Data-Driven Decisions: Is Mexican Retail Truly Strategic?

“We make decisions based on data.”
That’s a phrase that has become almost a mantra in the retail sector. It’s repeated in meetings, presentations, and even in public leadership speeches. Yet, when we examine key decisions in many Mexican organizations, the reality is quite different.

Intuition, fragmented reports, and ambiguous indicators still prevail.  Claiming to be a data-driven company does not automatically make it a strategic one. The real issue isn't the lack of data, but rather how it’s interpreted and, more importantly, how deeply it’s used.

Today, many stores have access to analytics tools. But having dashboards doesn't guarantee a solid strategy. Mexican retail continues to carry old habits: decisions made based on “what has always worked” or on what someone “feels” is happening.

We often confuse the volume of data with its usefulness.  Having numbers is not the same as having answers. I’ve seen reports where sales volume is presented as a success, without considering whether conversion rates are dropping, attraction is low, or average ticket size has decreased. It’s like celebrating a packed restaurant without knowing if anyone actually ordered from the menu.

Leadership That Demands Depth

This is not just a technical challenge; it’s a cultural one.  The companies that truly evolve are those where leadership demands actionable metrics, questions incomplete information, and seeks explanations that go beyond surface-level data.

What’s the point of knowing how many people passed in front of the store if we don’t understand how many came in, how long they stayed, or how many actually made a purchase?

Retail leaders must stop settling for easy answers and start asking uncomfortable questions — questions that demand transparency, context, and depth.

The Risk of Operating on Assumptions

The absence of data-based strategy is a silent liability. It might not hurt today, but it stifles growth, delays key decisions, and keeps brands stuck in a false comfort zone.

In such a competitive and fast-changing environment, having information isn’t enough. You need to know how to interpret it and act on it.

Technology Serving Real Decisions

At Getin, we believe the difference between an average store and a strategic one lies in the quality of the analysis. Our technology doesn’t just count passersby or visits, it helps brands understand the “why” behind in-store behavior.

And that’s where true transformation begins.

Data only holds value when it leads to smart decisions. Strategy can’t be built on assumptions or gut feelings. It must be built on real, precise, and actionable information.

From Information to Actionable Knowledge

One of the most common mistakes is assuming that having information automatically makes us strategic. But that’s not the case.

Information without interpretation is just noise.

We might know how many passersby we had during the week or how many tickets were generated in a day, but if we don’t understand the context behind those numbers, if we don’t correlate them with time of day, consumer behavior, or external changes, then the analysis becomes meaningless.

Actionable knowledge is what enables teams to make informed decisions. It’s not about collecting more metrics, it’s about transforming data into impactful decisions.

Rethinking What It Means to Succeed In-Store

For years, Mexican retail has equated success with quantity: more sales, more square footage, more inventory. But that’s no longer enough.

Today, a truly successful store is one that achieves efficiency through intelligence: converting more visits into purchases, increasing the average ticket size, optimizing attraction, and keeping customers engaged within the brand experience.

Metrics like conversion rate, attraction percentage, average ticket, and dwell time are no longer secondary figures. They are the true indicators of performance.

In this new paradigm, brands that measure the right things have a clear competitive advantage. And that advantage is built not on intuition, but on evidence-based strategy.

Technology With Human Intelligence

Yes, technology has democratized access to data. But no technology can replace critical thinking.

Dashboards don’t think. Interpretation is up to us.

Deep analysis happens when someone notices a pattern and asks, “Why is this happening?”  It happens when a data point sparks a hypothesis, not just a mechanical response.

Technology is an enabler. Human intelligence is what turns data into transformation.

Being strategic in retail is not about collecting more KPIs or printing longer reports. It means asking the right questions, at the right moment, with the right information.

Understanding Better

Leaders who understand this no longer talk about sales in isolation. They talk about efficiency, customer behavior, and real profitability. And above all, they stop operating on assumptions.

In today’s fiercely competitive landscape, Mexican retail needs more than intuition. It needs the courage to face the data, recognize its weaknesses, and act intelligently.

Because in the end, being strategic isn’t about knowing more. It’s about understanding better.