Retail planning application and method for consumer products

摘要

An improved forecasting and modeling tool for planning and estimating sales of consumer products, including social expression products in a retail operation. The tool enables retailers to create a plan based on information shared between the retailer and vendor of social expression products. The methodology employed begins with actual sales totals for the prior term and the plan goal for the current term and provides financial calculations based on a variety of factors to determine the sales bridge needed to meet the current term goal. Information relating to actual sales, significant events, door activity, current forecast, trending data, and vendor initiatives are input into the application and are used in financial calculations to determine a current term sales plan.

主权项

1. A retail planning and forecasting tool comprising:
a computer with a processor having circuitry to execute instructions; a computer-readable storage medium having executable computer code stored thereon, the computer code operative to use the processor to determine a current term sales bridge by executing the following steps: accept and store data representing a value equal to a total previous term sales dollars; accept and store financial data affecting the total previous term sales dollars; and calculate a current term adjusted financial baseline by subtracting the financial data affecting the total previous term sales dollars from the total previous term sales dollars; accept and store financial data affecting the current term adjusted financial baseline; calculate a value equal to a total current term estimated sales by adding the financial data affecting the current term baseline to the current term adjusted financial baseline; accept and store a value equal to a current term sales goal; and calculate the current term sales bridge by subtracting the current term estimated sales from the current term sales goal.