What's Inside

In our Reshaping Supply Chains for the 2020s series, we analyze the technologies and trends that are enabling the evolution of the supply chain. In this report, we discuss importance of demand forecasting in retail and the evolution of technology solutions to address pain points in the process.

This report considers the following key topics:

• Applications of demand forecasting in retail supply chains
• The rise of machine learning as a core technology in supply chains
• Alternative demand-forecasting techniques—such as demand sensing for inventory management and sales forecasting
• Our expectations for the future of demand forecasting

We outline some recent examples of retail companies partnering with supply chain technology businesses to improve demand forecasting—including solutions from Alloy, Blue Yonder and Prevedere.

Our Reshaping Supply Chains for the 2020s series includes a discussion of the five forces impacting supply chains and the consumerization and digitalization of product design