SAS helps retailers and consumer goods manufacturers anticipate shipping disruptions and shopper demand

New SAS Cloud for Intelligent Planning deploys faster, creates rapid results

With the global supply chain crisis still raging, the need for agile, accurate demand planning has never been greater. With SAS^® Cloud for Intelligent Planning, retailers and consumer goods manufacturers can anticipate shopper needs and shipping disruptions more effectively. The software-as-a-service solution is available now in private preview exclusively on Microsoft Azure. SAS is part of integrating the new Microsoft Cloud for Retail launch, helping businesses build resilient supply chains. 

Want to learn more? Test-drive how you can predict and plan consumer demand with SAS through a free 14-day trial.

SAS helps retailers stay ahead of consumer demand

Brian Kilcourse, Managing Partner at Retail Systems Research, said the pandemic has pushed retailers and consumer goods companies to their limit in terms of anticipating demand. "Retailers are under a lot of pressure to respond quickly to sudden changes in both supply and demand,” Kilcourse continued. “SAS’ collaboration with Microsoft is focused on enabling companies to achieve more agility with a use-as-needed delivery model. With the benefits of the industry cloud, retailers can get access to more timely data, resulting in increased supply chain transparency.” 

SAS Cloud for Intelligent Planning helps users:   

• Use artificial intelligence (AI) to create self-tuning plans to make sure the right products are in the right place at the right time.
• Stay ahead of consumers with short-term demand sensing that turns consumer insight into action.
• Balance, scale commercial goals across every department in your organization.
• Visualize a forecast in any way on any device – spreadsheets, reports, dashboards, tablets, smartphones.
• Pay for the horsepower you need when you need – bump up for holiday planning or when you move into different regions.

The SAS solution predicts forward-looking demand signals: When, where and how sales will happen. By using comprehensive shopper data, the software recommends balanced, profitable commercial plans across a retailer’s channels and customers. Automated with machine learning, the cloud offering is always up to date to help users remain on top of their business.

Richard Widdowson, SAS Vice President of Global Retail & Consumer Goods Solutions, said SAS can help a retailer realize as much as a 5% revenue improvement because of its agile, short-term forecasting capabilities. “When put into practical terms, that means better on-shelf availability and a maximum return on investment for your inventory dollars,” Widdowson added. “The solution on Azure will help boost shelf performance by up to 50% and reduce the time it takes to complete a forecast faster than ever before.”

“Microsoft Cloud for Retail partners provide more integrated solutions to reduce risk across the ecosystem, identify opportunities, and decrease time to market to better serve our customers,” said Shelley Bransten, Corporate Vice President, WW Retail & Consumer Goods Industries, Microsoft. “Partners such as SAS can drive innovation, extending and enabling the value of the platform to address the most pressing challenges retailers face today.”