Introduction
Essentiel Antwerp is a familiar name in Belgian fashion and becoming a fashion statement worldwide with 38 flagship stores and more than 900 brand-in brand stores.
Client
Essentiel Antwerp
Client since
2017
Services
Solutions
Technologies
The problem
Building a Common Language Across Teams
Essentiel is recognized for its bold prints, colorful collections, and dynamic presence across retail stores, wholesale partners, online shops, and marketplaces. But behind the vibrant image, the brand was facing a different reality: fragmented business processes, scattered Excel files, and disconnected reporting practices that were holding back decisions and growth. The challenge:
How to turn creative instinct into reliable, data-driven insights without slowing down the business?
Before partnering with Datashift in 2017, each part of the Essentiel business had developed its own way of managing and interpreting data. Marketing, sales, finance, and supply chain were each speaking a different analytical language.
Together with Datashift, Essentiel made some important shifts:
- Introduced a unified business model that could adapt to retail, wholesale, ecommerce, and marketplace operations.
- Built a shared reporting foundation, allowing every department to work with the same data structures while still respecting the specific needs of each domain.
How we solved it
A Fully Automated, Open-Source Data Pipeline
Manual data wrangling was replaced by a fully automated pipeline, built with open-source tools. Using Meltano, Airflow, and dbt, data now flows smoothly from collection to reporting.
The new setup brings real advantages:
- Daily automated updates
- Transparent, version-controlled transformations
- Flexibility to adapt and scale based on Essentiel's needs
With no reliance on costly software contracts, Essentiel gained a future-proof, modular data environment.
Business Intelligence Designed for Retail
In a fast-moving, challenging retail environment, static spreadsheets no longer made the cut.
Datashift developed intuitive, visual dashboards in Tableau that are now central to business operations. Updated twice a day, these reports help different teams make quicker, smarter decisions:
- Store managers adjust staffing based on real-time foot traffic data.
- Merchandisers monitor sales performance almost instantly.
- Executives receive daily insights that sharpen strategic choices.
"The reports Datashift delivers are practical and usable, not theoretical. That's what makes the difference." Charlotte Somers
Turning Insight into Action Across the Company
This transformation reached beyond reporting. With structured and centralized data now available, different teams across Essentiel can move faster:
- Marketing can tailor campaigns using real-time product information.
- Finance is making strides toward more data-driven accounting processes.
"We're working with Datashift to activate the data we're already capturing. The collaboration is just great, we get the right people on board." Reda Faraji
Designed to Grow with the Business
Beneath the dashboards lies a solid technical foundation. Built using strong software engineering practices like clean code, clear versioning, and scalable workflows, this approach ensures:
- Fewer errors and less time spent on troubleshooting
- Faster response to new business needs
- Stronger operational systems across marketing, accounting, and customer engagement
A Fully Automated, Open-Source Data Pipeline
Manual data wrangling was replaced by a fully automated pipeline, built with open-source tools. Using Meltano, Airflow, and dbt, data now flows smoothly from collection to reporting.
The new setup brings real advantages:
- Daily automated updates
- Transparent, version-controlled transformations
- Flexibility to adapt and scale based on Essentiel's needs
With no reliance on costly software contracts, Essentiel gained a future-proof, modular data environment.
Business Intelligence Designed for Retail
In a fast-moving, challenging retail environment, static spreadsheets no longer made the cut.
Datashift developed intuitive, visual dashboards in Tableau that are now central to business operations. Updated twice a day, these reports help different teams make quicker, smarter decisions:
- Store managers adjust staffing based on real-time foot traffic data.
- Merchandisers monitor sales performance almost instantly.
- Executives receive daily insights that sharpen strategic choices.
"The reports Datashift delivers are practical and usable, not theoretical. That's what makes the difference." Charlotte Somers
Turning Insight into Action Across the Company
This transformation reached beyond reporting. With structured and centralized data now available, different teams across Essentiel can move faster:
- Marketing can tailor campaigns using real-time product information.
- Finance is making strides toward more data-driven accounting processes.
"We're working with Datashift to activate the data we're already capturing. The collaboration is just great, we get the right people on board." Reda Faraji
Designed to Grow with the Business
Beneath the dashboards lies a solid technical foundation. Built using strong software engineering practices like clean code, clear versioning, and scalable workflows, this approach ensures:
- Fewer errors and less time spent on troubleshooting
- Faster response to new business needs
- Stronger operational systems across marketing, accounting, and customer engagement
The results
A Shift from Transaction-Focused to Customer-Focused
Today, Essentiel operates on clear, unified data. Decisions are made faster and with greater confidence, no longer held back by fragmented systems.
What was once a patchwork of spreadsheets has become a strategic asset, supporting Essentiel's ongoing growth with a scalable, future-ready data foundation.
"Datashift is more of a partner than a supplier. We've worked together for almost a decade, and they truly understand our business."
- Reda Faraji
350+
Reports sent automatically each week
40
Stores receiving daily, fresh information
15
Source systems unified in one data platform
The solutions Datashift delivers are practical and usable, not theoretical. That’s what makes the difference.
The solutions Datashift delivers are practical and usable, not theoretical. That’s what makes the difference.
Key Learnings
Listen to the business need first.
The most advanced solution has no impact if it doesn't help people make better decisions and get work done.
A solid foundation enables growth.
Begin with the reports and processes that solve immediate pain points, then expand. Over the years Essentiel data landscape expanded from a solid foundation to almost all business processes being powered by a modern data platform.
Automation is more than just saving time.
It increases trust and consistency. When data flows and reporting are automatic, teams can focus on understanding the numbers instead of producing them.
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