Demand Forecast
Demand Forecasting uses historical sales data to predict future inventory needs, helping you avoid stockouts and overstock situations.
Navigate to Reports & Analytics > Demand Forecast.
Summary Cards
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Critical Reorders | Products that will run out within days |
| High Priority | Products approaching reorder point |
| Total Products | Number of products tracked |
| Needs Reorder | Total products requiring attention |
Tabs
Reorder Suggestions
Urgency-based reorder table showing products that need restocking. Each product shows:
- Current stock level
- Predicted demand
- Days until stockout
- Urgency level (Critical, High, Medium, Low)
Urgency levels:
| Level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Critical | Stockout imminent |
| High | Low stock, order soon |
| Medium | Approaching reorder point |
| Low | Monitor, not urgent |
All Forecasts
Complete list of products with demand predictions:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Product | Product name |
| Current Stock | Quantity on hand |
| 7-Day Forecast | Predicted demand for next 7 days |
| 14-Day Forecast | Predicted demand for next 14 days |
| 30-Day Forecast | Predicted demand for next 30 days |
| Days Until Stockout | When you'll run out at current pace |
Trends
Click a product to view its trend chart showing:
- Historical sales (solid line)
- Predicted demand (dashed line with confidence interval)
Accuracy
See how accurate past forecasts were:
- MAPE — Mean Absolute Percentage Error
- Bias — Whether forecasts tend to over- or under-predict
- Accuracy Rate — Percentage of forecasts within acceptable range
Generating Forecasts
Click Generate Forecasts to create new predictions based on the latest sales data. Forecasts use:
- Moving averages (7-day and 30-day)
- Day-of-week seasonality patterns
- Recent growth/decline trends
Filters
- Category — Focus on specific product categories
Best Practices
- Generate forecasts regularly — Run weekly for the most current predictions.
- Focus on Critical items — Check critical reorder alerts daily.
- Consolidate orders — Use the reorder list to batch orders by supplier.
- Account for events — Manually adjust expectations before holidays (e.g., 4/20).
Next Steps
- Shrinkage Analysis — Inventory loss tracking
- Products — Product management
- Cycle Counts — Physical counts