You can use demand forecasting and suggested reorder quantity measures in the Replenishment report to simplify ordering decisions, reduce manual work, and improve stock accuracy for both seasonal and non-seasonal items. These tools are especially useful if you regularly reorder existing catalog products throughout the year.

The use of this forecasting tool is at the user’s own risk. Lightspeed cannot guarantee the accuracy and reliability of the forecasts generated. Actual results may differ. The tool is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial, investment, or legal advice. Users are encouraged to exercise caution before making business decisions based on the tool’s output.

Adding demand forecasting metrics to reports

Forecasting columns can be added directly to your Inventory replenishment report to help with inventory planning and reduce reliance on manual calculations. Before setting up your report, verify that your plan includes access to forecasting features.

To access the forecasting columns:

1. Navigate to Reporting > Inventory reports.
2. Click the Replenishment tab.

   

3. Select the Date range dropdown.
4. Select the Forecast tab. The range will be set to forecast the next four weeks by default, but can be reconfigured to suit your needs.

   

5. Under Forecast Period, enter a number in the field, and from the dropdown, select whether you want the forecast period to be for that number of Days, Weeks, or Months. The minimum date range is one day, and the maximum is 25 months. The date range you set will display beside the Apply button.
6. If you want to include missed sales, enable the Factor missed sales into the demand forecast checkbox. If you don't include missed sales, the forecast will only include the average data without factoring in the missed sales.
7. Click Apply when you're done entering the forecast details.
8. Click Search.

Setting up a customized demand forecasting report

After six weeks of selling, Admin users will have access to the forecasting setup banner with a guided workflow on the Inventory Report page. You can use forecasting features with advanced reporting and Insights to build custom reports tailored to your data.

The forecasting setup banner only displays after six weeks of selling. If you're an Admin user and don't see the banner, return to the Inventory report page after six weeks of selling.

To create your first custom demand forecasting report:

1. Navigate to Reports > Inventory reports.
2. In the banner, click Set up customized report.

   

3. In the popup, select how much stock cover you need using the Forecast period dropdowns. This measures the stock needed for the period you selected. Set the number of Days, Weeks, or Months, then click Next.

   

4. Choose whether you'd like to exclude or include missed sales in the demand forecast, then click Next.

   You can update the missed sales setting later in the report.

   

5. Search for and select a supplier or brand you're ordering from, then click Next.
6. Optionally, to apply an exclusion to your report, search and add a customer or promotion filter, then click Next.
7. If you order stock directly to an outlet, select Direct to outlet and the outlet name from the dropdown. Otherwise, select Across outlets into a warehouse, then click Next.

   

8. Add a report name.
9. Click Finish setup.

   The system takes a moment to prepare your custom report. If you close the window, the report will continue to load on the page.

Your new custom report will display beside the Replenishment tab on the Inventory report page. Click through the popup information to learn more about the reporting functionality and how to navigate and update your custom report.

Formatting demand forecasting results for multiple outlets

If you have multiple outlets, you can format these results to show a breakdown by outlet.

1. Click Format results.
2. Select By outlet.
3. Click Apply.

   

This will show the forecasted demand and suggested reorder quantity per outlet for each SKU. This can help determine which outlets need to restock and identify opportunities to transfer stock between outlets.

Adding and removing measures in the Inventory replenishment report

The out of stock measures are added by default to the replenishment report, but can be removed if they are not needed. They can also be added to other inventory reports as optional metrics. To hide or display stockout measures:

1. Navigate to Reporting > Inventory reports.
2. Select an inventory report from the tabs.
3. Click the + (plus) sign at the end of the report columns.

   

4. Click the checkbox beside the measures you want to add or remove.

   

5. Click Update report.
6. To save your customized columns, click Save report.

   

For detailed instructions on creating and managing saved reports, refer to Saving customized reports.

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