Learn about demand planning and forecasting
Practical guides on sales forecasting, Machine Learning, S&OP and inventory to make better decisions with your data.
The 8 best demand planning software tools in 2026 (an honest comparison)
A vendor-honest comparison of demand planning software — SAP IBP, o9, ToolsGroup, Slimstock, Netstock, GMDH Streamline, Datup and Forecast Studio — who each one is really for, and how to choose without regretting it.
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The reorder point (ROP): the formula that tells you exactly when to buy
What the reorder point is, the formula to calculate it from daily demand, lead time and safety stock — with a worked example — and why a fixed ROP quietly fails when demand has seasonality or promotions.
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Demand forecasting in retail: why it's the hardest — and the most profitable to fix
What makes retail demand uniquely hard to forecast — SKU × store granularity, promotions, weather, events — what the errors cost ($1.77T in inventory distortion), and what a modern retail forecasting setup looks like.
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Forecast accuracy metrics that actually matter: MAPE, WMAPE and bias
How to measure forecast error the right way — why plain MAPE can mislead you (with a worked example), when to use WMAPE, how bias quietly piles up inventory, and what FVA reveals about your process.
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S&OP in plain terms: getting sales and operations to agree on one number
Sales and Operations Planning aligns commercial, supply and finance around a single demand plan. The monthly cycle, what 'one number' really means, and the measured payoff.
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Demand planning glossary: 30 terms every planner should know
Plain-language definitions of the vocabulary of demand planning and forecasting — from MAPE, WMAPE and bias to safety stock, reorder point, S&OP, FVA and exogenous variables — with links to deeper guides.
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Safety stock, explained: how much buffer inventory do you really need
What safety stock is, the formulas to size it from demand variability and lead time (with a worked example), and why better forecasts shrink the buffer you need.
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How to forecast sales in Excel (and when the spreadsheet stops being enough)
A hands-on tutorial: moving averages, FORECAST.LINEAR and FORECAST.ETS with seasonality, step by step. Plus the documented limits — one series at a time, no external variables — and the signs you've outgrown the sheet.
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What is demand planning and why Machine Learning beats Excel
A practical guide to demand planning: what the research says about spreadsheet errors, the evidence that Machine Learning forecasts better, and when it's time to leave Excel behind.
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5 forecasting failures that cost millions
Five documented demand-planning disasters — Cisco's $2.25B write-off, Nike's $100M i2 failure, Target Canada's collapse, KFC's empty stores and Walmart's 2022 inventory glut — what each one cost, what failed, and what would have prevented it.
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