SCIENCE

IBM announced that YO! Sushi restaurants are using IBM business analytics software to help improve sales, customer service and streamline operations.

With IBM business analytics YO! Sushi restaurants can more effectively monitor the business operations of its UK stores including their sales targets, revenue and customer promotions. For instance, by identifying best-selling sushi dishes, restaurant managers can place more accurate orders which avoids unnecessary food waste.  

YO! Sushi can now gain more granular analysis of sales trends for how individual types of food products are selling, to increase the most popular and profitable lines.

Another benefit has been the ability to improve customer service during busy times by ensuring the correct numbers of staff are working the correct number of hours in the restaurants.

“The IBM system is able to decode complex data into a form that can help forecast sales trends that have a real impact on how YO! Sushi operates,” said Billy Waters, IT Manager, YO! Sushi. “More accurate sales projections are able to deliver more visibility of the sales in individual stores. This allows us to track guest habits and plan our price and product promotions throughout the year taking into account quieter periods and peak sales times. ”
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Founded in 1997, YO! Sushi brought the iconic Japanese ‘kaiten’ sushi bar that delivers food to customers via a conveyor belt to sushi enthusiasts across the globe. YO! Sushi now has 68 local branches across the UK, Ireland, Portugal and the Middle East.

Steve Dunnigan, Business Unit Executive, Business Analytics, IBM UK and Ireland said, “YO! Sushi shows how organisations can manage costs by better understanding how their business is performing. With this information now available and easily accessible on mobile devices, businesses can make more informed decisions and take action swiftly.”

IBM has invested more than $14 billion in acquisitions to build an analytics portfolio which includes more than 24 acquisitions. In addition, IBM has assembled 8,000 analytics consultants with industry expertise, and opened a network of seven analytics centres of excellence.

The Business Analytics solution is powered by IBM Cognos Business Intelligence software with maintenance provided by IBM Business Partner, Change ++.