Retailers, here’s how to forecast your demand on MFour Studio™.

Woman shopping in grocery store with her son.

You have no reason to panic.

Yes, this supply chain shortage is impacting everything.  Every industry has been affected. Grocery stores, supermarkets, department stores — you name it — they’re all coping with shortage complications.

Brands are using the SaaS platform to identify fulfillment issues, in real time. Companies can log in to identify consumer behavior, and competitive conditions, as they happen. Retailers can use the information to forecast future demand and allocate resources. 

Your ability to forecast — drives revenue. The data presented by MFour Studio™ provides insight into these, and many other variables, in a user-friendly dashboard.

The data presented by MFour Studio™ provides insight into these, and many other variables, in a user-friendly dashboard.

The power of real-time data.

How it works.

MFour Studio™ is powered by a consumer panel of 100,000 demographically-balanced people. This consumer group is paid fairly to share their app, web, and in-store visits. All data is collected through the Surveys On The Go™ smartphone app..

The data comes into MFour Studio™ in real time. From there, it’s pushed into live and historical charts, for you to filter. A 2021 Google research study shares why having both — live and latent data — is essential to your research. Their study shows:

 “. . . mobility data from cellular providers give[s] a granular look at how the geographic movement of individuals change[s] over time in different areas. This allowed them to see how the movement of customers was associated with demand and inventory changes at the local level.” ¹

Your ability to understand customer actions before, during, and after they shop is critical. That data leads to appropriate planning for future needs, which is exactly what you want in the midst of a supply chain crisis.2 MFour Studio™ meets that need.

Preparing for the future.

Supply chain issues will continue.4

As Bloomberg noted “. . . one key metric is trending down a bit. The total on-shelf-availability rate was 94.6% in September, a decrease from 95.2% in August.” 3 The metric outlines a problem that affects both forecasted and actual revenues.

The way to solve it is to gain visibility. Shortages will likely bleed into 2022, making accurate data absolutely critical to your business. 

Moving forward.

Prepare for the long haul.

You can ride out the supply chain shortage by being better prepared than the competition. Get ahead by utilizing MFour Studio™ to analyze consumer behaviors in real time. Compare the data with historical trends to accurately forecast and prepare your inventory. Your first 7 days are free.  

References:

  1. https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/demand-planning-forecasters-pandemic-modeling-sas-google-trends-oracle/593571/
  2. https://mfour.com/retailers-you-have-no-reason-to-panic/
  3. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-19/food-shortages-crop-up-again-as-supply-chain-headaches-worsen 
  4. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/10/15/supply-chain-shortages-issues-impact-holiday-shopping/8450237002/ 

By Allyson Wehn

Reviewed by Sharon Leynes

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