Inventory and supply chain · Retainer
Demand planning
SKU-level forecasts that turn into purchase orders with dates and quantities.
Demand planning is the work of forecasting how many units of each SKU will sell and deciding what to order and when. It also decides how much stock to hold while an order is on the way. TheBrandSpur does this for e-commerce brands selling on Amazon, Shopify, TikTok and retail. Our system forecasts every SKU by channel, and a dedicated planner reviews the result before it becomes a purchase order.
The forecast is only half of it. Whether a stockout happens depends on the supplier's lead time and on how long freight and warehouse receiving take. It also depends on how many units are already on order. Reorder points and safety stock are set against your real lead times and the way your demand swings, so a purchase order goes out early enough to land before the shelf is empty, without piling up cash in stock.
Retainer · A planner reviews every forecast
Get your inventory auditThe forecast
What goes into the forecast
By SKU and by channel
- A forecast for each SKU in each channel, built at SKU level rather than for a product category.
- Ad spend and planned promotions sit next to sales history, so next month's promotion is already in the numbers before it starts.
- Reorder points and safety stock come from your supplier lead times and from how much each SKU's demand varies.
- The planner can adjust the model's forecast. Both versions are shown side by side, so nothing is overwritten without a record.
- Every forecast is scored against what actually sold, and the accuracy is tracked over time.
- Launches and demand spikes get scenarios, with the order quantity and the cash each one needs, before you commit.
Every week
What the planner does each week
Re-forecast every week
- Step 1
The forecast refreshes with the latest sales, stock and open orders.
- Step 2
The planner reviews the SKUs that changed the most and the ones close to their reorder point.
- Step 3
A model does not know that a supplier has dropped out or that marketing has a promotion coming, so the planner adjusts the forecast and records the reason.
- Step 4
The buy plan lists each SKU, the quantity, and the date the order has to be placed so it arrives before cover runs out.
- Step 5
Last period's forecast is compared with actual sales for each SKU, with a reason when it missed.
What you get
What you receive
| Deliverable | What it contains | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Buy plan | Each SKU, the quantity, the order-by date and the supplier | With each re-forecast |
| Forecast by SKU and channel | Model forecast and planner-adjusted forecast side by side, with the reason for each adjustment | Monthly view by SKU and channel, re-forecast every week |
| Variance report | Forecast against actual sales, with the reason for each miss | Weekly |
| Accuracy score | Per SKU and overall, tracked over time | Monthly |
Depending on the plan you choose, TheBrandSpur raises the purchase orders or you place them from our buy plan.
Getting started
Getting started
How it starts
- Step 1
You share sales history by SKU and channel, open purchase orders and supplier lead times.
- Step 2
We confirm the supplier lead times with you, SKU by SKU.
- Step 3
The first forecast and buy plan follow.
- Step 4
The weekly re-forecast and variance review follows the first buy plan. The first accuracy score follows the first full month.
Who this is for
Who it is for
Best fit
Brands with roughly $1M to $50M in annual revenue that sell the same SKUs through more than one channel and buy from more than one supplier.
Across all clients, the team manages inventory for 50+ e-commerce brands, 8,500+ SKUs and 300+ suppliers.
Demand planning is the process of estimating how many units of each SKU you will sell over the coming weeks and months, and turning that estimate into purchase orders. For an e-commerce brand it covers forecasts by channel, reorder points, safety stock and the dates orders must be placed.
Inventory management tracks what you hold and where it is. Demand planning decides how much more to buy and when. A brand can know its stock exactly and still run out, because the order went out too late for the supplier lead time.
Both. The system runs the forecast for every SKU every night, and a dedicated planner reviews it before it becomes a purchase order. The model forecast and the planner's adjusted forecast are shown side by side.
A model only sees history. The planner knows about a supplier that has dropped out, a promotion marketing has planned, or a launch that has no sales yet, and adjusts the forecast for those cases. The adjustment and its reason are recorded.
Sales history by SKU and channel, your open purchase orders and your supplier lead times. Ad spend and promotion plans help too, when you have them.
Forecasts are built by month for each SKU and channel and re-forecast every week, and the variance is reviewed weekly. The system flags a stockout risk about 12 weeks ahead.
Demand planning is sold as a retainer. The price depends on the plan you choose, and we give you a written quote after a call. The inventory audit is the one fixed price we publish: $1,500.
If you are not sure whether the forecast is the problem, yes. The audit shows which SKUs hold the most cash and which will run out inside the supplier lead time today. If the forecast turns out to be the cause, demand planning is the next step. The audit costs $1,500 and takes up to three business days.
Start with the audit
The audit shows which SKUs hold the most cash and which will run out inside the supplier lead time. If the forecast turns out to be the cause, demand planning is the next step. It costs $1,500 and takes up to three business days.