Case Study: MARS achieves real-time in-store display tracking and improved campaign ROI with Microsoft Power BI

Mars gains in-store display insights with Azure IoT Central

MARS, Inc., the global confectionery manufacturer behind brands like M&M’s and Snickers, faced a critical blind spot: once seasonal in‑store displays left its warehouses, Mars had little visibility into when they were set up, where they were placed, or how long they stayed on shelf. To address this, Mars piloted a solution with partner Footmarks that combined Bluetooth beacon tracking and Microsoft technologies—using Azure IoT Central for device management and Microsoft Power BI for data visualization and reporting.

Footmarks installed beacons on more than 7,000 Halloween displays, routed crowdsourced location data through Azure IoT Central, and delivered real‑time insights in Microsoft Power BI dashboards. The Microsoft Power BI–enabled solution let Mars track displays’ lifecycle (warehouse, in transit, in market), alert field reps when displays were removed, speed campaign launches, reduce overproduction and waste, and better measure display ROI—while providing a path to scale the program rapidly.

MARS

Jason Wood

Global Display Development Head