Business Objects Targets Consumer Packaged Goods

Business Objects added to the number of reporting and analytics products it's selling to the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry with the release of a business intelligence tool designed to help customers track how well their promotions are working.

The new product, called Trade Promotion Effectiveness Analytics, lets CPG companies measure performance and return on investment of promotional efforts. Customers can use the package to evaluate customer bases, monitor promotions or boost the profitability of promotions taking place at retail firms.

Business Objects has tried to make headway with analytics tools designed for individual industries, particularly retail and CPG. The company launched planning and budgeting software for retailers last year, and it already sells at least three products for CPG other than the one announced this week.

Business Objects also announced Release 2 of its BusinessObjects XI analytics and reporting platform. XI is closely bound up with Business Objects' strategy of targeting specific industries.

The company said it worked closely with existing users of the XI software to make implementation and customization easier with the new release. Release 2 also includes dashboards designed for specific job roles, including marketing, human resources, sales and finance executives.

Both the new Trade Promotion tool and XI Release 2 start at $150,000 per 100 users per 4 CPUs. The software packages are already available.