SQL
SQL
New-Wheels, a vehicle resale company, has been experiencing a steady decline in sales over
the past year. Alongside this, negative customer feedback and ratings on online platforms
have contributed to a noticeable drop in new customer acquisitions every quarter. These
challenges are posing a threat to the company’s market position and profitability.
Objective
The primary objective of this report is to provide actionable insights to help New-Wheels’
CEO assess the health of the business and make informed decisions.
BUSINESS QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: Find the total number of customers who have placed orders.
What is the distribution of the customers across states?
SOLUTION QUERY:
OUTPUT
Key Observations and Insights
Total Unique Customers: The company has 994 unique customers who have placed
orders.
2. State-Wise Distribution
3. Lower-Contribution States
States like District of Columbia (35), Ohio (33), and Colorado (33) have smaller
customer counts.
These states may represent potential growth opportunities. The company could:
o Investigate reasons for lower customer counts (e.g., lack of market
penetration, lower brand visibility).
o Introduce targeted promotions or localized campaigns to improve customer
engagement.
4. Strategic Actions
1. Top States Focus: Increase promotional efforts and customer retention strategies in
Texas, California, Florida, and New York, as they are key revenue contributors.
2. Expand in Smaller Markets:
o Analyze lower-performing states to identify barriers (e.g., shipping issues,
customer awareness).
o Offer discounts, enhanced service guarantees, or targeted ads in these
regions.
3. Customer Base Growth:
o While 994 unique customers is a good starting point, the company must
assess if it aligns with revenue goals.
o Explore customer acquisition strategies to boost this number.
4. Feedback Collection:
o Assess the feedback and ratings distribution across states to understand
regional customer satisfaction.
QUESTION 2: Which are the top 5 vehicle makers preferred by the
customers?
SOLUTION QUERY:
OUTPUT:
KEY OBSERVATIONS AND INSIGHTS:
SOLUTION QUERY:
OUTPUT:
1. Variation in Scores:
o The individual scores for the category 1 are:
2.40, 3.55, 2.96, and 3.35.
This indicates a range of feedback or performance ratings with some
variability.
2. Overall Average Score:
o The overall score is 3.14, which is calculated as the average of the individual
scores.
o This suggests the performance or feedback for category 1 is moderately
positive but not exceptional.
3. Highest and Lowest Scores:
o The highest score is 3.55, which reflects strong feedback or performance in
some instances.
o The lowest score is 2.40, indicating areas where improvements may be
needed.
4. Spread of Scores:
o The scores range from 2.40 to 3.55, demonstrating some inconsistency. This
might suggest varied user experiences or differences in
performance/feedback across time or customers.
Insights:
1. Moderate Performance:
o The overall score of 3.14 suggests that the performance or satisfaction is
above average, but there is room for improvement to reach a higher level of
excellence.
2. Room for Consistency:
o The variation in individual scores points to a need for standardizing or
improving service or product quality to reduce the gap between the lowest
and highest ratings.
3. Improvement Opportunities:
o Efforts should be directed at understanding the reasons behind lower scores
(e.g., 2.40) and addressing them to improve overall performance or
satisfaction.
4. Potential for Optimizing High Ratings:
o The presence of higher ratings (e.g., 3.55) indicates there are areas or
practices that are well-received. These should be identified, maintained, and
replicated in other areas to boost the overall score further.
5. Focus on Maintaining Momentum:
o With an average above 3, the feedback is generally positive. However,
focusing on consistency and eliminating lower scores can significantly elevate
the performance to an exceptional level.
OUTPUT:
Insight:
The combined dissatisfaction (Very Bad + Bad) rose from 22.26% in Q1 to 59.80% in Q4,
signaling a serious issue with the service or product quality. Addressing the root cause is
critical to preventing further erosion of customer trust.
"Good" Feedback:
o Dropped sharply from 28.71% in Q1 to 10.05% in Q4.
"Very Good" Feedback:
o Declined from 30.00% in Q1 to 10.05% in Q4.
Insight:
Positive feedback (Good + Very Good) fell from 58.71% in Q1 to 20.10% in Q4, indicating a
significant decline in customer satisfaction and quality of service. This trend must be
reversed to rebuild customer loyalty.
The percentage of "Okay" feedback remained relatively stable, ranging from 19.03%
in Q1 to 21.83% in Q3, and slightly declining to 20.10% in Q4.
Insight:
While this neutrality indicates some stability, it doesn’t contribute to loyalty or advocacy.
Efforts should focus on turning these neutral customers into satisfied ones.
OUTPUT:
KEY OBSERVATIONS AND INSIGHTS
Insight:
This steady decline in order volume indicates a significant drop in customer engagement or
interest. The company needs to investigate the reasons behind this trend to address it
promptly.
2. Quarter-on-Quarter Decrease
The most significant drop occurred between Q1 and Q2 (48 orders lost).
Even though the drops between subsequent quarters are smaller, the consistent
decline signals worsening customer retention or acquisition issues.
Insight:
This trend suggests that customer dissatisfaction or external factors (e.g., market
conditions) are impacting the company's ability to attract and retain customers.
Customer Dissatisfaction:
o The earlier analysis of customer feedback indicates increasing dissatisfaction,
which likely led to reduced repeat orders.
Market Competition:
o Competitors might be attracting New-Wheels' customer base with better
offers or services.
Economic Conditions:
o Broader economic factors could affect customer purchasing power or
willingness to invest in pre-owned vehicles.
4. Seasonal Patterns
The Q1 peak could reflect strong initial interest or a post-holiday surge. However,
the lack of growth in subsequent quarters suggests:
o Seasonal promotions or discounts are missing in Q2–Q4.
o A need for consistent customer engagement throughout the year.
QUESTION 7: Calculate the net revenue generated by the company. What is
the quarter-over-quarter % change in net revenue?
SOLUTION QUERY:
OUTPUT:
Insight:
The business is experiencing a continuous decline in net revenue, mirroring the downward
trend observed in customer orders.
2. Quarter-Over-Quarter (QoQ) Revenue Change
Insight:
This indicates that the issues affecting sales and revenue (e.g., customer dissatisfaction,
competition, or operational inefficiencies) likely started in Q2 and persisted throughout the
year.
3. Impact of Discounts
The formula accounts for discounts (1 - discount / 100), suggesting that aggressive
discounts are being offered but are not translating into sustained growth or higher
revenue.
Insight:
Discount strategies may not be sufficient to address underlying issues such as product or
service quality.
Insight:
The company is facing a persistent decline in revenue, potentially due to fewer orders and
possibly lower average order values.
Both revenue and orders follow a similar downward trend, indicating that fewer
sales are driving the revenue drop.
The average revenue per order seems to have remained relatively stable, meaning
the decline is more volume-driven than price-driven.
Insight:
There is minimal variation in the average discount rates across different credit card types.
The range spans from 0.61% to 0.64%, indicating that the company applies discounts
uniformly across payment methods.
While the query provides insights into discount rates, it doesn't directly indicate
which credit cards are most frequently used.
High average discounts for MasterCard and Visa Electron might suggest these are
commonly used by customers.
Insight:
If these cards are indeed popular, offering targeted promotions for users of these card types
could boost sales and customer loyalty.
3. Uniform Discount Strategy
Discounts for less common cards like Switch, JCB, and Diners Club are similar to
those for more widely used cards like MasterCard and Visa Electron.
This uniformity might suggest the company does not currently use discounts as a
strategic tool to incentivize specific payment methods.
Insight:
The company could consider varying discount rates for underutilized card types to attract
more customers from those segments.
QUESTIONS 10: What is the average time taken to ship the placed orders for
each quarter?
SOLUTION QUERY:
OUTPUT:
The average shipping time has consistently increased over the quarters:
o Q1: 57.17 days (lowest average shipping time).
o Q2: 71.11 days (↑24.37% compared to Q1).
o Q3: 117.76 days (↑65.57% compared to Q2).
o Q4: 174.10 days (↑47.78% compared to Q3).
Insight:
The dramatic increase in shipping time, especially in Q3 and Q4, indicates severe operational
inefficiencies or external challenges that are directly impacting delivery performance.
Earlier customer feedback analysis showed a rise in negative feedback ("Very Bad"
and "Bad") over the same quarters.
The correlation suggests that longer shipping times may be a primary driver of
customer dissatisfaction.
Insight:
Delays in shipping are likely eroding customer trust and contributing to lower retention
rates and order volumes.
Operational Issues:
o Inefficient logistics, supply chain disruptions, or understaffing in shipping
teams may have worsened over the quarters.
Seasonal Challenges:
o Q3 and Q4 often face holiday season shipping pressures, which may have
overwhelmed capacity.
Geographical Factors:
o Expanding to regions with less efficient shipping networks could contribute to
delays.
BUSINESS OVERVIEW METRICS
BUSINESS RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the analysis of increasing shipping times and its correlation with customer
dissatisfaction and declining orders, the following actions are recommended:
Identify Bottlenecks:
o Perform a detailed review of the shipping process to locate inefficiencies such
as delays in product dispatch or partner shipping delays.
Enhance Partnerships:
o Collaborate with reliable shipping providers who can handle high volumes
during peak seasons.
Leverage Technology:
o Use advanced logistics platforms for route optimization and real-time
monitoring of shipments.
Forecasting:
o Use data analytics to better predict demand and avoid stockouts or
unnecessary inventory transfers.
Stock Placement:
o Position inventory closer to key demand areas (e.g., distribution hubs in
Texas, California, and Florida) to minimize shipping distances.
Regional Prioritization:
o Focus efforts on regions contributing the most to order volumes, such as
Texas, California, and Florida.
o Provide additional resources to these regions to streamline shipping and
ensure quicker deliveries.
Transparency:
o Communicate expected delivery times upfront, especially during high-
demand periods.
Tracking and Updates:
o Offer real-time tracking and proactive notifications for delays to build trust
with customers.
5. Seasonal Preparations
Peak Readiness:
o Allocate additional resources (personnel, fleet, warehouses) in anticipation of
increased demand in Q3 and Q4.
Promotions:
o Launch campaigns offering faster shipping options (e.g., express delivery)
during peak seasons.
The consistent increase in shipping times across all quarters reflects operational
inefficiencies and/or external challenges, especially in Q3 and Q4.
This trend directly correlates with declining customer satisfaction and order
volumes, highlighting the urgency to address shipping delays.
Improving logistics, enhancing inventory management, and better preparing for
seasonal demand are crucial to reversing this trend.
Summary
The analysis reveals that longer shipping times are eroding customer trust and driving down
order volumes and revenues. To rebuild customer confidence and improve business
performance: