Shaping Consumer Goods Supply Chain Decisions with Business Intelligence Analytics: A Qualitative Case Study

Power BI, a robust business intelligence tool, and widely utilised in big data analytics, has garnered attention for its potential to revolutionise decision-making processes. However, its role in shaping supply chain analytics decisions within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry in developing nations remains less investigated. This qualitative case study explored the experiences of supply chain managers in the Nigerian FMCG sector, investigating the adoption, significance, and challenges associated with Power BI utilisation. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. Findings showed that the integration of Power BI in supply chain management offers myriad benefits, including intuitive usability, visually engaging data presentation, user-friendly dashboards, strong data governance with security features, alongside the ability to visualize vast datasets. Furthermore, the study reveals how Power BI influences decision-making processes by enhancing business visibility, facilitating demand forecasting through reliable data insights, understanding customer behaviour, and fostering higher-quality decision-making across supply chain functions. Nonetheless, challenges such as data integration complexities, data quality issues, organizational silos, high infrastructure costs, and suboptimal data visualization practices hinder effective BI utilization in supply chain operations. This research offers valuable insights for FMCG supply chains in developing nations, industry practitioners, and policymakers alike.