Demand can vary across different channels, as each channel has its own unique demand patterns, capacity restraints, and service level requirements. Channel planning improves forecasting accuracy and granularity for replenishment and supply chain planning, driving higher availability and turnover, better service, and more optimal inventory value.
Accurate forecasts, optimized inventory allocation
99+%
availability
Reduced
cost to serve
Efficient
operations
Optimize your cost to serve with AI-driven supply chain software
Wholesalers and retailers need to forecast demand by channel to ensure high product availability for each channel. For increased accuracy, their forecasts must take channel-specific factors and behaviors into account.
Key features
RELEX enables the calculation of forecasts for different sales channels. For wholesalers, that can include individual B2B customers, customer groups or sectors, and other sales channels such as e-commerce and stores. Retailers can calculate online demand separately from in-store demand, increasing forecasting granularity and the overall effectiveness of replenishment planning and optimized inventory.
Machine learning improves demand forecast accuracy across sales channels by using all available data—think pricing, promotions, events, and seasonality—to predict sales patterns at the channel level. Receive better visibility to challenging situations through ‘sales channel’-specific reporting on forecast accuracy.
Retailers can better meet shoppers’ needs, whether in stores or online, while minimizing the cost to serve. Use localized demand data for each fulfillment channel to inform changes to your entire network. Wholesalers can increase inventory planning accuracy and ensure efficient use of inventory while maintaining high service levels across channels.
With dynamic channel and store-specific inventory allocation and management, including “virtual ringfencing” in DCs, retailers can protect inventory and ensure availability for all fulfillment options through optimum allocation of inventory based on channel-specific demand.
Benefits
Increase demand forecasting accuracy for better results
Accurately predict demand to ensure the right stock, resources, and capacity are available to maximize sales and customer satisfaction at low cost.
Use channel-specific forecasting to optimize product availability
Forecast demand separately for both in-store and online sales channels, taking channel-specific factors and behaviors into account to optimize product availability. Enjoy better visibility through sales channel-specific reporting and increase forecasting accuracy.
Improve forecast accuracy and optimize inventory levels
RELEX ML-based forecasting identifies patterns and trends quickly, allowing demand planners to react to demand from all sales channels accurately. Gain visibility into inventory levels across all channels, to optimize inventory and reduce stockouts.
“We would prefer to have the inventory where we expect a guaranteed sale vs. shipping it to a store and hoping that it sells. [Ringfencing] was a key requirement when evaluating what software to go through.“
Steve Finkelstein Senior Director of Merchandise Planning and Inventory, The Vitamin Shoppe
The Vitamin Shoppe improved their inventory optimization and got more accurate forecasting after implementing RELEX.
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“With RELEX, we were able to quickly reach a high level of automation. Additionally, because we are able to make essential adjustments to the system, it can continuously meet our ever-changing requirements.”
Beat Marending Head of Goods Procurement at Migros Online
Omar Louzir, RELEX Lead Business Consultant, shares some of the ways that RELEX is helping these retailers leverage AI-enabled technology to build a better supply chain that drives efficiency, reduces costs, and improves customer service and margins.
Leading nutritional products retailer in the U.S., The Vitamin Shoppe is driving improvements to omni-channel fulfillment through a sharp focus on supply chain visibility.
As we look back at 2020, the rapid evolution of omnichannel is at the top of everyone’s mind. Here we discuss how retailers can optimize their supply chain for online and offline success.
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Ready to transform your supply chain & retail planning?
We’re happy to discuss your business needs and share how our market-leading, unified platform can help you drive profitable growth across your sales and distribution channels. Discover why top industry analysts position RELEX as Leaders in the market.