The Business Insights module complements the Media Insights module by offering a holistic view of all drivers influencing product performance, not limited to media. It includes macroeconomic factors, competitor activity, organic demand, and more — all structured to match the Portfolio Long-Term framework. This section is available in both portfolio-level and product-level configurations. Users can navigate by observed or consolidated views, investment product, media grouping, channel, or publisher, depending on their analysis objectives.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


1. Analyse the Overall Performance

Note: When switching from another module such as Media Insights, the time period resets to the default. Always re-select your desired time frame from the filter at the top-right corner before proceeding.

 

1.1 View Total Sales and Contribution Summary

At the top of the Business Insights page, the total sales figure for the selected product (e.g. iphones, airpods, ipads, or Total) is displayed.

 

  • Hover over this figure to view:
    • Total positive contributions
    • Total negative contributions
    • The resulting net effect on sales

This gives you a quick snapshot of the forces driving or hindering your product’s performance during the selected period.

 

1.2 Explore Dimensions Using the Tree Map View

The Tree Map view is a high-level visualisation of all business dimensions, with immediate insight into which factors contributed most—positively or negatively.

 

Key Features:

  • Each tile represents a unique dimension (e.g., Paid Media, Product Pricing, Macroeconomic Conditions).
  • Size of the tile reflects the magnitude of impact.
  • Colour denotes the driver category (e.g., Paid Media, Organic, Macro).
  • White horizontal line divides the chart:
    • Tiles above the line indicate positive contributions
    • Tiles below represent negative impact

Interaction:

  • Hover over any tile to reveal:
    • Driver name
    • Description
    • Value of contribution in absolute terms and in percentage
  • Click on a tile to drill into sub-levels:
    • For example, Macroeconomic → Inflation Rate → Region
    • Use legend on the right to drill by category or value
  • Use the back arrow to return to previous levels
  • Group-by dropdown allows switching the grouping logic:
    • Channel
    • Publisher
    • Driver type

This view is ideal for root-cause diagnostics and performance attribution at a glance.


1.3 Switch to the Waterfall View

The Waterfall Chart presents a sequential, cumulative breakdown of how each driver has contributed to total sales. You can switch to it using the dropdown at the top right of the section.

Key Features:

  • Each vertical bar represents a business driver
  • The far-right bar shows the final net sales result for the selected product and time frame
  • Positive drivers are marked with green values
  • Negative drivers are marked in red values
  • A Grey dotted column when present will represent aggregated minor contributors

 

Interpretation:

  • The height of each bar indicates the magnitude of the driver’s effect
  • Absolute values are shown at the top of each column (e.g. +22.0K or -9.4K)
  • Percentage contribution appears at the bottom of each bar

 

Advanced Interactions:

  • Click “Expand Minor Contributors” to break out smaller drivers
  • Use the “Show Legends” toggle to reveal full driver breakdown
  • Drill into any bar or use the legend for further detail
  • Scroll horizontally to view all drivers

This view is especially effective for understanding how changes build toward the final outcome.

 

Note: When the Product Line is set to "Total", an additional "Group By" functionality becomes available. This allows you to change the breakdown of the visualisations by dimensions such as Investment Product, Media Grouping, Channel, or Publisher.



2. Understand Evolution Over Time

The Evolution Over Time section shows how contributions from individual drivers fluctuate over the selected time period.

 

2.1 Timeline Graph Overview

  • X-axis: Weeks or months depending on selected granularity
  • Y-axis: Total sales values

 

How to Use:

  • Switch between Monthly, Weekly, or Quarterly view depending on insight needs
  • Each stacked bar represents driver breakdown for a time unit
  • Hover to view:
    • Total sales volume
    • Driver-specific contribution
    • Comparable value from previous period
  • Click a column to isolate and focus on that time period

 

2.2 Overlay Line Graph

A line graph overlays the stacked bar chart for clearer trend visibility.

  • Solid line = Current period sales
  • Dotted line = Previous period sales (for comparison)

This allows you to track business growth or contraction at a glance.

 

2.3 Toggle to Graphical Table View

This mode presents a matrix-style layout:

  • Columns = Drivers
  • Rows = Time periods

View Options:

  • Focus Mode: Bar graph reflects actual value for that driver
  • Context Mode: Bar graph is relative to the highest contributor in that column

This layout is useful for scanning changes across multiple drivers over time.

 

2.4 Explore Data Table View

Switch to this view for a numerical breakdown of all driver contributions across the timeline.

  • Resembles Media Insights data table
  • Useful for detailed downloads or audits

2.5 Customise Columns

Click the column settings icon to:

  • Show/hide drivers
  • Reorder columns
  • Set your preferred display layout

Changes apply instantly across all chart views.

 

2.6 Export the Data

Click the Download button to export in Excel (.xlsx) format. Options include:

  • Displayed Values Only – current visible data
  • Full Dataset (Grouped) – aggregated by driver type
  • Full Dataset (Granular) – full timeline resolution

 

3. Compare with the Previous Period

This final section enables side-by-side comparison of driver performance from one period to another.

 

3.1 Use the Comparison Chart

  • Each driver displays three columns:
    • Current period value
    • Previous period value
    • Change (difference)

Colour coding:

  • Green = Increase
  • Red = Decrease
  • Grey = No significant change

Use this view to quickly identify rising or declining effectiveness across external and internal drivers.

 

3.2 Refine the View

  • Collapse minor contributors to focus on top drivers
  • Expand to reveal full driver list if needed


 

4. Example Interpretation

Based on the below image,

Effect: Observed, Product model: iPhone, Showing: Media drivers


4.1 Waterfall Breakdown 

The waterfall chart visualises the composition of total positive media-driven sales for iPhone, amounting to 11.8K units. This total is attributed across three distinct paid media types:

  • Cross Paid Media contributes the largest share, driving 8,782 sales (~74.1% of the total).
  • Direct Paid Media accounts for 1,586 sales (13.4%), reflecting media investments specifically targeting iPhone.
  • Halo Paid Media generates 1,482 sales (12.5%), resulting from broader campaigns for other Apple products influencing iPhone sales indirectly.

The chart provides a clear, additive view of how each type of media strategy contributes to overall observed uplift.


4.2 Evolution Over Time

This timeline view displays the quarterly contribution of each media effect throughout the reporting period. Key trends visible in the chart:

  • Q4 2023 saw a notable peak in total iPhone media-driven sales (~1,756 units), primarily led by cross-media impact.
  • A sharp dip occurs in Q1 and Q2 2024, where sales fell to ~1,341 and ~1,528 units, indicating reduced media effectiveness or investment.
  • A recovery begins in Q4 2024, with uplift returning to ~1,389 units, driven by re-engagement across all three media categories.

The historical trend comparison (grey dotted lines) also shows the decline from previous periods and allows marketers to correlate dips with media strategy shifts.


4.3 Period-on-Period Difference

This bar chart quantifies the change in media-driven sales vs. the previous period (25 Dec 2022 – 30 Dec 2023):

  • Total iPhone media-generated sales dropped by 2,320 units, reflecting a performance decline.
  • The most significant drop is from Direct Paid Media, down 2,763 units, suggesting either reduced investment or efficiency issues.
  • Conversely, Cross Paid Media improved by +1,618 units, becoming the main driver that offset part of the decline.
  • Halo Paid Media underperformed, with a reduction of 1,175 units, potentially due to weaker brand synergies or reduced campaigns for other Apple products.


This view allows you to focus on tactical adjustments e.g., reallocating media from low-performing direct channels to higher-impact cross-media strategies.