the Meat and Produce team where I was responsible for processing store orders, completing a data analysis project and assisting with the documentation and training for the new SAP applications.
I am now currently a Customer Insights Analyst for the operations team within the merchandise department. I help support Foodstuff’s customer driven journey by analysing and interpreting customer data into valuable insights and recommendations.
When completing analysis, I collaborate with my colleagues to create and understand customer focused business questions that need to be answered. Once this is done, I spend time running various reports to find interesting insights about customer behaviour such as loyalty and price sensitivity for certain products and brands across PAK’n’SAVE and New World. After collecting the data required, I spend time putting my insights together. I provide insights to colleagues and managers within my team and even employees and mangers outside my team. Therefore, it is important I present my findings in an appropriate way that is understandable to them.
I also assist with creating dashboards to assess category/product performance with a special customer focus. These dashboards are used to review existing category ranges to ensure we have appropriate ranges in store to meet all customer needs.
What's your background?
I moved to New Zealand when I was 2 years old, so I proudly call New Zealand my home. Growing up I loved trying new things and was very curious, so I kept myself busy with extracurricular from playing a variety of sports to instruments and even dance. Entering university I was never quite sure what I wanted to do for my future career. However, I had a passion for solving business problems and working with data and technology which led me to completing a Bachelor of Business, majoring in information systems at AUT.
During my second year at university, I decided to challenge myself and start an employability programme known as the AUT Edge Award where I attended workshops, volunteered, became a student ambassador and networked with companies and professionals. This experience definitely benefited my personal development and self-confidence.
During the end of my final year of university I got offered an internship at Foodstuffs as a Merchandise Intern and now have been in my new role as a Customer Insights Analyst for a month. The internship was an awesome learning experience for me as I got exposure into the FMCG industry which is fast paced and exciting!
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes, definitely! The job can be technical at times but if you have a passion for working with data and finding trends then working in the operations and analytics team is perfect for you. Having experience with MS Excel and SAP is definitely a bonus but if you have a “can-do” attitude and love to work with different systems and applications then you will succeed in this role. Everyone at Foodstuffs is extremely supportive and will take time out of their day to help train you especially interns and graduates.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The best part about my job is that I get to work across the business by collaborating with different people and departments when completing analysis used for executive meetings and even the media. It gives me an opportunity to learn from different people and gain new knowledge continuously. I do analysis across different banners, stores, categories, and brands. This enables me to get an overall understanding of the business and keeps my days interesting since I am not focused on the same thing every week. I enjoy working at Foodstuffs new head office. We have awesome work facilities, a cafeteria and even a mini mart to grab some snacks or groceries on the way home!
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