Why Point of Sales Data Matters for Demand Management

WHy PoInT oF SAleS dATA MATTerS For deMAnd MAnAGeMenT by Fred Tolbert I I magine this: You are the new Vice President of Sales for a major manufacturer. Your key customers are popular home centers and mass merchant retailers. You have 10 regional sales managers and a team of local account managers, and you have just completed the first week of the key holiday shopping period. At 8:00 AM on Monday morning, do your account managers know the answers to the following questions? • What were store / SKU sales for each retail store last week? • What is my current out-of-stock position by store? • What SKUs are moving faster and slower than planned at retail? • What sales regions are over or under performing? • What is my turn and Gross Margin Return On Investment (GMROI) by store / region / retailer? • What was the sales lift from the five promotional SKUs? • Based on the first week’s sales, what is the sales forecast by account for the remainder of the holiday season? • What replenishment order is needed for each store? At present, it is most likely that you don’t have access to the information that can tell you how your products are selling. A couple of your ...