Implementation of Clustering on Packaged Coffee Sales Data for Simulating Goods Entry in Sole Proprietorship Businesses

Abstract

In retail businesses operating under the sole proprietorship structure, decision-making regarding partnerships with beverage distributors—especially those offering packaged coffee—remains a challenge. Store owners often face uncertainty about the profitability of accepting product offerings, which can lead to suboptimal inventory decisions. This study addresses that issue by simulating goods entry scenarios and applying clustering techniques to historical packaged coffee sales data, enabling data-driven insights into product performance and distributor value. Studies focusing on clustering within retail include segmenting customer behavior and stock management strategies, yet many lacked specific application to single owner businesses and product-centric simulations. This research is novel in its contextual focus on packaged coffee distribution within sole proprietorship environments, integrating real sales metrics and clustering algorithms to empower store owners with actionable evaluation tools. Results demonstrate that clustering reveals patterns of profitable product categories and distributor consistency, offering scalable insights for micro-retail optimization. The findings provide a framework that differs from prior studies by emphasizing the intersection between small business dynamics and algorithmic decision support.