
With improvements in technology, data collection and storage, processing and analytical knowledge, companies are now looking to integrate downstream consumer demand (consumption) with their upstream shipment (supply) plans. Sign up for a free 14-day trial of SAS® for Predict and Plan Consumer Demand Key accounts (customers), channel, brand, product group and products that achieve their customer-facing business objectives are also important. Why consumption-based forecasting and planning?Ĭonsumption-based planning is the set of business processes, people, analytics, and technologies that enable companies to analyze, choose and execute against the precise mix of geographic segments. More companies are attempting to collaborate with their retail channel partners/customers like Walmart, Publix, Walgreens and others. Those supply chain members are sales, marketing, finance and demand planning, but could be others-such as retail customers.

Shaping Future Demand: By using what-if scenario analysis to shape future demand, you can measure varying the future values of price, sales promotions and marketing events, among other factors that influence consumer demand.Sensing Demand Signals: Sense true consumer demand (POS/syndicated scanner data) to understand market shifts in demand for a company’s products by measuring the impact of KPIs that influence consumer demand using predictive analytics.The four core focus areas in the process are: They need to run their business from consumer to supply. It’s no longer a matter of if, but when companies realize they can't effectively run their business from the supply (shipments) to the consumer. Unpredictable market trends have caused havoc with categories, brands and products making it harder to predict supply requirements.Īll of these changes have given rise to the need for consumption (drivers) based forecasting and planning. Additionally, changing shopping preferences continue to differentiate how consumers select and pick up their purchases. It will require a complete redesign of a company’s demand planning process, including integrated horizontal processes with shared performance metrics, the use of predictive analytics and open-source, cloud-ready solutions.

The past 20 months of disruptions caused by COVID-19 have been a wake-up call for retailers and consumer goods companies.
