News

Demand Sensing Software Helps Unilever

by Paul Taylor

Financial Times

March 18, 2011

Read the article (registration required)

For companies operating in fast changing markets such as food and consumer products, where customer preferences can change quickly, inaccurate sales forecasts can lead to missed sales opportunities, disgruntled customers and higher inventory costs.

It is not a new problem – commercial demand planning systems have been around for about 25 years – but improving demand forecasting has become a top priority for companies such as Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods because in the digital age, consumer purchasing habits, ordering processes and promotions are changing so frequently.

Unilever, with 400 brands spanning 14 categories of home, personal care and food products, is one of the world’s largest consumer products goods companies with a product portfolio that includes brands such as Lipton, Knorr and Dove. It is also one of the first multinationals to implement ‘demand sensing’ technology designed to enable companies to detect changes in customer preferences more quickly and adjust operations accordingly.