This piece is the third in a series of thought leadership pieces co-published with Planalytics on the topic of weather analytics and the impact to consumer-centric businesses across the life sciences, consumer products, and retail industries. Read the first article here and the second article here. In this webinar, our experts discuss the value of leveraging weather-driven demand analytics in retail to forecast success. 

Weather-driven demand is a crucial, yet often overlooked factor in retail success. Understanding how weather impacts consumer purchasing can help businesses forecast more accurately, better understand the true performance of their promotions, enable comparisons, optimize margins, and more. 

Weather is one of the most volatile influences on retail sales, affecting over $1 trillion in retail every year. Factors like temperature fluctuations, extreme weather events (such as hurricanes or floods), and seasonal shifts can directly alter consumer behavior. However, despite its impact, weather is often misunderstood and not effectively used in business strategies. Retailers often struggle with how to incorporate weather data into their forecasting, leading to missed opportunities and inefficiencies. 

Using Weather-Driven Demand Analytics in Retail 

The concept of “weather-driven demand” (WDD) helps businesses take action by isolating and quantifying how weather influences sales. This metric combines historical sales data with weather patterns to give retailers a more accurate picture of demand. WDD provides a reliable forecast that can be integrated into various business processes, from inventory management to marketing and finance.  

In this webinar, Clarkston experts Robin Dolan, Cory Jackson, and Anand Nataraj speak with Evan Gold, EVP of Global Partnerships and Alliances at Planalytics, about how retailers can leverage weather-driven demand analytics to make smarter decisions for their business, covering topics such as:  

• How is WDD generated? 
• How can weather analytics enhance inventory planning and demand forecasting for retail operations? 
• How can SAP car utilize weather insights to improve on shelf availability by aligning replenishment strategies and with anticipated demand changes? 
• How does S/4 HANA incorporate weather analytics into integrated business planning for dynamic inventory and supply chain management? 
• How can weather-driven insights improve workforce scheduling and labor out allocation in retail stores? 

If you’re looking to implement or optimize your demand forecasting systems through the power of weather analytics, with a platform like Planalytics, Clarkston Consulting’s analytics and SAP teams can help. Contact our experts today to learn more.