Demand forecasting has always been one of the biggest festive challenges, notes Narayan Prasad, Category Lead, Logistics and Supply Chain at Mars International India Pvt Ltd. Companies once relied on historical sales trends, but rising volatility and the growth of quick commerce have made that data alone insufficient.
Technology and collaboration together outshine either alone
The industry has since shifted toward advanced analytics, AI-based forecasting and real-time signals from multiple channels. Businesses with greater supply chain integration respond faster and replenish more efficiently, but technology alone isn’t the answer; cross-functional collaboration between sales, marketing and supply chain remains equally important. The winning formula, in Prasad’s view, combines technology-enabled forecasting, collaborative planning and agility to minimise both lost sales and excess inventory.
Anticipating rather than reacting
The last-mile promise now shapes decisions far upstream, pushing companies to secure supplier capacity earlier, make production more dynamic and position inventory closer to demand centres. Successful execution, Prasad says, is no longer about reacting to demand but anticipating it.
From static allocation to dynamic rebalancing
Inventory allocation’s objective hasn’t changed, but complexity has: a single product must now serve retail, marketplaces and quick commerce simultaneously. This has shifted planning from static models to dynamic, data-driven decisions, using demand-sensing tools and automated replenishment to continuously rebalance inventory.
Cold chain as an integrated challenge
Cold-chain exports have evolved from a logistics challenge into a fully integrated one. With shorter shelf life and higher festive demand, manufacturers are synchronising production, cold storage and export logistics more closely, while geopolitical disruptions push companies toward real-time visibility and temperature monitoring. Success, in Prasad’s view, is end-to-end coordination from sourcing through to delivery.
