# Coffee Shop Sales Analysis & Dashboard

## Project Overview

This project involves a comprehensive analysis of sales data from a fictional coffee shop. The primary goal was to use Microsoft Excel's powerful features to clean, analyze, and visualize the data to uncover key trends, identify performance drivers, and provide actionable recommendations to improve the shop's sales and operations.

**Final Dashboard Screenshot:**

![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/251a3d8d-1fc9-44d9-aed0-d71758dc6690)

---

## Project Objectives

This analysis was structured around three core objectives:

1.  **Prepare the data for analysis:** This involved data cleaning, quality assurance, and adding calculated fields (e.g., Revenue, Hour, Month) to facilitate deeper analysis.
2.  **Explore the data with Pivot Tables:** Used Excel PivotTables to slice and dice the data, analyzing trends across different time series (monthly, daily, hourly) and product levels.
3.  **Build a dynamic dashboard:** Developed an interactive dashboard with Pivot Charts and Slicers to visualize key insights and allow for easy exploration of the data by store location.

---

## Tools Used

* **Microsoft Excel:**
    * Formulas & Functions (for data cleaning and calculated columns)
    * PivotTables
    * Pivot Charts
    * Slicers & Timelines (for dashboard interactivity)

---

## 📈 Interesting Patterns & Trends

Through the analysis, several key patterns emerged:

* **Clear Peak Hours:** The busiest times are overwhelmingly in the morning, with the **peak sales hour at 8 AM**, followed by 9 AM and 10 AM. A smaller, secondary peak occurs around midday.
* **Coffee & Bakery Dominate:** **Coffee** is the top-selling category, but **Bakery** items are a strong second, indicating many customers purchase a food item with their drink.
* **Location Performance Varies:** The **Hell's Kitchen** and **Astoria** locations are the top revenue generators, while the **Airport** store lags behind.
* **Seasonal Sales Dip:** Sales show a noticeable dip in the early months of the year (Jan-Feb) before picking up and remaining strong from March through June.

---

## 💡 Recommendations to Improve Sales

Based on the data, I have formulated the following actionable recommendations:

1.  **Introduce a "Morning Rush" Combo Deal:** Capitalize on the high morning traffic and the coffee+bakery trend by offering a discounted breakfast combo (e.g., "Coffee + Croissant") from 7-11 AM to increase the average order value.
2.  **Launch an Afternoon "Pick-Me-Up" Promotion:** Drive traffic during the slower afternoon hours (2-4 PM) with a special offer, such as "50% off any pastry with a coffee purchase," to boost sales of high-margin items.
3.  **Optimize Staffing Around Peak Hours:** Ensure maximum staff coverage from 8 AM to 11 AM to reduce wait times. Consider slightly reducing staff during the quieter mid-afternoon to manage costs effectively.
4.  **Develop a Targeted Airport Strategy:** The Airport location has a unique customer base. Introduce "grab-and-go" deals tailored for travelers and a simple loyalty program to encourage repeat business from frequent flyers.
