As more organizations turn to self-serve research platforms like Numerator, the assumption is that faster access to data equals faster results. But when it's time to actually present to a retail buyer, many teams realize something's missing. Despite having robust shopper data, their presentations fall flat – lacking the context, clarity, and strategic storytelling needed to stand out in today's competitive retail environment.

The data is there – the story isn’t

DIY platforms make it easy to pull charts and dashboards, but difficult to construct a coherent narrative. Numerator data offers purchase behaviors, promo tracking, and omnichannel shopping insights – but it's up to the user to interpret that data and bring key themes to the surface. Without a clear structure or storyline, buyer decks can feel like a data dump, rather than a persuasive business case.

Retail buyers want a point of view, not a pile of data

Retailers are busy. They don’t just want proof points – they want a compelling perspective backed by evidence. Insights professionals need to connect the dots between trends, consumer needs, and your brand’s value proposition. DIY tools tell you what happened; your presentation must explain why it matters and what to do next.

Common ways DIY insights miss the mark

• Too broad: Presentations often lack tailoring for specific retail accounts or categories.
• No clear takeaway: Decks loaded with graphs, but no defined action or recommendation.
• Disconnected messaging: Consumer insights exist, but don’t align with commercial strategy.
• Shallow interpretation: Without in-depth synthesis, golden insights remain hidden.

Why teams need more than dashboards

Great retail buyer presentations require more than simply access to information – they need craftsmanship. That’s where On Demand Talent can help. Experienced consumer insights professionals not only know how to use Numerator data effectively, but also how to frame it around what your retail partners actually care about: category growth, unmet shopper needs, and promotion opportunities.

While Numerator is a powerful DIY research tool, there’s still a vital human element in making insights presentation-ready. With flexible support from SIVO’s On Demand Talent experts, teams gain seasoned storytellers who can build presentations that resonate – helping your business secure shelf space, drive growth, and stand out in the buyer’s inbox.

Numerator offers one of the richest sources of omnichannel shopper data available through a DIY platform – but using that data effectively isn’t always straightforward. While the platform puts power in the hands of users, many teams encounter roadblocks when trying to extract, interpret, and present meaningfully. Without expert guidance, key insights often get lost in translation.

Three common challenges in turning Numerator data into insights

Even with the best intentions and access to data, insights teams frequently struggle in the following areas:

1. Interpreting complex shopper behaviors

Numerator tracks a wide range of behaviors – from in-store vs. online purchasing, to brand-switching, to repeat rate. However, identifying actionable themes and translating them into retail strategy takes more than slicing and dicing. Without an experienced consumer insights expert, teams risk drawing oversimplified or misaligned conclusions.

2. Missing insight connections

One of the biggest risks with DIY research tools is getting caught in the weeds. It’s easy to pull a cross-tab or trend line, but hard to identify the “so what.” For example, a numeric shift in share may point to an underlying consumer need that’s currently unmet – or a misfiring promotion. Without trained eyes, deeper insight opportunities often remain untapped.

3. Losing the story thread

Numerator dashboards favor data, not narrative. This puts pressure on internal teams to find the bigger picture. Many teams produce decks full of charts, but few that answer a buyer’s most pressing question: Why should I care?

Why having expertise matters

Whether it's knowing how to find growth in shopper panel data, or how to structure a retail buyer presentation, the difference between good and great often comes down to interpretation. Expert On Demand Talent professionals bring years of experience in shopper research, data storytelling, and stakeholder communication. They know how to spot signals across Numerator datasets and connect those dots to real business outcomes.

How expert support can help

Teams using Numerator data alone often benefit from an outside perspective that brings both objectivity and storytelling skill. By leveraging SIVO’s On Demand Talent professionals, you can:

• Bridge skill gaps without hiring full-time roles
• Ensure insights stay aligned with business and retail objectives
• Build decks that clearly highlight unmet needs and growth spaces
• Strengthen internal capability through knowledge-sharing and upskilling

Bottom line: DIY doesn’t have to mean “do it alone.” Flexible, expert-led support can help you get more value from your Numerator investment – giving your team the confidence and capability to deliver stronger, insight-driven buyer stories.

Numerator provides access to rich shopper data, but raw numbers alone won’t get you a 'yes' from a retail buyer. To move your category forward, the real value lies in your ability to turn this wealth of data into compelling stories that clearly communicate opportunities, unmet needs, or promotional wins. So, how do you get from spreadsheets to storytelling? It starts with data interpretation and thoughtful framing.

Start With the Business Question

Before diving into the data, clearly define the business question or objective. Ask yourself: What do we want the retailer to do – increase shelf space, test a new product, adjust pricing? Framing your story begins here. Without a defined objective, data becomes noise instead of insight.

Find the Right Thread in the Data

One common mistake in using Numerator data for retail buyer presentations is focusing on interesting data points that don’t align with the category story. To avoid this, look for consistent themes across Numerator's various modules – for example, linking trip missions to promotional responsiveness or identifying shopper shifts during competitive launches.

Here are a few questions to guide your storytelling:

• What unmet needs are emerging based on shopping behavior?
• Are consumer preferences shifting to new formats, sizes, or brands?
• Where are competitors gaining traction and why?
• What promotional strategies are resonating with specific shopper segments?

Structure Your Narrative Around Retailer Value

Retail buyers respond to stories that are not just brand-focused, but retailer-focused. Use Numerator data to explain how your brand’s growth contributes to overall category performance. Show how your product meets the needs of high-value shoppers or drives trips in key retail windows. Ground every insight in what it means for the buyer’s business – whether that’s foot traffic, conversion, or basket size.

Use Visuals Strategically

Charts, graphs and infographics play a key role in data storytelling. Avoid overwhelming your slides with dense tabs; instead, use one visual per insight, and keep the data labels easy to understand. Compare your brand's progress to benchmarks or competitors to contextualize the 'so what.' A clean, smartly designed chart is more effective than a detailed table that asks the buyer to connect the dots themselves.

End With a Clear Ask

No story is complete without a conclusion. Wrap your insight-driven narrative with a clear recommendation or request from the retailer. Tie it back to the business question and support it with the data you've just walked through. Data storytelling with Numerator isn’t about showing how much you know – it’s about showing what the buyer should do next.

Even with strong DIY research tools like Numerator, many teams struggle to turn data into retailer-ready stories. That’s where SIVO’s On Demand Talent can be a game-changer. These consumer insights professionals bring not only strategic thinking but years of experience crafting buyer-facing narratives that drive results. Unlike freelancers or junior analysts, they’re seasoned experts who hit the ground running – translating data into action without losing time or message clarity.

Telling Stories Retail Buyers Want to Hear

Retailers are flooded with information. What sets persuasive presentations apart is not just data volume – it’s story quality. On Demand Talent professionals know how to filter through the noise and build a narrative that highlights:

• Category growth opportunities aligned with retailer priorities
• Shopper segmentation and unmet needs backed by quantitative data
• Competitive vulnerabilities supported by consumer behavior trends
• Promotional recommendations grounded in actual store trips and responses

For example, a fictional On Demand Talent project involved supporting a mid-size CPG brand preparing a buyer meeting with a major grocery chain. Using Numerator data, the expert identified a trend: shoppers were increasingly purchasing smaller pack sizes of competitors' products during promotional weeks. The narrative tied that insight to a strategy for bundle pricing and secondary placement – ultimately helping the brand increase shelf space and promotional inclusion. The numbers were important, but it was the expert’s ability to craft a story around them that made the case persuasive.

Bridging the Knowledge Gap

Many insights teams invest in platforms like Numerator without the internal bandwidth or expertise to unlock their full value. On Demand Talent acts as both a backfill solution and a capability-builder – creating decks, uncovering insights, and upskilling teams along the way. They help insights leaders build repeatable workflows so future decks follow structure, not guesswork.

Flexible Support, Real Impact

Whether your team is short on time, deep experience, or both, SIVO’s On Demand Talent offers tailored support. Need someone to lead analysis, build the agenda, or present to stakeholders? These professionals adapt to your needs, processes, and team dynamics – without lengthy onboarding or overhead. That creates impactful, insight-led presentations that actually drive buyer decisions.

In short, expert support doesn’t replace your tools – it enhances them. With the right guidance, even complex shopper research data can be shaped into simple, strategic, and persuasive stories your buyer wants to hear.

DIY research tools like Numerator are powerful on their own, but no tool can replace the human skill of interpretation, synthesis, and storytelling. At some point, most insights teams find themselves at a crossroads: they have data, but not the time, structure, or clarity to turn it into business impact. That’s when bringing in an expert can shift results from average to outstanding.

Signs Your Team May Need Help with Numerator Data

Here are common signs that signal it might be time to bring in On Demand Talent:

• Your buyer presentations feel too data-heavy or miss the core message
• Insights feel scattered, incomplete, or are overlooked by commercial teams
• The team spends too much time trying to “dig” instead of acting on what they find
• You're under pressure to present insights faster but can’t sacrifice quality
• Your team is learning Numerator but needs a working example to model after

These challenges are extremely common – especially in teams adapting to leaner budgets or higher output expectations. And they’re not a reflection of poor skill, but of evolving team needs that require scalable support.

Maximizing Tool Investments with the Right Talent Match

When insights experts come equipped with DIY research tool knowledge and shopper research expertise, your investment in platforms like Numerator pays off quickly. On Demand Talent professionals don't just interpret the data – they build processes, templates, and frameworks so your team can repeat successful approaches without starting from scratch each time.

Think of On Demand Talent as accelerators. Maybe you need support for your next big presentation or help integrating multiple data sources (Numerator, POS, internal trackers). Or perhaps your team is launching a new product and needs a beeline to insight-backed messaging that appeals to retailers. No matter the case, these professionals help you focus on what matters: growth, retailer alignment, and persuasive presentation quality.

Quick Ramp-Up, Long-Term Return

Because SIVO’s On Demand Talent can step in quickly and flexibly, you avoid the common lag time that comes with hiring a full-time role or onboarding an agency. Once plugged in, the expert strengthens your team’s effectiveness without adding long-term headcount. And by transferring knowledge and structure as they work, they build the internal confidence and capacity needed to sustain insight excellence going forward.

The bottom line: You don’t need to go it alone. If you’re committed to making your Numerator data work harder – and are serious about leveraging insights for business growth – then bringing in the right expert can be the smartest investment you make.