AI for Demand Forecasting
Retail
Industry
10
Products Groups
30
Predictive Models
An organization forecasting demand across 10 product groups wanted to improve how commercial and planning teams monitor sales forecasts, understand key business drivers and evaluate alternative scenarios, using 30 predictive models to support the process.
What Predictive Planning Enables
Managing demand across multiple product groups requires more than generating accurate predictions.
Teams need visibility into where attention is required, clarity on the factors driving performance and the ability to evaluate potential actions before execution.
Portfolio Visibility
Identify product groups and projections requiring attention across the portfolio.
Understanding
Understand how trends, seasonality and business variables shape expected performance.
Scenario Evaluation
Assess how changes to key variables may affect projected outcomes.
Planning Alignment
Support planning decisions with predictive insights before moving approved actions into execution.
Predictive Forecasting at Scale
Using Elai, the company generated 30 predictive models across 10 product groups in eight hours, reaching up to 99% forecast accuracy.
Each model combined demand forecasting, driver explainability and scenario planning, enabling teams to understand the factors shaping expected performance and evaluate alternative actions.
From Signals to Action
01- Monitor Forecasts
Portfolio heatmaps helped teams identify which product groups and forecasts required attention.
02 – Explain the Drivers
Users could investigate how factors such as trends, seasonality, media activity and other business variables were influencing forecast performance.
03 – Scenario Planning
Demand Planners could test changes to business variables, compare projected outcomes and select the scenario best aligned with planning objectives.
04 – Act on the Plan
Move approved forecasts and planning proposals into execution through the existing planning process.
Scenario Planning
Once a forecast requiring attention is identified, teams can test alternative assumptions and evaluate how changes to business variables may affect the expected outcome.
Scenario comparison allows Demand Planners to assess different options before selecting the planning proposal to move through the review and approval process.
Before
Portfolio Planning
Brand Managers were responsible for creating, monitoring and reacting to sales projections across the portfolio.
After
Predictive Planning
Elai automates predictions, explains the key drivers behind them and enables teams to test alternative scenarios before execution.