Replenish or Perish: Stock Control in Retail, with an Emphasis on Short Shelf Life Products
by Stephan Kolassa, Data Science Expert, SAP Switzerland
Supermarkets and other retailers face unique challenges to inventory control, from challenging forecasting environments across data quality issues to hard logistical optimization parameters. We will scratch the surface on what goes on behind those full (or not so full) shelves when you shop for dinner. This is less a presentation on solutions or clever new algorithmic approaches, and more a call to action and an inspiration on real life avenues for potential research. You will never look at tomato shelves in the same way again!
BIO: Stephan KOLASSA has been forecasting retail and CPG demand at highly granular levels (SKU × store × day) for replenishment and other processes for over 20 years, serving some of the largest retailers worldwide. In parallel, he does research in forecasting, with a particular focus on forecasting in retail and on forecast error metrics. He is an Honorary Researcher at the Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting at Lancaster University Management School, serves on the editorial board of both the International Journal of Forecasting and Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting, has been elected a Fellow of the International Institute of Forecasters, and spends far too much time answering statistics- and forecasting-related questions at CrossValidated.
