Developing a Data Collection Platform: Woolworth Supermarket Report

This report details the development of a data collection platform for Woolworth Supermarket using MS Excel. The platform is designed to collect customer data regarding service provision. The report includes an introduction outlining the supermarket's background and the need for data collection, followed by the research aim to create the platform. It describes the creation process using Excel, including the Excel file structure and the Excel spreadsheet web interface. The report details the platform's content, including survey questions and ethical considerations. A recommendation panel is presented, offering suggestions for Woolworth management based on the collected data, focusing on service quality, employee training, and price control. Potential external data sources are also discussed. The study concludes that data collection platforms are superior to manual methods. The assumptions of the study are also included. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the platform's development, implementation, and potential impact on Woolworth Supermarket's operations, along with a list of references.

Data collection platform
Table of Contents
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................2
Research aim...........................................................................................................................................2
Creation of the data collection platform.................................................................................................3
Excel file...............................................................................................................................................3
Data collection platform content.............................................................................................................5
Recommendation Panel..........................................................................................................................6
Potential external data sources...............................................................................................................6
Conclusions drawn from the study..........................................................................................................7
Assumptions of the study........................................................................................................................7
List of reference.......................................................................................................................................8
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Data collection platform
Introduction
Woolworth supermarkets group also known as “woolies” are Australian largest supermarkets
formally called Woolworth limited developed in the early twentieth century around the year
1924. It has about a thousand stores in Australia and over a hundred and ten thousand team
members working in the stores. The supermarket has thrived through the Australian market
through adverse marketing skills and good service provision; its groceries are the best in the
Australian market. According to Knox 2015, on average each Woolworth customer spends at
least $100 every week shopping at the supermarket. The supermarket over time has been selling
quality goods with the lowest price applicable in the market. The supermarket has developed
apps which is been used by customers to access the goods at the available and shop at their
homes with comfort. Recently, the supermarket wanted to collect data from its customers
regarding its services provision in order to maintain or change how they provide services to their
clients. To efficiently collect data, the supermarket aims at using the data collection platforms
during this process.
Mihas 2019 defined data collection as the process of acquiring information of interest that
enables ones to answer the designed research questionnaires. Over the year’s data collection has
increasing become challenging to every organization due to inability to fully utilize available the
data collection tools and platforms. According to Hunter 2012, manual collection of data is
being dropped by many companies since it is expensive, time consuming, errors prone, and
prone to data loss. With these challenges organizations and companies have adopted an online
way of collection data, which gives birth to the data collection platform. McDaniel 2013 defined
data collection platforms as computer websites that facilitates the collection of data through
cheaper cost, time efficient, the data quality is excellent and minimal cases of data loss since data
is backed up immediately it is collected.
Tansley and Tolle 2009, showed that data collection platform can be created using MS Excel in
two major ways: Using Excel survey in the Microsoft One-Drive or using the excel spreadsheet
websites. The data collection platform presented in this report is created using Excel spreadsheet
website.
Research aim
To develop a data collection platform based on the Woolworth supermarkets group website using
MS Excel.
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Data collection platform
Creation of the data collection platform
Excel file
An excel file is first created having all the data required questions. Here, the surveys questions
are typed in excel columns and their corresponding rows having their potential answers that the
research participants might be required to choose their answers from. The survey question must
be named ranges assigned to specific excel cells.
The data in the excel file can be used to create a data collection platform using the MS Excel
survey in the Microsoft One-drive or the Excel spreadsheet websites. This enables collection of
data from other devices such mobile phone, computers, tablets and other devices capable of
accessing websites. The data collection platform developed was designed using the Excel
spreadsheet websites. Excel spreadsheet web
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Data collection platform
The excel spreadsheet web outlook have a user interface that enables a creation of a data
collection website without minimal programing language. The user interactive interface allows
one to edit the word format including the styles, font, boldness and the italics.
The already created excel named ranges are added into the website and named. The writing
format can be altered to be aligned as desired into center, left or right.
This is the complete data collection platform.
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Data collection platform
The complete data collection platform has unique features to modify its beauty and outlook. The
background image changes its appearance completely.
Data collection platform content
The data can be collected by research participants accessing the websites and the answering the
designed research questions. The data is then saved and can only be accessed by individuals
controlling the system. This data can be analyzed and used to solve problems of the Woolwich
supermarket. The response from customers about service production is important to the
supermarket managerial staff and the employees.
The research questions are designed in a participant friendly manner, such that the questions are
closed ended and its answers are provided. It is easy to answer such kinds of questions since
answers are available and it will also save time that would have been used thinking on the
solution. The first part of the data platform is about welcoming and notifying the clients about
the nature of the research and that they ask to participate in the Consumer satisfaction survey by
the Woolworth supermarket. It was important to understand the need to collect data ethically.
Therefore, the designed data collection system ensured that all the research participants were
asked if they were willing to participate and were informed that they can leave the research at
their own pleasure. Consumer data must be kept private.
The second part of the data collection platform was designed on the questions to be asked. The
first research question centered on the general consumer satisfaction of the services provided by
the Woolworth supermarket, it could be only by answered by poor, average or excellent. This is
the most important question in the research. It is the main agenda of the study, should more than
50% of the respondents answer poor then the services of the supermarket would be rendered to
be poor by the Woolworth management officials. However, should the more than 50% of the
respondents answer excellent or average then the management would conclude effectively. The
last three questions attempts to gauge the specific part of the supermarket giving or denying the
Woolworth supermarket credit. The second asks about employees, the third asks about goods
prices and the last question checking if a Woolworth client would recommend the supermarket to
a friend, all can be answered with simple binary answers: Yes or a no.
The last part of the data collection platform was designed to thank the research participants for
taking their time to go through the research question.
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Data collection platform
Recommendation Panel
This contains suggestions that the Woolworth supermarket managerial official should undertake
based on the data collected.
 Basing on the first question (services offered by the supermarket), the managers should
employ a strict policy on how the supermarket services are offered. Hill and Alexander
2017 believed that ensuring that the quality of goods are high, dropping fake goods and
maintaining only the original products, having a super customer service that answers
every need of a customer, performing after sell services such as extra packaging to bulk
buyers and performing regular service checks do improve the service provision ratings.
 To maintain the reputation of the supermarket, it is recommended that the employees
should be fully trained purposefully on how to handle customers, their shift to be reduced
to six hour from eight hour shifts, allowing purpose leaves when requested by the
employees, maintenance of ethical working conditions so as to improve the employees
work morale and work esteem. However, on extreme cases rogue team members and
employs should be suspended or fired depending on the nature of crime committed.
 It is recommended that the supermarket should be regularly controlling the prices of
goods on its store. According to Tappata 2009 and Smith 2012, it is significant for the
sellers to sell good at an equilibrium price which suites theirs needs and the same time
suiting the needs of the customers. Due to economy controlled fluctuations, also prices of
goods should be varying accordingly.
 Generally, it is recommended that the supermarket should continue with its usual
advertising in order to remain afloat in the Australian market. According to Schmitt 2010
and Kotler 2011, the managers are should be creative and dynamic in their roles to create
competitive marketing styles such as introduction Woolworth shopping points earned
during that can be redeemed into winning prices or shopping vouchers.
Potential external data sources
 Other sources of data that might aid the Woolworth managerial decisions includes
conducting of researches including marketing research to investigate the marketing
trends, conducting researches to investigate their employee’s needs and views and
importantly making good use the data results found after conducting the researches.
 It important for the Woolworth managers to know what to do best when an employee
commits a crime or fails to adhere to the supermarket rules and regulation. It always hard
to decide whether to fire, warn, fine or retrain the employee. Firing an experienced
employee and employing an inexperienced one is always not the best option. This calls
for the managers to be extra careful in their decisions.
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Data collection platform
Conclusions drawn from the study
 From the study it concluded that the use data collection platforms when collecting data
are superior to manual data collection because it is fast, secure and efficient at data
collection.
 The research aim to develop a data collection platform of Woolworth supermarket
using MS Excel is achieved. It is concluded that the developed data collection platform
is capable been accessed using mobile phones, tablets, laptops or other devices capable
of surfing the internet and it can collects data and transmits it into the central hub for
further analysis by the management of the Woolworth supermarket.
Assumptions of the study
 It is assumed that data questions selected for the data collection platform will provide the
answers to the research problem of the Woolworth supermarket.
 It is assumed that the data collection platform designed will collect data efficiently
without small errors.
 It is also assumed the recommendations suggested to the supermarket upon
implementations will result to the greatness of the Woolworth supermarket.
List of reference
Hill, N., & Alexander, J. (2017). The handbook of customer satisfaction and loyalty
measurement. Routledge.
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Data collection platform
Hunter, L., 2012. Challenging the reported disadvantages of e-questionnaires and addressing
methodological issues of online data collection. Nurse researcher, 20(1).
Kotler, P., 2011. Marketing insights from A to Z: 80 concepts every manager needs to know.
John Wiley & Sons.
Knox, M., 2015. Supermarket monsters: The price of Coles and Woolworths' dominance (Vol.
6). Black Inc..
McDaniel, C. and Gates, R., 2013. Marketing research. Singapore.
Mihas, P., 2019. Qualitative data analysis. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education
Tansley, S., & Tolle, K. M. (2009). The fourth paradigm: data-intensive scientific
discovery (Vol. 1). A. J. Hey (Ed.). Redmond, WA: Microsoft research.
Tappata, M., 2009. Rockets and feathers: Understanding
asymmetric pricing. The RAND Journal of Economics, 40(4),
pp.673-687.
Smith, H. and Thomassen, Ø., 2012. Multi-category demand and supermarket
pricing. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 30(3), pp.309-314.
Schmitt, B.H., 2010. Customer experience management: A revolutionary approach to connecting
with your customers. John Wiley & Sons.
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