Drive Success with Deeper Insights: The Phocas & Innov8 Advantage

Running a successful business in retail, manufacturing or distribution means constantly juggling multiple priorities – keeping costs under control, managing supply chains, tracking sales performance, and staying ahead of customer demands. But with so much data coming from every direction, how do you turn numbers into knowledge and knowledge into action? That’s where the right insights make all the difference.  

At Innov8, we understand that having access to clear, meaningful business intelligence isn’t just a luxury – it’s a necessity. That’s why we partner with best-in-class providers like Phocas Software to deliver solutions that empower businesses to make data-driven decisions. Phocas, a Sage-compatible solution, goes beyond traditional reporting to provide intuitive, easy-to-use analytics that ‘make people feel good about data.’ 

The Importance of Key Metrics & Insights for Businesses  

Daniel Cuthew, Global Partnership Executive at Phocas, spoke to us about the cruciality of key metrics and insights for business, and the successful partnership between both Innov8 and Phocas resulting in the ultimate customer success.  

“Making informed decisions is crucial for success in today’s fast-paced business landscape. Key metrics serve as vital indicators to help business people evaluate performance and act accordingly. By monitoring relevant metrics, everyone from the CEO to the intern can make data-driven decisions that enhance profitability, customer satisfaction and operational efficiencies…”

Performance Measurement 

Key financial metrics enable business people to meet budget, get clarity on what works and what doesn’t and reforecast. For instance, Gross profit margin helps you understand profitability at multiple levels and pinpoint where margins can be improved. It can help inform when your team need to negotiate better supplier deals, change pricing or cost structures. 

Trend Identification  

Analysing insights over time helps spot future trends, allowing proactive management and adaptation to market changes. For example, analysing historical sales helps identify which products sell better in specific channels, what products customers buy together, trends across branches 

Resource Allocation 

With specific insights for your business, managers can allocate resources strategically, investing in high-performing areas while addressing underperformance. Once example is current stock value, this KPI provides a snapshot of inventory investment and helps ensure the right level of stock is maintained to balance availability and cash flow efficiency.

Customer Focus 

Customer metrics focus on customer interaction, helping business people understand behaviours and preferences, which allows you to offer tailored products and services, fostering loyalty and retention. For example, strong customer retention rates indicate customer satisfaction and stable recurring revenue. 

Why Phocas is the Right Solution for Retail, Manufacturing, and Distribution Businesses  

Whether you’re a retailer needing real-time sales visibility, a manufacturer aiming to optimise production efficiency, or a distributor managing complex inventory, Phocas provides the tailored insights you need. The user-friendly dashboards and deep reporting capabilities mean businesses can spend less time wrestling with spreadsheets and more time making informed decisions.  

With Phocas, you can flexibly drill down into the next level of data, giving you more information to address anomalies. Whether you want a high-level overview or detailed transactional analysis, Phocas enables you to follow your train of thought. Additionally, you can set up standard ways to view your data, ensuring consistency across your team and so people can view results in a dashboard or flash report. 

Daniel (from Phocas) goes on to explain…

“Phocas offers a comprehensive suite of Business Intelligence (BI) and Financial Planning and Analytics tools. One of its standout features is the user-friendly interface, which requires minimal training to get up and running. The ease of use allows teams to quickly access insights they can implement immediately. The seamless integration with your Sage data, which is consolidated and updated regularly means people can trust the information and make quicker decisions based on the most current information available. Additionally, business people can personalise their dashboards to focus on the key metrics that are most relevant to their role. Phocas also aids collaboration by making it easier for teams to share insights across departments while ensuring data is secure. When everyone is working from the same numbers it fosters a culture of data-driven decision-making and confidence.”

Innov8 & Phocas: A Partnership Built for Success

At Innov8, we pride ourselves on working with partners who truly add value to our customers. Our collaboration with Phocas ensures that businesses using Sage solutions can seamlessly integrate a powerful analytics platform that helps them unlock the full potential of their data. Together, we make it easier for businesses to not only track key performance indicators but also to identify trends, mitigate risks, and seize new opportunities.  

“The collaboration between Innov8 and Phocas showcases how strategic partnerships can enhance business outcomes. Innov8, known for its commitment to empowering businesses through innovative solutions, has successfully integrated Phocas’s powerful analytics tools into its offerings.”

Daniel Cuthew, Phocas

Our partnership with Phocas has led to the development of tailored solutions that address the unique needs of their clients in retail, manufacturing, and distribution. Phocas provides the ability to quickly generate insights necessary to thrive in competitive markets, including data from Innov8’s InnRange suite of software solutions. 

Many companies have enhanced operations through this partnership already, most recently Quality Bearings Online – a joint Innov8 & Phocas customer, who are now experiencing significant improvements in efficiency, business insight and forecasting, thanks to the combined strengths of Innov8 and Phocas.

Read the Case Study