Eric Wilson, ACPF

Demand Sensing & Shaping With Starbucks

Eric Wilson, ACPFSeptember 19, 2022

Are you a Starbucks customer? If so, the coffee chain is analyzing your purchases to create a personalized experience for you – and to get you to spend more money. To do this, they have created what they call the digital flywheel program which analys... Read More...

AnalyticsModels & MethodsSoftware & SystemsTechnology0 Comments 0

Optimizing Operations For Cash Flow

Eric Wilson, ACPFJuly 29, 2022

At the end of last year, I made this podcast that predicted that 2022 was going to be the year of ‘anti-lean’ with inventory flooding the market and companies having to offer discounts to shift excess stock. My theory was that when we combine ex... Read More...

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)S&OP/IBP0 Comments 0

Transitioning From Times Series To Predictive Analytics

Eric Wilson, ACPFJune 30, 2022

I recently had a fascinating and enlightening conversation with one of the leading figures in predictive analytics and business forecasting, Dr. Barry Keating, Professor of Business Economics & Predictive Analytics at the University of Notre ... Read More...

Advanced AnalyticsAnalyticsModels & Methods0 Comments 0

My Favorite Forecasting Model

Eric Wilson, ACPFJune 24, 2022

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is “What is your favorite forecasting model?” My answer is “it depends” because not all problems need a hammer. Sometimes you need a wrench or a screwdriver which is why I advocate having a forecas... Read More...

Models & Methods0 Comments 0

Mapping The Process For New S&OP

Eric Wilson, ACPFMay 12, 2022

Based on IBF research, 12% - 16% of people reading this are starting a new S&OP process. Whether it’s because a company started an S&OP process, stalled, and then relaunched, or is doing it for the first time, many organizations are takin... Read More...

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How to Start a New S&OP Process

Eric Wilson, ACPFApril 4, 2022

Maybe you just had a poor quarter with your forecast not aligning to operations or business plans. Maybe there was a series of bad product launches, or you’re not getting the cross-functional collaboration you need. Maybe you went to an IBF confe... Read More...

OrganizationProcessS&OP/IBP1 Comment 0

Simplifying Python For Business Forecasting With Mariya Sha

Eric Wilson, ACPFMarch 17, 2022

I recently spoke to Mariya Sha, Python guru and star of the Python Simplified YouTube channel. I asked her how forecasters and Demand Planners can get started with the Python programming language and leverage it for Machine Learning. I gained som... Read More...

Advanced Analytics3 Comments 0

How Forecastable Are Your Items?

Eric Wilson, ACPFJanuary 26, 2022

Not all items are created equal. Not all customers are not created equal. We know this to be self-evident. If this is true, why do we assume our accuracy should be the same for all items and customers? As Demand Planners, it's not enough to ju... Read More...

AnalyticsKPIs/Metrics0 Comments 0

Using Social Media Data To Improve Forecasts

Eric Wilson, ACPFSeptember 8, 2021

Web 2.0 is a term that's been used often since the early 2000s. While the itself term is ambiguous, it has in many ways come to mean the socialization of the web. Compared to the static data put up by programmers back in the day, Web 2.0 is the conne... Read More...

Advanced AnalyticsAnalyticsData10 Comments 0

What Happened To The Data Gathering Step In S&OP?

Eric Wilson, ACPFAugust 27, 2021

The year is 1991. Nirvana just released Nevermind, Baywatch is the hottest show on TV, and it’s your job to gather data to begin the next month’s S&OP cycle. As part of the S&OP process, you need to find the data you need, sort it out, and st... Read More...

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